Oasis Tulum Review

We went away for a long weekend and decided to head to the Oasis Tulum. The prices are so good for this hotel so I wanted to see for myself what you get for that price.

So here’s my review on the Oasis Tulum… the good, the bad and the not-so-ugly.

LOCATION

The Oasis Tulum is nestled between Akumal Bay and Tulum, about 10 minutes from either one. You are about 35 minutes from the closest town, Playa del Carmen.

All excursions will pick up here, but only stay here if you don’t mind being a little secluded and are looking for a quieter atmosphere.

GENERAL HOTEL INFO

The hotel is split into 2 sections: the Oasis with approx. 200 rooms (on he left) and the Grand Oasis with 100 rooms (on the right). If you pay for the Grand, you get access to both side, if you pay for the Oasis, you get only the Oasis side. There is a slight price jump between Oasis and Grand, but you get a lot of benefits being on the Grand side, but more about that later…

BEACH

The beach in this area is lovely and white, no rocks as you are entering the water, and due to a reef not far from shore, the waters are quite calm. There are a few boats moored in front of the hotel that provide fishing tours.  You can get snorkel gear at concierge in the lobby but the equipment is not in great condition and you only get it for 2 hours, so if you really want to snorkel, bring your own equipment. There are plenty of beach chairs and small palapas for shade.

ROOMS

You can choose garden view or ocean front. We had an ocean front with a lovely view. The garden view rooms are spacious and are built around the activities pool. They come with 2 double beds or 1 king, bathroom with bathtub, TV, mini fridge and an in room safe at extra cost (5$) per day. The ground floor rooms have a large terrace and the upper floors have balconies. The ocean front rooms are steps from the beach.  Also spacious rooms, but not all have balconies. They come with 2 double beds or 1 king, bathroom with bathtub, TV, mini fridge and an in room safe at extra cost (5$) per day. The room was very clean, spacious and the bed was comfortable. Only thing lacking was room service, which is a must in my book – they do have it on the Grand side.

FOOD

There is  1 main buffet restaurant that is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  There are 3 snack areas and 2 a la carte restaurants. The restaurants are understaffed and this is felt greatly at breakfast time. They had a great salad bar, always had at least one choice of fish, chicken, pork and meat and I found the food tasty and fresh. The buffet is not huge, as it is a small hotel, but the quality of the food was great. Other than the main buffet you can also choose the a la carte meals, either Mexican or Italian, just make a reservation with concierge one day in advance. The main activities pool has a sushi bar and off to one side the “Happy Chicken” which is a fast food-ish type of place. Right next to the beach you also have another daytime snack option offering Asian food.

SERVICE

Reception was friendly but in Mexico speed mode. Concierge answered every question I had with a smile and offered great service. Maid service was great, the room was very clean. Restaurants were touch and go, as I mentioned before. I think if they had more staff in the main buffet restaurant, the existing staff members would be less stressed and more likely to smile. That being said, Mr. Omelet man in the morning was FAB and his smiles made everyone’s day.

ACTIVITIES

At the main activities pool, they have games and a few activities. Hidden in the back area is a ping pong table, foosball and a small gym. If you want sports, head to the Casa Club area. The golf cart will take you down if you don’t want to walk. They have an area for soccer and basketball. They have an air-conditioned “sports bar” that has a pool table, a lounge area, a TV screen to show the games, and every night, the outdoor area is converted into a movie theatre. There is a swimming pool, ping pong and air hockey. There is also another snack bar here. They also have tennis and golf available at extra cost. They do have nightly entertainment, which I have to admit we did not get to as this was a strict R&R weekend away  and we were in bed by 9pm 🙂

KIDS CLUB

They do have kids club available daily from 9am-5pm. They have a wide variety of activities both indoors and out for all kids aged 5-12. They even have a video game lounge that opens for  a few hours every afternoon.

THE GRAND OASIS TULUM

If you want a little more luxury, for a reasonable surplus, you can book at the sister hotel, Grand Oasis Tulum. They have an AMAZING rooftop bar area with incredible views and Jacuzzis, infinity pool with a swim up bar, and a lobby piano bar. You can also choose between garden view or ocean view rooms. It is even quieter in the Grand section as any animation takes place on the Oasis side and in the Casa Club area. The upgrade also includes: free in room safe; free wireless for 1 computer per room; free in room minibar; bathrobes; Extra restaurants (Seafood, Brazilian, Gourmet) in addition to all restaurants on the Oasis side.

My Conclusion

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised. It is great value for money. If you can effectively “don’t sweat the small stuff”, this is a very nice hotel for a great price.