Papaya Playa Project, Tulum, a Member of Design Hotels

We had one of the best experiences ever at this hotel. It was therapeutic, the food was great, the views were awesome, and we even had a private pool on the roof of our hotel. Most importantly, the staff was incredible. A special shoutout to Ricardo, Caleb, primo, Manu, Javier, Brenda, and Andrea! We will DEFINITELY be back, thank you again for the outstanding hospitality!

We booked the New Moon event at Papaya Playa Project in Tulum with the Mayan dinner add-on, and unfortunately the experience was very disappointing.

The dinner took place in a camp-style clearing with a bonfire and around 40 dining places set up. However, when we arrived only one other couple turned up, so the atmosphere felt extremely quiet and awkward rather than special or ceremonial. There was no performance, music, or real ambience to create the “Mayan experience” that was advertised.

The meal itself was also underwhelming. If you don’t like corn, this is definitely not for you, as every course seemed to revolve around it and the dishes were quite bland. For the price point, we expected something far more refined and elevated, but the food lacked finesse and didn’t feel like a premium dining experience.

The drinks included were also misleading. There were five drinks advertised, but the welcome drink didn’t taste alcoholic, two of the drinks were just shots, one was a beer, and some water. We actually had to ask if we could get a mezcalita in addition.

Another frustrating part was that we were never told when the “experience” was actually finished, so we eventually just made our own way back to the main party ourselves.

Considering we paid 3,630 MXN per person, the dinner experience felt very poor value and honestly a bit like a scam. The package also advertised 2-for-1 drinks at the main event, but when we arrived we realised this promotion was available to everyone anyway — likely because the drinks are extremely overpriced (and actually the most expensive drinks I’ve ever encountered anywhere in the world). We were shocked to learn that they charge 600 MXN for a mezcalita.

The only redeeming part of the night was the main party itself, which improved once the venue got busier after midnight and the atmosphere finally picked up.

Experiences like this feel like exactly the kind of thing that is damaging Tulum’s reputation — overpriced, under-delivered, and focused more on extracting money from visitors than creating something memorable that vaguely lives up to the price charged. It certainly didn’t leave us feeling eager to return. We did voice our feelings about the experience to Papaya Playa Project but never even got a reply which tells you all you need to know…

Overall, we were very disappointed with the Mayan dinner add-on and would not recommend it. If you’re going to Papaya Playa Project for the New Moon party, we’d suggest skipping the dinner experience and just attending the party instead and having plenty of pre-drinks.

Sergio was very helpful and a great server. We would highly recommend this place to anyone!

We came from Japan.Staffs are very friendly and nice. They help us and contact us frequently. They also guided us inside the hotel property. You can have cozy vacation here!

Hiçbirşey

All of it: the accomodation, service, facilities, ambience, mistique aroud it, pools, all!!

Amazing property, the rooms were so clean, comfortable and private. The staff was incredible and the food was delicious.

Serjio the waiter was amazing!

Snídaně do 12:00

Bezpečnost
-kontrola vjezdu vozidel do hotelu.
-v sobotu večer zvýšený počet personálu, který hlídá ubytovací jednotky a návštěvníky.

Program
- ranní jóga byla super
- sobotní dopoledne v podání speciálních hostů (soundhealing, breathing) je skvěle strávený čas.

Very disappointing stay. The villa was dirty when we arrived, we even had a bat in the room, and every shower was cold with no hot water the entire stay. Service felt inflexible and more focused on fees than guest experience. For the price, this was far from a luxury experience. Would not return.

We stayed in the casa coco villa and this was not as advertised. This was far below our expectations for luxury. The shower was filthy with dirt and branches everywhere.

One room had no mirror in the bedroom and the rooms were filled with mosquitos.

With that said the butler Alfie was incredible.

We stayed in a villa (Casa Coco) and it was below average. We were met with cold showers, tarantulas all over the ground and mold in the rooms. Would not stay here again.

We stayed in the casa coco villa. There was no warm water to shower in during the duration of our stay.

There was dirt and leaves all over our bedding upon checking and none of the rooms were sealed so we were constantly attacked by mosquitos. This is not what we envisioned from a luxury resort. Avoid this hotel.

We travel frequently, both throughout the U.S. for our children’s activities and internationally at least twice a year for family trips. Over many years, we have stayed in a wide range of properties, from basic accommodations to luxury hotels. While we have certainly had varying experiences, this is the first time I have felt compelled to write a negative review.

We booked this property based on its high ratings and overwhelmingly positive reviews on TripAdvisor. Unfortunately, our experience was so inconsistent with those ratings that I now feel a responsibility to share it so others can make a more informed decision. I strongly encourage prospective guests to read the recent Yelp reviews as well, where the current 2-3 star ratings more accurately reflect our experience.

We stayed using Marriott Bonvoy points and were extremely disappointed to have used them on this property. Even without having paid cash, the stay felt like a poor value. I cannot imagine spending thousands of dollars per night here, particularly given the lack of comfort and the inability to get a good night’s rest.

