Tulum has exploded in popularity over the past few years … and rightfully so. With a laidback beach vibe, top-notch restaurants, and new luxury resorts popping up all the time, it's definitely having a moment in the sun.
One of newest all-inclusive, adults-only resorts to call Tulum home is the Secrets Tulum Resort & Beach Club. This Hyatt property opened last November and after some initial hiccups, seems to be settling in as one of the best luxury all-inclusive options in this part of Mexico. While having “beach” in its name is a bit of a misnomer (the main resort is not actually on the beach), I found the hotel's mix of earthy decor and boho-elegance to fit perfectly with its jungle surroundings.
With a dozen different restaurants and bars onsite, nearly as many pools, a full service spa, and plenty of activities to keep even the most restless travelers busy … Secrets Tulum might just be the perfect fit for your next warm-weather getaway. And best of all … you can book a stay here using Hyatt points. And using points for a free night stay at one of Hyatt's all-inclusive resorts, like Secrets Tulum, doesn't just mean you're off the hook for the cost of lodging – it also means your drinks, dining, activities, and even the minibar are covered.
Read on for a full review of my stay at Secrets Tulum Resort & Beach Club.
How to Book the Secrets Tulum
Cash rates at the Secrets Tulum Resort & Beach Club regularly clock in at $500 or more – and if you plan to visit during peak travel times, don't be shocked to see prices inching up closer to $1,000 per night.
When using points, Secrets Tulum slots into Hyatt's all-inclusive award chart as a Category D property. This means a free night here costs between 25,000 and 35,000 points per night, depending on whether it's a peak, off-peak, or standard award night.
When this property first opened last fall, it was a much more affordable Category B property – meaning a free night could be had for as few as 17,000 points. Thankfully, I was able to book before Hyatt's annual award chart changes took effect in March at the then-peak rate of 23,000 points per night.
To book an award night at Secrets Tulum, head to hyatt.com and search for the property – be sure to select the “Use Points” checkbox from the search fields. After putting in your desired dates and running a search, you can pull up the property's “Points Calendar” to see if a given night is considered peak, off-peak, or standard.
Sure, 25,000 to 35,000 Hyatt points is a lot to spend for a single night – but once you consider that price includes all your food and drinks for the entirety of your stay, it begins to feel a lot more manageable. And considering how expensive nice, all-inclusive hotels in Mexico have gotten, it can be a fantastic use of points if you've got them.
Unfortunately, Hyatt doesn't offer a fourth- or fifth-night free benefit like some other hotel programs do. This means that no matter how many nights you book, you'll be on the hook for the full nightly-award rate.
You can transfer points to Hyatt from Chase Ultimate Rewards or even Bilt Rewards, and that's exactly what I did to book my stay.
Read next: A Complete Guide to World of Hyatt: Free Nights, Credit Cards & More
At Thrifty Traveler, we don't accept freebies. We use our own points, miles, or cash to pay for every single flight or hotel you see reviewed here – including this one!
Location & Getting There
Unlike many other beach resorts in the area, Secrets Tulum Resort & Beach Club is actually located in the town of Tulum … not on the beach at all. If you're hoping for an ocean-view and direct beach access, you'll want to look elsewhere.
For travelers flying into the Riviera Maya for a stay here, you've got two airports at your disposal: Cancún International Airport (CUN) and the new Tulum (TQO) Airport. While the Tulum Airport should be your first choice, it's still a bit of hike to get from the airport to Tulum proper, where Secrets Tulum is located.
The new airport is a solid 45 minutes southeast of Tulum, so expect a bit of a drive even after you land. Eventually, the new Maya Train will connect the Tulum Airport to stops along the Riviera Maya (including Tulum Pueblo) – but until the train fully opens, your only option is to make the journey by car or shuttle bus.
If you opted to fly into Cancun, you'd instead be looking at an hour and a half drive (or more) to the hotel. No doubt longer than the drive from Tulum Airport, but not totally unreasonable. For that reason, it's best to compare flight prices before instantly assuming that TQO is your best bet.
