Finding great rates, about $235/nt +taxes/fees for a tropical view room for August.

If booked through Amex's FHR program using an Amex Plat, receive $150 property credit, 12pm check-in, 4pm guaranteed check out, upgrade if available, and daily breakfast for two. Plus, if you have the Amex Plat, there's that $200 FHR refund. I took advantage of this deal, so my total total comes to about $819 for a partial ocean view room for 3 nights, including taxes/fees. I'll provide a report upon my return.

Looking at the next 10 day forecast for Tulum, it's raining everyday. Plus it's hurricane season, so there's a chance you might need to evacuate on a short notice. Looking forward to hear how your visit will go and if the rains are mostly at night or just very periodic. The current rate is awesome, as long as the weather cooperates.

Does anyone have the email address for this property? Got a points stay coming up and looking for any cash upgrade rates. Thanks.

Review of Conrad Tulum August 2022
 

Just back from a long weekend at the Conrad Tulum Riviera Maya. I posted above about the great rates:
Booked through Amex Plat, paid net of $819 for 3 nts in partial ocean view room with these FHR benefits:
Early check-in 12pm
Breakfast for 2 daily
Late Check out, 4pm
Upgrade if available
$150 property credit*

As a Hilton Diamond, I receive most of these benefits, but the $200 Amex Plat credit and $150 property credit gave FHR the edge. We were arriving very early, about noon, so I was hoping for the early check-in. *Turns out, and this was clarified twice, that they provided both the standard $100 property credit and stacked another $150 property credit on top of it. Pretty sweet and unexpected. We were upgraded to a full ocean view room in Building 3 and our room was ready nearly at arrival.

Rooms
We were on the third floor of Building 3 in a full ocean view room. We had a beautiful view of the bay and pools directly in front of our room. A previous poster mentioned the third floor is ocean view, second floor is partial ocean view and first floor is tropical view. The foliage is quite varied throughout the resort, with some third floor views completely obstructed and some second floor rooms completely unobstructed, so I am not sure if the room views always coorelate with floor. The tropical view patio is much larger, with the plunge pool being 2-3 times the size of a balcony pool. However, these are completely in the vegetation. And we found the mosquitos to be quite intense and you didn't know you'd been bit until you had 20 bumps the next day. And that was wearing bug spray. So a tropical view room wouldn't be for us.
We had a two queen bed room. Really liked the bar area with coffee and refillable glass bottles. Near each elevator is an ice machine and water refill station, which is awesome. Loved the warm wood tones of the room and the moody dark features, along with the great lighting features throughout. Double sinks. Toliet, shower and sinks are all separate areas. No locks on the toilet room. I am just not a fan of these open concept bathrooms. Two large closets with deep bottom drawers- this was great to have real storage. I still prefer to enjoy some bathroom privacy and the no lock, slight door gap and glass door don't provide any sound protection. Our shower didn't drain correctly, but seemed like a construction sloping issue. The toilteries were TO DIE FOR. The brand is BYREDO Mohave Ghost and the scent is memorable.
We brought a Roku stick for the kids, but couldn't seem to stream from any providers. Were able to do so via iPads though.
Balcony with two chairs and plunge pool.
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...4b143234e0.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...5a786ef3ab.jpg
Tropical view room
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...362830b84a.jpg
Tropical view room
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...fdaf62a752.jpg
Ocean View room

Pools
Building 3 is where you want to be. It sits directly in front of the bay and two pools. FYI, the pool water is VERY warm, like bath water. They were doing some tile work so had the pool levels lower than normal at Blding 3, so perhaps the water wasn't circulating as it normally would have. But the water at the main pool was also very, very warm. This may be ideal in the winter months, but it's one of the few things I would note need change. We didn't experience towel service at any pools It was primarily DIY. But there are many great cabanas throughout the resort which are no cost, first come, first served. Loved this. Hope it stays that way. Poolside food and beverage service. Occassionally, paletas or an appetizer bite would be brought around. Nice touch. The shrimp ceviche served from Crudo was phenomenal. We walked over to the pool at building 6 one day which had great full ocean views, a nice wind, the sound of waves crashing and very cool water. We were the only ones there. Glad we made the walk. Pools close at 8pm.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...bdd513efae.jpg