The most significant issue for us was the lack of heating. There are no heaters in the rooms or anywhere on the property. During cooler weather, the rooms become uncomfortably cold. When my husband contacted the hotel, he was initially told to increase the temperature, but the system only blew cold air. After several hours, we were informed that there is no heating available at all. Additional blankets were offered, but this did not resolve the issue, and the blankets themselves had an unpleasant odor.

I have medical considerations that make prolonged exposure to cold problematic, and this was communicated to the staff. Unfortunately, there was no meaningful solution offered. This alone made the stay extremely uncomfortable and, frankly, distressing.

While some staff members were pleasant and kind, overall service was lacking. There was no sense of welcome at arrival with the front desk seeming bothered by the guests. The front desk was cluttered and looked unorganized. Guest communication felt minimal and reactive rather than attentive. We have received warmer welcomes and significantly better service at many two and three star hotels.

Additionally, the property itself raised safety concerns. The grounds are uneven, poorly maintained in places, and lack basic safety features such as railings in steep or elevated areas. This would be especially concerning for families with children and makes the property far from family friendly. There is no resort pool and nothing was warm.

This review is not about aesthetics or atmosphere. At this price point and reputation level, guests should reasonably expect basic comfort, functional amenities, consistent service, and attention to guest safety. In our opinion, this property requires a significant operational overhaul.

I regret having to write this review, but I would not feel right staying silent given how strongly the experience differed from what is being advertised and reviewed elsewhere.

From check in to checkout out the staff were lovely, friendly and helpful.
The site is very eco friendly and holistic from the moment you set foot on the property.
Close to places to eat and a short drive to Tulum centre.
I will come back again and would recommend to anyone wants to return to a quiet pace.

Sergio was a great server. My friends and I had a great day at the beach at Papaya Playa Beach Club. The seafood ceviche is to die for.

I really can’t say enough about how much I enjoyed being at Papaya Playa project. From my incredible villa, waking up and falling asleep to the sound of the ocean, seeing the sunrise at the foot of my bed through the palm trees each morning or watching a sky, full of stars from my private rooftop, I lived my stay there. The property is a vast beautiful section of jungle along the beach, fully secure from outsiders. The quality of the food was amazing, being someone who is very health conscious, this was a serious concern for me. The menu was also diverse enough to keep me interested for my multi week stay. The focus on wellness and spirituality made it the perfect place for me. The entire atmosphere promotes a feeling of calm and lightnes. I have found my crown jewel of Tulum. Highly recommended for anyone.

The team at Papaya Playa was so helpful. From the moment we arrived, we felt truly taken care of. We were celebrating our honeymoon and were welcomed with champagne in our room, which was a very sweet touch. We stayed on the weekend and had a chance to experience their Saturday night party, which was definitely something out of our norm, but super fun to witness. Great music and party vibes all night. This with the combination of their relaxing beach club and wonderful room views made for the perfectly balanced stay for our honeymoon. Primo at the reception was amazing, and always made sure to provide us with the best recommendations for things to do and restaurant spots in town. Even after we left the resort and went to our next stay, he made sure to ask if we needed help with transportation or other recommendations. We would love to return in the future and really enjoyed our time at Papaya Playa for the authentic Tulum experience.

An amazing girl trip to Tulum! First time at the Art Village, second time at the PPP for the parties!

We have to give a HUGE thank you to Primo who was so kind and always helping us with réservations and making sure that we had the Best expérience! He got us this second key to our room🤩!!!

Also to Victoria who have au so many local restaurants and tips! ❤️🤍❤️

Pros:
- Beautiful location
- Beautiful views
- Friendly staff
- Coffee shop
- Spa is very nice with wonderful staff

Negatives:
- Restaurant serves the entire resort and it's small
- Food is very bad and over priced
- Drink price varies depending on the event
- Poor WiFi strength in rooms (especially since required to communicate with front desk).
- Communication issues (have to use Whatsapp to communicate with front desk and they can take hours to respond at times).
- All lights (including landscape lights) turned off at night. This is a serious hazard when trying to leave the resort at 4:30AM.

Recommendations:
- Add luggage racks to rooms that do not have drawers to put their clothes.
- Add more WiFi access points throughout the resort and have your techs verify signal strength in EVERY unit.
- If you force guests to use Whatsapp to communicate then make sure someone is ALWAYS monitoring and responding to guest messages.
- Replace current restaurant. The food is awful and the kitchen is ridiculously small.
- Keep landscape lighting on at least until the sun is up!
- Put at least 1 wash cloth per person staying in a room. We should not receive just 1 wash cloth for 2 people.
- Make sure housekeeping stays out of room when a DO NOT DISURB sign is hanging on our door!