Having said that, the new airport in Tulum is much nicer – and more importantly, less crowded – than the one in Cancun. If you value your time and sanity, paying a small premium to fly into Tulum will certainly be worth it.
The property itself is on the southeast edge of town and is surrounded on most sides by dense trees. However, there are some roads nearby that did cause noise from time to time. This was never an issue during my stay but it is a bit of a contrast to many other resorts in the area that are well setback from any main thoroughfares.
The hotel is within walking distance of several small shops, restaurants, and convenience stores. This proved to be handy when I forgot my phone charger at a different hotel and found myself scrambling to find a backup.
While the main resort isn't on the beach, the hotel has its own beach club, Zamna Beach Club, in Tulum's beach zone, just a short shuttle ride away.
Lobby & Check In
Pulling up to Secrets Tulum, you'll find a completely gated property with a big, circle driveway dropping you off right in front of the lobby. Here, you'll be greeted by a bellhop to assist with your luggage and guide you to the check-in desk. The entire lobby is open-air, letting in both natural light and a little breeze.
Inside, the lobby is nicely decorated with lots of earth-tones, natural wood, plants, and even sand – no doubt leaning heavily on the region's diverse ecosystem. There are various seating options throughout the lobby, including circular couches, easy-chairs, and even bean bags. You'll find some really unique glass and rope light fixtures hanging from the ceiling.
I was greeted with a glass of sparkling wine and a cold towel at the check-in desk. At the far end of the lobby, opposite of the main entrance, there is a bar where guests waiting for their room can grab additional drinks and take in the view of one of the resort's many pools.
Since I was staying on a Hyatt Guest of Honor award booking, I was granted full Hyatt Globalist perks and that included a private, VIP check-in experience upstairs in the property's Preferred Club lounge. This is also where Globalists and Secrets Preferred Club members can get premium snacks and drinks throughout the day.
The check-in process was relatively painless and after getting a brief overview of the property, I was transferred to a different person who served as my main point of contact and showed me to The Grotto – a private restaurant and pool area, exclusively reserved for Globalists and Preferred Club members.
I was able to wait here and grab a light bite and drink until my room was ready.
One final thing to note about the check-in process: Before heading down to The Grotto, I was asked about attending a timeshare presentation the following day. It would have taken place at a neighboring property, Secrets Akumal, and included brunch. In exchange for attending, I'd also get a future three-day, two-night stay at a Secrets, Zoetry, Dreams, or Impressions property.
If you're unfamiliar with these kind of timeshare presentations, they can be quite … intense. Since I was only staying for two nights, I didn't want to spend a good chunk of my day off-site in a high-pressure sales meeting. Had I been staying for longer, I might have entertained the idea for the promise of a future free stay but in this case it was an easy “no” from me.
Declining the offer didn't result in additional pushback and I was told I could stop back later if I changed my mind.
Rooms at the Secrets Tulum
The resort has a bit of a unique design: It's comprised up of two big circles – with pools in the middle of each – as well as two semi-circles, each with their own pool. This design, inspired by the region's famed cenotes, means that all rooms face into the resort and have a pool-view.
The two, bigger, circular buildings have two floors of rooms, with the connected rooftops being home to a few of the night-time dining establishments, the hotel's gym and spa, as well as a few smaller pools. The semi-circular buildings have three levels of rooms but the rooftops are inaccessible to guests.
My room was in the building furthest from the lobby, directly above The Grotto. All of the buildings are connected by exterior, open-air hallways so getting from one to another is quite easy.
There are a couple different elevator banks to get to higher floors and the rooftop, but for the most part, you'll need to climb stairs to get around. While not a total deal-breaker, this resort probably isn't best for those with major mobility issues.
I booked a base-level “Junior Suite King Room” but was proactively upgraded to an “Junior Suite King Room with Swim Out Pool” at check-in since I was staying as a Hyatt Globalist's Guest of Honor. While you shouldn't ever count on an upgrade, the resort is quite large (with lots of rooms) – if you've got Hyatt status, getting upgraded to something with a better view or even one of these “swim out” rooms isn't totally out of the question.
