I don't know who is writing all these glowing reviews of this place, but I'll go ahead and try to add a dose of real-world perspective to the mix for what a hotel that costs this much should be like.

My girlfriend and I stayed there in March of 2008. The views, as many other reviews noted, are indeed excellent. But this is the southern beaches of Tulum people. The views are excellent everywhere. The rooms are nice, but again, about on par with what I would expect for a hotel claiming to be the calibar of what Ocho Tulum claims.

What should you expect of a hotel that costs this much money?

For one, the owners dogs should not be on the loose ripping up the beach, digging up holes everywhere that would cause, for instance, someone on a late night stroll along the beach to fall into it and almost sprain their ankle.

Second, you should get excellent service. When you come and sit down at the restaurant, someone should probably come over and greet you and ask what you want to drink. You shouldn't have to go and harass the wait staff to get served.

Third, the rooms should match their descriptions. You shouldn't feel like you been bait and switched. When you book a room that says "partial view", there really should be a partial view, not a sliver of ocean that is barely visible when you stand on your tip toes on the balcony.

And finally, when you pay this much for a hotel, you should expect your hosts and the staff to be attentive, warm, friendly, and helpful. With the exception of John, everyone else fell way, way short of this bar.

I honestly felt like we paid a significant amount of money to be ignored, blown off, and dismissed. I understand the bulk of this review is subjective but it is the truth. This is the first time I've ever felt compelled to write a review about any place I've stayed, and I just want to warn fellow travellers and let them know that there are many other places in Tulum that blow this one out of the warm, caribbean, water.

We'll never stay here again, and won't recommend it to any of our friends or family.

My boyfriend and I just got back from Tulum this week. We stayed at Ocho Tulum for 4 nights. I highly recommend staying there. The setting met our high expectations and the accommodations exceeded them! We stayed in a King Suite with Ocean View. The view from our door and front windows was postcard perfect with the beach just steps away. The beach was very clean and well maintained in front of the hotel. The staff was incredibly accommodating. They gave us great suggestions for meals and activities and made every effort to ensure our stay was pleasant. John in particular was so helpful - thank you John! He runs the place and his positive attitude and careful management are apparent from the restaurant to the housekeeping to the front desk. Tucker, who built and designed the property, lives there and was also a great resource for us. He even lent us his kite - thanks Tucker! I am so glad we decided to stay at Ocho. The food in the restaurant was excellent - we could not get enough of the ceviche. I'd like to mention Armin in the restaurant as well - great service! I wish I could remember everyone's names because the entire staff was commendable. I would not change a thing about our stay and would definitely choose to stay at Ocho Tulum again.

My husband and I spent our honeymoon at Ocho Tulum last December. The hotel had just opened at that time so we were amongst the first guests.

If you look for exotic vacations, to disconnect from the stressful world, to relax and fall asleep at night with the sound of the waves it is definitely the perfect place to stay, no phone or TV in the room to bother you, it is sophisticated, clean and tasteful.
The beach is really the best of Tulum, it is quiet, and the sand and the sea are just beautiful.

The food was good, service was attentive and we had a really fantastic stay. We look forward to going back soon!

I think we were their first guests and I cannot speak more highly of the place. The beach is the best I have seen, the rooms comfortable and the staff most willing to please. We booked a little late and given it was Christmas / N.Y. we were supposed to leave after the 4th night of a 10 night holiday as all rooms were reserved. We had no luck finding any other accomodation, so the staff converted the spa into a room so that we could stay with them. That attention to detail / willingness to please is rare.
We also had the pleassure of making some good friends that I hope we'll stay in contact with for a very long time. Go before the secrets out!