Beach
The bay it sits on is absolutely breathtaking, sort of reminiscent of Hawaii. Another great benefit of it being on a bay is that there no beach vendors. There was sargassum, some days more than others. We went into it expecting not to be able to swim at all. We swam unimpeded one day and another day we were eventually edged out of the ocean by it. So we were more than pleased with that. I believe SUP, kayaks and snorkel gear are available. Because of the bay, the water is super calm. Hammocks, day beds and beach chairs are all available beachside.
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...4412362e76.jpg
Nearly free of sargassum

Dining
The resort really shines here. Nearly every dish we had was excellently prepared. Including room service (pesto pasta from in-room dining was the best I've ever had). We had dinner service at Kengai (japanese?) and Maratea.(mediterranean). The service was excellent at Kengai and they provided some nice touches like an amuse-bouche and tea and chocolates after the meal. Also a sweet treat for my daughter's birthday. Maratea was beautiful and we were also provided with an amuse-bouche and chocolates post meal. But the service seemed indifferent. Maratea's restaurant manager was onsite though, and we had a lovely conversation with her. We discussed Hilton's diversity and the fact that several women are restaurant managers at the Conrad Tulum. Nice to see. Ultra-Mar is the restaurant adjacent to the main pool. Tasty food and service. Drinks about $20 each for something like a grey goose and tonic.
Breakfast buffet- complimentary for Diamond or with FHR. They waived the fee each morning for our children 9 and 12, but I overheard them charge for the child at the table next to us, who looked slightly older, maybe 13 or 14. I believe the child cost is 350MXN or about $17USD. This was one of the best hotel breakfasts we had. Three HUGE rooms. And still culinary masterpieces, so beautifully presented. There were several stations where they would make you pancakes, french toast, your preferred egg dish, avocado toast, tacos, etc. All of this was in addition to the serve yourself stations.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...bae4d15e14.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...c7e7836df8.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...35944c48e6.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...d6d816fa4d.jpg
Breakfast Buffet one of three rooms
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...9f31461f52.jpg
Breakfast Avocado toast made-to-order

Out of pocket cost
Our total f&b bill was only $268 after our $250 credit. This was for three meals a day, albeit a light lunch, for two adults and two kids. But few drinks and an occassional dessert. We always added another 10% for a total 20% gratuity/service. Breakfast is so filling and poolside portions are large.

Overall impressions
I was not expecting to like the resort as much as we did because we typically prefer a more boutique sized resort. I'd estimate the resort was at 20% occupancy, so it was easy to get a room in building 3. I don't think we would have enjoyed the experience if we had been much further out. The service level is approachable, but wouldn't be considered high end service level, just yet. Kind service, for the most part. The resort is stunningly beautiful- the design executed to perfection. Very "Instagrammable." The weather was HOT (mid 90s) and humid, as expected. While the forecast showed rain every day, we never had any daytime rain but heard some at night. The hotel rooms are literally carved right into a mangrove forest and we saw lots of iguanas, hermit crabs and even raccoons. This resort deserves a spot in the rotation.

I'm happy to address any specific questions. Please @ me or quote this so I am notified to respond. Thanks!

Thanks for the cool review. My question would be if you did or saw any activites offered by the hotel, such as excursions, hikes etc.

Thanks

Is the Building 6 pool the one by the Hilton side? The pool and (pizza?) restaurant by the Hilton was not open when we were there in April.
The one on the opposite side was open, along with the restaurant there.
Great review! Sad to know the sargassum is still an issue; I assumed it was seasonal and by now would be done with.

ArnoldB
Not that I am aware of. But there was an onsite desk which may have provided this service, otherwise one of the concierges would be helpful in arranging a fee based tour. Have you been to the Tulum area before? I'd be happy to make some recommendations on excursions.

Here is the supplied fitness/activities/live music schedule.

Yes, building 6 is next to the Hilton. We were hoping the pizza restaurant was open as well, Lena, but it was not. It's kind of the small things like that, walking all the way there to find it isn't open, that are a bit frustrating. But I think that kind of thing is common with newly opened resorts and part of the growing pains.

I'm also here now, stayed for a week, and concur with all that was said in the great detailed review above. I'll add some other points of view too soon.