Inside the room, you'll find a very chic, industrial vibe with polished concrete floors and stone walls. A big patio door let in a fair amount of natural light and led out to a covered deck.
A pair of lounge chairs provided a comfortable space to sit and watch TV. And the round coffee table is big enough to work as a makeshift dining table for any room service orders. The highlight of this little sitting area was the stone-mosaic floor, which is also found in the shower.
The king size bed was on the firm side … like really firm. I typically find hotel beds outside of the U.S. to be harder than I prefer but even knowing that, this one stood out – and not in a particularly good way. To make matters worse, the linens were low-quality and scratchy. So not only did it feel like I was sleeping on a picnic table, but I may as well have been using a beach towel as a comforter.
Did any of this prevent me from getting a full night's rest? No. But at a high-end resort like this – yes, even an all-inclusive – you should expect a certain level of quality and this was an area that missed the mark in my book.
Each side of the bed had a nightstand, each with its own set of outlets to charge your devices including a USB plug-in – and an adjustable reading lamp. Mexico uses the same type of electric outlets as the U.S., so you won't need to worry about bringing an adaptor along with you.
One thing I really appreciated about the room was that it had a nice sized desk and a relatively comfortable chair. So many hotels these days are moving away from including desks in the room – and I'd have to imagine most people don't come to an all-inclusive resort to work – but I still find it to be a valuable use of space.
Above the desk is a big, wall-mounted flatscreen TV that pivots so you can watch it from the room's sitting chairs or from bed. There were plenty of channels, in both Spanish and English, so if you need a break from the sun, lounging in the room is surely an option.
Under the desk is a small refrigerator, stocked with complimentary beer, soft drinks, and water. There's also a small wine cooler, but aside from the complimentary bottle of Brut waiting on the coffee table, the room didn't come stocked with wine. Given that Secrets Tulum is an all-inclusive property, I'm sure an additional bottle of wine or champagne could have been requested.
On top of the mini-bar is a Nespresso single-pod coffee maker. glassware, and additional bottles of water – presumably for making coffee.
You'll find the bathroom right away when entering the room … and it's huge. The one downside? It's completely open to the rest of the room … downright airy, some may say.
Thankfully, the toilet is in it's own separate room with a locking door – but the massive walk-in glass shower isn't afforded the same level of privacy. All that separates it from the rest of the room is half-walled glass panel.
So long as you can get over the lack of privacy, it's a really nice shower – complete with a rainfall shower head and mosaic-stone floor. The slate-tile walls fit well with the overall decor of the room.
Both the shower and vanity are stocked with products from Pharmacopia, a natural and organic skin and haircare brand. Aside from a packaged bar of hand soap, the rest were all wall-mounted, refillable bottles.
The double-vanity has plenty of countertop space and comes stocked with a handful of single-use toiletry items, in case you forgot something at home.
Opposite the vanity is a large wardrobe, with plenty of space to store your luggage and hang up clothing that you don't want to get wrinkled. There's even a complimentary steamer if you do need to get a few stubborn wrinkles out.
There are also two complimentary Secrets Tulum-branded bathrobes, slippers, and beach bag (with towels) to use while at the resort.
But the highlight of the room isn't actually in the room at all, it's the shared infinity pool that overlooks the Preferred Club Grotto pool down below. Each of these swim out rooms has a private section of pool that's only a few inches deep where you can soak your feet or sit and cool off and then the rest of the waist-deep pool is shared with other guests.
On the deck, you'll find a single whicker lounger (shaped like a leaf?) and a small patio table with two chairs. The patio was shaded for much of the day during my visit but that will vary depending on the room you're in, as well as the time of year.
I did have one small issue with the patio door in my room – it wouldn't lock. If I had been on a higher floor, this wouldn't have been the end of the world, but in a swim out room, I worried that someone else could let themselves in (however slim the odds). After fiddling with the lock myself, I ended up having to call the front desk and ask for someone to come fix it before leaving for dinner. All told, it took about 20 minutes for maintenance to arrive and resolve the issue.
