You may already be there . . . but here is how we ended up. I'll be interested to hear about your trip too!
We stayed at Tierras del Sol in la Posada del Buzo, which is one of two cabanas right on the beach (the other is La Terraza), and enjoyed it very, very much. It was quite quiet the weekend we were there (first weekend in December). They were only serving breakfast at the time as the kitchen was being expanded to include a bigger BBQ area. Breakfast was fine -- very good egg dishes, good granola and yogurt. Others staying there recommended driving to Zamas for breakfast (better selection), but it was so easy and pleasant to eat there we so did each morning. The eating area is outside, w/ a palapa roof, in a relaxing and pleasant setting, slightly bigger and nicer than it looks in the photos.
We ate dinner at Dos Ceibas (short walk up the road or the beach -- to the North) the first night on the recommendation of the woman who helped us check in (Carlos' wife? She is in one of the photos on the website -- very pretty, quiet but pleasant). The restaurant at Dos Ceibas is not on the beach, but is candlelit and atmospheric. You can, of course, still hear the ocean and that was nice. It was simple and very good. Good starters, nice strong margaritas :-). We both had fish specials and both dishes were excellent. Not cheap, but really nothing in Tulum is. We hung around for awhile with some other folks -- some from Canada, some from the UK (also staying at Tierras), one from Australia. It had a very nice international feel. In fact I told my husband it reminded me very much of travelling around after my junior year abroad, just a little more grown up. We walked back to Tierras on that amazingly gorgeous, moonlit beach and marvelled at the beauty, remoteness, and tranquility of the location (and the funny white crabs).
Another night we ate at Que Fresco at Zamas. The pizza was great, the "mexican" (chicken enchiladas) was okay. Service was excellent and the setting is magic. We topped the night off at Mezzanine, which was nice and again had the international vibe. My advice on food is to eat as much fish/seafood as you can -- if it is served with achiote (which no one can really explain to you -- I had to come home and google it -- more of a coloring than a flavor) it's going to be good. Had another simple but delicious fish dish (red snapper with achiote) in Tulum town. Beware of the habanero sauce -- it is not for eating in big scoops like salsa or pico de gallo!
Another couple staying at Tierras had a drink next door (South) at the Casa Magna of Amansala. They said the decor was beautiful and they enjoyed it. (Also, the orange coverings on the beach chairs and beds there help you place/find Tierras when you go for a walk up the beach.)
We met Carlos (owner of Tierras) on our second day -- he is very friendly and charming. The rest of the staff, including the woman who I believe was Carlos' wife?, was pleasant but, hmm, what's the best way to describe it, maybe on the distant or quiet side. And actually the whole place had a very quiet "on your own" feel. Not that we needed our hand held -- part of the beauty of being there is feeling undisturbed. Maybe the feel is different during a busier time. It had a very remote feeling, but that suited us for this trip.
Our room was great, even better than we expected. Some issues with hot water on the first day, but I have to say I didn't care a bit -- so little in fact that we didn't even inquire about it, but overheard other guests saying that the hot water was back. And it was. The deck on the front of the cabana we stayed in is heaven and literally on the beach yet very private feeling. It has two very comfortable chairs, a cool table and a hammock. The deck on La Terraza is equally private (I went over and checked it out after the couple staying there checked out) due to the nice landscaping at Tierras. I highly recommend either of those two rooms; it looked like Posada (ours) is slightly larger. From the comments of other guests, it seemed that the other rooms did not get much of a breeze.
I would imagine that anyone considering Tierras has read the reviews and visited the website and understands that it is not a five star or an all inclusive. That said, we found our cabana very clean, with nice sheets, good mattress, very pleasant decor. It is excellent value for beachfront Tulum. We plan to return to the area with the kids one day, but will probably head to Akumul for that trip and save Tierras for our own private hideaway. Writing this is making me want to go back SOON!