My wife and I booked this place for a relaxing vacation from 1/12/2026 to 1/15/2026. We were not aware of the WIKKA event scheduled for the night we arrived until we checked in and were being shown to our room. As we were shown to our room (334) we were told that we would not hear any noise from the event (which was not true). Upon unpacking we found that the rooms has no where to put away clothes that you didn't hang, or at least provide luggage rack. So we had to leave our clothes in the suitcase on the floors (which took up a lot of space).

We found the room to be nice, but lacking some basic items. We found that they only provided one wash cloth (plenty of hand towels and bath towels). When we requested more wash cloths they came and took the one we used and replaced it with just one wash cloth again (no extras were provided even though we asked). Providing some where to put cloths (besides hangers) or at least luggage racks would be very helpful.

After unpacking we went to the restaurant to grab some food. The restaurant was very busy and noisy because there was a lot of staff setting up and using most of the restaurant to hang out. We found that their menu to be very misleading. They advertised gluten-free dishes, but when questioned it was found that the dishes listed as gluten-free did in fact contain gluten. My wife being a huge fan of authentic Mexican cuisine found her dish to be very disappointing. I ordered their New York Strip, but received a flank steak that wasn't even 5 ounces and over cooked. The food was very disappointing especially for the price.

My wife and I drink only on special occasions (2-3 times a year) so it doesn't take much for us to feel the effects of alcohol. We usually order the same drinks and always start feeling the effects after the first drink. My wife and I both ordered our usual drinks (Tito's Martini & a Tito's Vodka and orange juice). After I finished my second drink (before the food arrived) I turned to my wife and said that I don't taste the alcohol and don't even feel any effects from the alcohol. My wife (just finishing her first martini) said she was thinking the exact same thing. When my third drink arrived we ordered a shot of Tito's. When I tasted the Tito's it didn't taste right. It tasted to me like it was either watered down or a different brand of vodka. After our drinks (twice what we ever drink) we decided to call it a night.

Our first night was tough to sleep as the noise from the event went until sunrise. We could clearly hear the music in our unit (334). We were going to try and watch something, but the WiFi was to weak (1-2 bars most of our stay and less than 3 Mbps speed). We brought this up to the staff several times but were told it was just brief issue that would clear up soon. The WiFi was an issue in the room the entire stay.

The next morning we went to the restaurant to have breakfast and there weren't a lot of guests. It was very noisy and we had staff taking decorations around us the entire time. I tried to order their scrabbled egg breakfast, but the waiter kept bringing the fried egg breakfast (that also had different sides). After the third time I told him to cancel that part of my order. My wife was not thrilled with her breakfast either. At this point a manager came by and we explained our disappointment with the food. He was very considerate and listened to our concerns.

We walked around the grounds for a bit and found our way to the Beach club and spa areas. The staff at the Beach club said they would have the beds set back up by the restaurant the next morning as we mentioned our room was over that way. They said they were moved during the WIKKA event. The staff was very friendly.

We then checked out the spa and scheduled a couple's massage for the next day (requires 24 hours notice to schedule a massage). We really loved the grounds and wanted try their holistic massage.

That evening we decided to go and eat dinner in town. We had dinner at Casa Banana which was excellent. It was a wonderful experience.

The second night we were able to sleep through the night without any interruptions.

The third day we decided to walk to Potheads restaurant (about .5 mile) and have breakfast there. The food was great and cheaper than eating at the resort. We spent some time walking around town and checking out the shops.

After returning from breakfast we were going to lounge on the beach, but found they hadn't brought the beds. They had a tractor cleaning all the seaweed on the beach so it was basically closed. We ended up using our rooftop pool area just to get some sun. Unfortunately the space is set up to just sit, not lay out.

We went to our spa appointment (5:30PM) which was wonderful My wife and I loved the holistic massage and couldn't believe how fast the 80 minutes went by. We found this to be one of our top 3 massages. We both ended up with hives the next day (lasting for a week) on our chest areas. Other than the issue with the hives we absolutely loved the spa experience.

We had a light dinner and packed up our bags since we had to leave the resort at 5AM for our flight home. We were awaken about 2:30-3AM by loud noises coming from the roof. I went to the roof and found that our pool water level was starting to drop below the skimmer. This meant the pool was sucking in water and air into the plumbing which made very loud noises in our room. So we got up early since we couldn't sleep from the noise. We went to leave the room at 4:40AM and found ALL outside lights (including landscaping lights) were off. So we had to drag out luggage to the reception area while using our phones to light the way. This was very dangerous and poor way to treat guests!

We arrived at the reception desk and let the manager know about the issue with the pool waking us and the lights being off and dangerous. He apologized but didn't nothing to resolve the issue but was pushing for us to review the place on our ride back to the airport.

We came to this resort to relax. Unfortunately this place was only for an all night partying and not for resort guests to relax. First two days were noisy (party setup and teardown, and the party itself). The last day was only relaxing part, but had to go into town to eat because food was so bad.

We definitely plan to return to Tulum to time to really explore, but we will not return here.