Over a Dozen Bars & Restaurants
If there's one thing for certain, it's that you won't go hungry (or thirsty) during a stay at Secrets Tulum. With a dozen different restaurants and bars onsite, plus round-the-clock room service, there is a lot to choose from. In fact, you better plan a really long stay if you intend to try everything.
The food I had during my stay ranged from truly great to average at best. In general, I was most impressed with the sit-down restaurants that were only open in the evenings. Probably not a huge shock there.
Having said that, the breakfast buffet at Market Cafe was quite good and the lunch I had at The Grotto was one of my favorite meals of the entire stay, so it's not just the featured restaurants that shined.
Here's a look at all the dining options and the ones I liked (and disliked) most.
Restaurants
Barefoot Grill
Barefoot Grill is one of two restaurants located by the main pool, serving a variety of light bites from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
The menu here is a bit … eclectic. There's your typical bar and grill food like hamburgers and pizza. And then there are some more exotic offerings, like tandoori meatballs and chicken tikka masala. Color me surprised, but I didn't expect to find traditional Indian offerings at a resort in Mexico.
Erring on the side of caution, I decided to go with a hamburger and fries for lunch one day. But why stop there? Since it's an all-inclusive resort and money's no object, I decided to tack on a side salad … for health reasons.
Both were edible, but neither were great. It was exactly what I expected the food to be like at an all-inclusive resort … entirely average. The Indian cuisine-inspired offerings may have been the better choice.
Bluewater Grill
Most all-inclusive resorts have some sort of steakhouse. At Secrets Tulum, that's Bluewater Grill.
This restaurant is open from 6 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. for dinner, but also serves breakfast for Preferred Club members in the mornings. The setting is a bit unique as it's the only restaurant located entirely outside, with tables scattered amongst the trees in a jungle-like setting. As nightfall sets in, lights strung from the trees creates a really nice ambiance to enjoy dinner by.
The menu here is very meat-heavy – not shocking for a steakhouse – but there were a few vegan options as well. In addition to several different cuts of steak, you could also choose from a handful of entrees featuring chicken, pork, or fish. More than a half-dozen side choices can be ordered separately, as well as a wide variety of appetizers, soups, and salads. And of course, there's dessert to top it all off.
I decided to order a ribeye from the grill and accompanied it with truffle creamy corn and rustic mashed potatoes.
I was quite satisfied with everything I tried here. The sides were really good and even though the ribeye was far from the best cut of meat I've ever had, it was cooked perfectly and had good flavor.
Had I been staying at the resort for longer, this is certainly a restaurant I would have liked to return to.
Coco Café
Coco Café is the only restaurant onsite that's open 24 hours per day. Here you can get your morning caffeine fix with a variety of different coffee drinks (both iced and hot) like lattes, cappuccinos, espressos, and even matcha.
In addition to coffee, you can also get pastries and other light snack items here throughout the day. In the evening, this turns into a popular spot for late-night snacks like ice cream and pizza.
Jasmine
Jasmine is described as an Asian and Peruvian fusion restaurant. Whatever they're going for with this one, they nailed it. This was far and away my favorite restaurant at Secrets Tulum and I don't think I was alone.
I arrived shortly after 6 p.m., when the restaurant opened, so I didn't have any issue getting a table outside but the restaurant quickly filled up and by the time I left, there was quite a wait to get in. None of the restaurants at Secrets Tulum take reservations so if you don't like killing time, I'd plan to get here early.
To kick things off, I ordered a dragon roll from the sushi menu. It came served with wasabi, pickled-ginger, and a side of soy sauce. While I admit that I don't have the most refined palate for sushi, I thoroughly enjoyed it and wish I'd have ordered more.
For my entree, I decided to go with the beef brisket which was served with jalapeño mashed potatoes, cabbage and carrots, and finished off with a spicy sake sauce. The meat was a little on the fatty side but it had awesome flavor and the jalapeño mashed potatoes had just the right amount of kick.
Once again, I wish I had been staying longer as this was a restaurant I would have loved to return to. Other dishes that caught my eye were the Peruvian ceviche, pad Thai, ramen, and Indian butter chicken curry. Honestly … it all sounded good.