To answer some questions above, the hotel is currently running at 30% occupancy. Casa 5 and 6 are currently closed, and whilst the pool at Casa6 is open, the pool bar/food is not.

Today is one of those "losing the battle" days

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...3c74fa9771.jpg

Nope I've never been, but it is a potential option after a business trip this Fall to redeem my HH points. I'd be glad to hear your recommendations on excursions.

There are a ton of cenotes in the Riviera Maya. Cenotes can be open or closed "caves" where fresh water pools. They are crystal clear and super refreshing. You'll often find people cliff diving or zip lining into the water.

Tulum ruins, an archeological site set on the beach. Worth a visit and probably a 15 min cab ride from the resort.
Coba, another archeological site, where you can still climb the pyramid to the top. Making it to the top is exhilarating and the view is breathtaking. Ride bikes through the site or be driven by a tuk-tuk.
Chichen Itza- one of the seven wonders of the world. A full day trip from the Riviera Maya. Definitely worth the visit.
Akumal- beachside town where you can snorkle with sea turtles. May need a tour guide. Can rent a golf cart and visit La Buena Vida restaurant or Yal-Ku Lagoon for snorkeling.
Tulum beach- a one-ish lane beachfront lined with restaurants, boutiques, hotels and beach clubs. Lots of great dining options here but traffic is a beast.
Xel-ha and Xcaret are both "eco waterparks" where you can snorkel, float down rivers, etc. Xel-ha was really fun when we went about four years ago and was perfect when the sargassum was acting up.

We like USA Transfers (who we used for RT private transportation), who is owned by Entertainmet Plus, who will offer all of these tours, shared or private, or customize a day for you with private transportation.

If you are thinking of driving, please read TA forum on things to know. Tulum and the whole Cancun region have seen an increase in crime in the past few years. This trip we decided to just do the resort thing, since we were there for such a short time. We've been many other times and have driven and explored on our own. For a first visit, I don't think you can't go wrong with private tours of the couple of things you want to see.

Thanks for the great review and photos. Shame about the seaweed.

Lobby and checkin
The lobby area definitely has a Instagramable wow factor. Not dubai glitz but a subtle grandeur from very high ceilings and doors to match. The lobby then flowing through to a long decorative water feature. Checkin was done in a separate air conditioned room, served with refreshing drinks which was nice.
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...c68c5eeb4c.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...7fd77a7143.jpg

General setting and people
The inlet/cove setting for the Conrad is beautiful, lush and picturesque. All buildings are set back an appropriate distance from the beach and from each other, such that the Casas are set 'within' the jungle, rather than at its edge, and all public buildings are set within further vegetation. It makes for a tranquil spacious feel and provides for meandering paths to take you through the vegetation to pools, beach or to other buildings. All the staff without fail have been exceedingly friendly. Most addressed us by our surname which was a nice touch.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...5f35028aee.jpg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...16be744304.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...d8857cd099.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...91f4ff9564.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...338b07163c.jpg

Rooms
There are 6 "casas" for the purposes of room numbering but really each casa is two separate buildings so in reality 12 buildings containing bedrooms. Casa 5 and 6 are not yet open, due to low occupancy at 30% currently. The walkways along the casas are again very tranquil. The rooms are fitted to a good standard. Spacious. Very comfy bed. The shower is very large, perfect pressure and nice views out the window (mirrored so people can't see in). Toilet is unfathomably big and acts as a big echo chamber. Mexico has a penchant for in-room bathrooms, and unfortunately this has materialised here too. The shower cubicle and the toilet cubicle both open directly into the room. I really hate this form-over-function design. Far worse for people travelling as friends or brother/sister in a family etc. The shower is plenty big enough to get changed in but bizarrely there are no hooks inside the cubicle. So you can't even hang a towel or clothes. No slippers provided. All rooms face the same way, towards the sea. There are 3 floors and the pricing goes up with each floor. We booked the base room ("Tropical"), which is a ground floor room. The next level is a "Partial Ocean View" which is the 2nd floor. The full "Ocean View" room category is the 3rd floor. Not that due to variation in vegetation height, some ocean view rooms have restricted views and some partial-view rooms have unrestricted views. We got a diamond "upgrade" to the 3rd floor ocean view, but it's debatable whether this is an upgrade. More personal preference really. I'm not overly fussed about ocean views. The ground floor base rooms have a large plunge pool that is a proper always-full pool. The other rooms have a small outdoor bath on the balcony which is not a "pool" as you need to fill it yourself with the bath taps before you use it (30mins?), which takes the spontaneity out of it and we never bothered. So depending on your personal preference you might have to turn down an upgrade to keep your plunge pool.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...36b917118a.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...6b4fd19fe7.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...58d4198ba9.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...fe754aa1ec.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...4108d1985e.jpg

