PdS in in an area where there's a cluster of hotels and restaurants. Lots to eat w/in walking distance.

The beach here is more cove-like with large rocky/cliff outcroppings. It isn't the long expansive beach you hear about being in Tulum - that is farther south, starting with Maya Tulum.

Pepper- thanks so much for your post here and to my other (similar) post.

The absence of postings on PdS causes one to pause, but someone -- I think maybe you -- has said that they may draw a non-TripAdvisor clientel. I assumed that bad news would travel fast and wide, but hate to rely on "no news must be good news".

Wire transfer up front isn't so much the issue as paying the full amount so far in advance -- as opposed to a deposit, which is the norm for our limited experience.

I'd still like to hear from anyone with PdS experiences or news.

Payment in full is common too. Even with larger booking agents, such as locogringo.com, full payment is required. The plus side is that your room/s will be taken care of and you won't need a heap of cash to pay for the room.

I know it's a new process, but keep in mind - it's a different part of the world where you can't cancel your reservation up to 4pm on the day you arrive. After you get there, it will all make sense.

We just got back from a three day stay at Posada del Sol - they asked us for half payment which we did as a transfer through xoom.com. The person who handles bookings doesn't speak much english so a non-traditional transfer was confusing for her. Luckily it worked out and we loved our stay. Especially after requesting a blanket, the open cabin is wonderful for wave noise but was a little chilly at night. We definitely didn't feel like we were just being herded through, everyone was so friendly but left us alone to explore and relax on our own.

We stayed in the Titanic bungalow which has a lovely view of the beach and sometimes of the nude german tourists who WILL take off their clothes... we were very happy, but be warned, there was no door on the bathroom.

The beach there as Pepper said is a little rocky and parking there is a little tight but manageable. If I did it again I might go to Posada Lamar instead for the different beach. We walked past many fancier and plainer hotels and there is nowhere that we would rather have been. Would have been difficult with no car, since we ate in town almost every night.

Hi Jen-

thanks for the information on PDS. I have a few questions, if you don't mind:

Is the beach the kind of beach where one could just sit out and read (in the shade, of course)?

Did you mean that you always/often had to drive into Tulum Pueblo to eat -- are there good places to eat nearby -- walking distance?

Any restaurant recommendations?

Thanks

The shade is by palm tree only in that area; unless they've built some palaps recently, which I doubt. I always bring a flat sheet to the beach in case there are no chairs available and you can grab a couple of pillows from your room to make things comfy.

There's plenty to eat nearby, but going into town is cheaper. We spend half our meals in town. But...Zamas is close and good, lunch around $8 and dinner $10-15...sometimes going into town, food is half the price.

Just a second note on the pre-payment. Most hotels in Tulum are small and individually owned. Once you pre-pay and book your room, it will be reserved for you.

Larger hotels usually don´t require prepayment because they work with considerable amounts of overbookings (the other day I was talking with someone who said they overbooked by 130% occupancy), so they can handle last minute cancellation. Then again, sometimes there aren´t enough cancellations and someone will have to get bumped. Small hotels will not do that, which is why they require pre-payment at the time of reservation.

Regarding wire transfers and other unusual methods of payment: since there is no electricity or telephone lines on the Tulum beach, very few hotels accept credit cards. And those that do may not have the type of merchant account that accepts payment without the card being present.

That was probably more information than anyone needed to know, but I just thought I´d add more details since I´ve been through all this in the past.

What Pepper said about the shade on the beach - I avoid overexposure to sun and found the palm tree shade more than sufficient! You could also duck under the rocks next door at Azulik.

I really recommend Don Cafeto's, both the one in town and the one on the beach. It's a hike - almost all the way up by the ruins - but it's fun and relaxed with good food and both times we went there was live music. Walking into town is not really an option, we liked being able to go to the supermarket and eating more cheaply in town. We liked eating lunch at Zamas right by the water, and breakfast at Piedra Escondida for the same reason... although they had run out of chilaquiles which broke my heart. Breakfast on the beach is outrageous but compared to home it's not so expensive. When we got sick of Mexican food we had pasta at La Vita e Bella which has another nice beach location.

In town we liked Charlie's, the other Don Cafeto's (great drinks too!), and El Mariachi. It's doable with taxis but we really got a lot out of the flexibility of having a car. Walking on the road looked kind of dangerous, especially at night when lots of people wear dark clothing and are nearly invisible. Bring a flashlight with you if you decide to walk at night!

What Pepper said about the shade on the beach - I avoid overexposure to sun and found the palm tree shade more than sufficient! You could also duck under the rocks next door at Azulik.

I really recommend Don Cafeto's, both the one in town and the one on the beach. It's a hike - almost all the way up by the ruins - but it's fun and relaxed with good food and both times we went there was live music. Walking into town is not really an option, we liked being able to go to the supermarket and eating more cheaply in town. We liked eating lunch at Zamas right by the water, and breakfast at Piedra Escondida for the same reason... although they had run out of chilaquiles which broke my heart. Breakfast on the beach is outrageous but compared to home it's not so expensive. When we got sick of Mexican food we had pasta at La Vita e Bella which has another nice beach location.

In town we liked Charlie's, the other Don Cafeto's (great drinks too!), and El Mariachi. It's doable with taxis but we really got a lot out of the flexibility of having a car. Walking on the road looked kind of dangerous, especially at night when lots of people wear dark clothing and are nearly invisible. Bring a flashlight with you if you decide to walk at night!

If you plan to walk along the beach road, definitely bring a flashlight and walk facing traffic so you can see oncoming cars.

If you plan to walk into town, there is a nice bike path that is safe to walk on.