Market Café
Market Café is the resort's buffet restaurant. It's open for breakfast from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. and then transitions to lunch beginning at 12:30 p.m. Here you'll find a wide variety of international food items with many familiar items from home.
I had breakfast here during my stay and found the food to be entirely adequate – nothing blew me away but it was all good enough. You can choose to dine on the patio or at one of the many different table arrangements inside.
There are a few different buffet stations scattered throughout the Market Café, each with their own specialties. One features pastries and sweets, another has cold items, and yet another has all the hot food like eggs, bacon, potatoes – and some other regional favorites, like chilaquiles and huevos rancheros.
There is also a small, build-your-own breakfast cocktail bar where you can craft your own mimosa, screwdriver, or bloody Mary. No doubt a popular addition at an all-inclusive resort like this.
Ólio
Ólio features Mediterranean cuisine with inspiration from Turkey to Spain and Tunisia to Italy, leaving no mile of Mediterranean coastline untouched. Dinner is served here from 6 p.m to 10:30 p.m. daily.
Just like Jasmine, this proved to be a popular spot, with many people waiting up to an hour to get table even with a fairly large amount of seating both indoors and on the covered patio.
The menu here is pretty vast and relatively unsurprising given all the different regional cuisines they're trying to cover. From salads to pasta, fish to lamb, and everything in between, there's likely to be something on the menu for even the pickiest of eaters.
I wasn't feeling too hungry when I dined here so I just decided to go with the spaghetti carbonara for my entree.
If I'm being honest, the flavor was fine but mostly forgettable. If I had another go at dining here, I definitely would have ordered something different for my main course.
The Grotto
The Grotto is exclusively available to Preferred Club members, which Hyatt Globalists are a part of. Since I was staying on a Guest of Honor booking, I too had access to The Grotto for higher-end drinks and a little better dining experience.
I waited here for my room to be ready on the day I checked in and since it was a shortly after noon, I decided to grab a late-lunch. I ordered a petite filet and washed it all down with a mango margarita. Both the food and drink were delicious.
I found the steak here to be a better cut of meat than what I had at Bluewater Grill the following evening – and that's not a knock on Bluewater, I thoroughly enjoyed my meal there. If you have access to The Grotto, I'd certainly take advantage of it, as both the food and drinks were a cut above what was available in other restaurants onsite.
Several other guests were enjoying The Grotto pool and came up to the bar for drinks throughout my time in the restaurant.
Veranda
Veranda is one of two restaurants by the main pool, Barefoot Grill being the other. Here you can get light bites and drinks daily, between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m
I did not eat anything from Veranda during my stay, but the menu is nearly identical to what you'll find at Barefoot Grill next door. I did however order a mojito from the bar and that was quite refreshing.
Room Service
As if there aren't already enough dining options at Secrets Tulum, you can also order room service 24 hours per day. The menu is relatively limited with a handful of sandwiches, salads, and appetizers on offer. During breakfast hours, there are additional choices, including an American and continental breakfast package, as well as eggs your way and made to order omelettes.
There are a couple of things that I really liked about how room service is handled at Secrets Tulum.
For starters, you can order directly through the Hyatt Inclusive Collection app – so you don't even need to talk to anyone, if you don't want to. But what I liked even more than using the app, was the Secret Box. What's a Secret Box? It's a little compartment right by the front door of your room where your order can be dropped off without being seen or having someone come into your room.
When you're all done, simply put your dirty dishes back in the box and request a pickup through the app.
As for food quality, I found the menu items to be very similar to some of the other daytime restaurants onsite. Everything was fine.
Thrifty Tip: Use the Hyatt Inclusive Collection app for a resort map, restaurant info, activity schedule, concierge services, booking spa treatments, and more.
Bars
Edgewater
Edgewater is a pool bar located in the middle of the resort where all the circular and semi-circular buildings meet. What's neat about this bar is that one side is sandy and the other is water. You can take your pick of staying dry and grabbing a drink on the beach side, or pull up a barstool in the water and dip your toes in the pool while sipping on your refreshment.
Edgewater is a full bar, serving both beer and cocktails from 11 a.m to 11:30 p.m. daily.