Restaurants
The breakfast is a shining star. Excellent quality and choice. We booked two rooms (a 2nd one for the 2 teen kids), and as a Diamond they gave free breakfast for all 4 of us. A good value as the breakkie is 700Pesos each. Bizarrely difficult to get a cup of tea. On some days they simply had no English Breakfast tea, so I resorted to bringing the teabags from the room to breakkie to avoid disappointment. We tried out the Teppanyaki set 8 course dinner, which was also very nice but definitely overpriced for what it was at 2200++ pesos each. There was no showmanship which I thought was the whole point of sitting at the teppanyaki bar. They also split the rice and the meat into two courses, which mean one of the courses was just eating a plateful of rice and then the next course a plate of rich wagyu beef. Nice but you need to mix it up a bit. Unfortunately the main buffet restaurant doesn't open for dinner until the resort hits 80% occupancy. This means you are left with only the theme/feature restaurants. Whilst the restaurants are all very nice, the menus are small and gourmet as you expect in a feature restaurant. By the end of the 6nights we were definitely glad to be moving to different place for different food, so the evening food options would therefore definitely prevent me staying longer than a week. I reckon over time they might revisit their cost-cutting decision to close the evening buffet. Didnt get any pics of the main restaurants, but this is one of the pool eateries.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...0cbb442193.jpg

Pools
Pools are great! Visual form and function both excellent. Whatever time of day was plenty of sunbed choices, i guess in part because there were a many different pools to choose from, so people aren't all crowded around a single main pool. But then again it was only 30% occupancy. Whilst the pool service was very attentive and laid out towels for you as soon as you arrive, the let-down is that there was no "included" water or refreshments. Most luxury hotels will bring a bucket of iced water bottles to the lounger for free, as well as serving fruit skewers or cold towels etc. Nothing like this at Conrad Tulum; instead they sell water, expensively. There are water stations available at the casas but not at the pool. This is an ok idea, but a distant DIY water station is not a premium/luxury pool experience. Also you need to have brought a water bottle on hols with you, as there is nothing in the resort to use! There are glass bottles in the room, but you can't really refill and carry those around as you can't put the cap back on.
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...8f27d1a60a.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...91d42c4a92.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...26103e5d30.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...d7942aeb74.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...06f8add58d.jpg

Other
Taxis in Mexico are fine, if a little expensive, and all work off a standard prescribed rate card. Unfortunately the Conrad is not on this rate card, and many taxi drivers don't know about the Conrad yet which can be tricky.

The Hilton Next Door
The Hilton is part of the same property complex in terms of management/ownership, and the service roads lead seemlessly between the two, but there isn't any sharing of facilities apart from the Conrad Spa. I took a bike ride over there one morning and OMG what a difference. What i loved about the Conrad is its beautifully spacious and lush setting, and quality of pool scene. None of this existed at the Hilton. A million miles apart in every way. Hilton is wedged atop a swamp with very little in the way of landscaping. There is no natural sandy beach at the Hilton, and most of the hotel abruptly hits the sea in a very ugly no-mans-land way. The pools are smaller, and hence the sunbeds are wedged closer together. Whilst the Hilton was a much bigger property in terms of people, the buffet room and offering was much smaller and more basic, leading to crowding and queues at stations.

Wanted to add that the Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts promo is out there, but updated. Third night free and $275 resort credit when staying 3 nights or more, through end of March 2023. Seeing lots of rates for mid 400s, when they average the third night free. When I was there in August, the promotional resort credit stacked with the standard $100 credit, which is somehow, crazy. Not sure if that is how they are continuing to handle the credits.