Half Time Sports Bar
I didn't get a chance to check out Half Time Sports bar during my stay but I was told that it's a good spot to catch a game and have a drink. With a pool table, foosball table, and lots of TVs, it sounds like exactly what I'd expect from a sports bar.
This is also one of the only bars on site where you can grab a late-night drink as it's open from 6 p.m. until 1 a.m. daily.
Rendezvous
Rendezvous is located in the resort lobby and proved to be a popular gathering spot for guests throughout the entirety of my stay. With a full bar, the staff here will happily mix you up a margarita, daiquiri, or whatever else your heart desires.
Rendezvous offers limited bar seating but just a few short steps from the bar you'll find additional lounge chairs where you can kick back and relax with your toes in the sand.
Rendezvous is open from 7 a.m (tequila sunrise anyone?) until 11 p.m. daily.
Sky
Sky bar is located on the resort's rooftop and serves as the primary watering hole for guests lounging by one of the rooftop pools.
Here you can find just about any kind of drink you like from fruity iced cocktails to beer and other mixed-drinks. You won't find any barstools at the Sky Bar, instead you can grab a seat on one of the wooden swings suspended from the canopy above. If the swings aren't your thing, there are also a couple of tables with bench seating between the bar and pool.
Pools & Beach Club
If it wasn't already clear, Secrets Tulum Resort & Beach Club isn't actually on the beach. Instead, you'll be trading ocean views for pool views. The upside is that there's water nearly every where you look and every room includes a pool view. Heck, there's even plenty of sand for those looking for beach vibes.
Pools
With the two largest pools being inspired by Mexico's ancient cenotes, you'll find them in the middle of the resorts two circular buildings. The main pool, visible from the Rendezvous lobby bar and reception area, is also where you'll find Barefoot Grill and Veranda.
Scattered around the pool you'll find several cabanas and loungers – all available on a first come, first served basis. And although the resort isn't located on the beach, each pool is surrounded by sand so you can still get a beach-like feel. Plus, the sand is a lot more pleasant to walk on barefoot than the hot pavement.
The two main pools also feature tiered-jacuzzi tubs in case the pool is a little too chilly for your taste.
The second cenote-style pool (set further back in the resort) is connected to a smaller, central pool – home to the Edgewater bar – and one of the semi-circular building's pools by canal.
While this is kind of a cool feature it didn't seem entirely practical. The water in these canals is only a couple of feet deep so there isn't a good way to swim from pool-to-pool and you're essentially left wading through knee-deep water. I suppose if you had some sort of inflatable that you could float on it would make for a convenient way to get from one pool to the other.
The Edgewater Bar is located by a smaller pool smack dab in the middle of the resort and proved to be a popular gathering place throughout the day. Several guests made use of the swim up bar before making their way back to the other pools, while others took a break from the water and settled in on the sandy side. In addition to being able to order drinks at the bar, there were servers that made their way around the pools, delivering drinks for guests as well.
The smaller pool located on the resort's edge, adjacent to the semi-circular building, proved to be quieter than the main pools. This is definitely where I'd recommend going if you're looking for full, unbothered relaxation.
Additionally, guests with Preferred Club access could also use The Grotto pool. Given that this pool is only open to select guests, it was also much quieter than the others. Another nice benefit of setting up shop at this pool is that you'll be close to The Grotto restaurant for elevated dining and drinks throughout the day.
As if having access to all the pools at ground level wasn't enough, Secrets Tulum also features not one but three rooftop pools. The biggest of which is right next to the Sky bar. This pool is lined with loungers on one side and cabanas on the other. All of the cabanas at this pool had “reserved” signs on them, even though I never saw any in use.
On Saturdays, this pool plays host to a foam party with inflatables and a live DJ. Getting a cabana on one of these days incurs an additional cost.
Finally, there were two smaller rooftop pools that seemed like a bit of an afterthought. It's almost as if the resort just had a bunch of extra roof space and didn't know what to do with it so they added a couple more pools. Without an elevated sundeck surrounding them, they gave off big above-ground-pool vibes and just felt generally out of place.
I suppose, if you're planning to work on your tan, the rooftop would be the place to do it. And in that case, having access to one of these pools to cool off periodically would be a good thing. That being said, they didn't seem to be too popular during my stay.
Zamna Beach Club
Just because Secrets Tulum isn't located on the beach doesn't mean you can't go to the beach – if that's your thing. The resort provides guests with regular shuttle service to its Zamna Beach Club throughout the day.
That said, the beach club wasn't well-advertised or promoted during my stay in mid-April, but that may not be the case now. Regardless, you may need to seek out the schedule for the beach club shuttle at check-in or from the concierge. It's reportedly about a 15-minute ride to the beach club from the main resort.
I didn't get a chance to check out the beach club during my short stay, but guests who opt to spend the day (or part of the day) at the beach will have access to a handful additional dining options:
- Seaside Grill: Open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., serving a la carte lunch items.
- Willy's Place: Open from 11 a.m. 6 p.m., serving grilled favorites.
- Barracuda: Open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., serving up drinks with ocean views.
The beach club also features a tiered infinity pool and several different loungers and cabanas for guests looking to relax by the ocean. You can also walk the beach and check out different shops and restaurants scattered throughout Tulum's beach zone.
Finally, guests who are dead set on staying on the beach can elevate their stay at Secrets Tulum by paying up for one of a few select rooms and villas that are at the Zamna Beach Club. Stays here don't come cheap, though. The lowest priced “tropical view” room starts at $800 per night – nearly double the main resort – and goes all the way up to nearly $10,000 per night for the five-bedroom beach house (up to 10 guests), complete with a private chef and butler.
Gym & Spa
Fitness Center
The gym at Secrets Tulum is located within the spa on the rooftop, near Jasmine and Olio, and is open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
Inside, you'll find the gym fully outfitted with modern Technogym equipment. While the gym is by no means big, it has everything you'd need to get a good workout in and even though there was always another guest there when I stopped in, it never felt crowded.
You'll find just about every piece of cardio equipment that you could want along a full wall of floor-to-ceiling windows. All the natural light actually makes the space feel bigger than it is.
Opposite the cardio equipment is a section of dumbbells (with benches), as well as a squat-rack, and an area with medicine balls and additional resistance equipment.
Secrets Tulum Spa
Aside from accessing the gym, I did not get a chance to check out the spa at Secrets Tulum.
Looking at the menu of services it looks like a pretty comprehensive list of treatments with body wraps, facials, manicures, pedicures, massages, and more all available. In terms of cost, a 50-minute massage starts out at $175 and only goes up from there. There are both indoor and outdoor treatment rooms for individuals and partners looking to schedule a romantic couple's massage.
Another, more unique, option is the spa's hydrotherapy circuit, complete with cold plunge, sauna, and steam room.
Activities & Other Amenities
For most, going to an all-inclusive resort in Mexico is all about relaxation – the less activity the better. And while you can certainly get your fill of relaxation here, there are a few different activities and amenities to keep guests entertained throughout their stay.
Nearly every hour of the day there's something going on, from water aerobics to dance lessons, blackjack to yoga. If you're feeling ambitious (and social), you can likely find something to keep you busy.
The resort also provides complimentary bikes, if you feel like venturing outside of the resort to check out the town of Tulum – and they even offer daily group bike tours, so you don't have to go it alone.
In the evenings, the resort's amphitheater transforms into an entertainment hotspot. One night during my stay, there was a movie playing on a giant inflatable screen. The next night featured a live Mayan acrobatic performance.
Safe to say, no matter what you're looking to get out of a stay at Secrets Tulum Resort & Beach Club, the resort has something for every type of traveler.
Bottom Line
Secrets Tulum Resort & Beach club is a recently opened, luxury all-inclusive resort located on in the popular beach town of Tulum, Mexico. While the name suggests this hotel is on the beach, that isn't exactly true … although, I don't know if that's really a bad thing.
With more pools than you can count, good to great dining options, and bottomless drinks, Secrets Tulum is sure to provide a relaxing retreat for travelers looking to unplug. While my stay was by no means perfect, I've already found myself scheming up a way to get back here.
