La Zebra Tulum, a Small Luxury Hotel

I rarely leave negative reviews, but our experience at La Zebra was disappointing enough that I feel obligated to share it for future guests. The property itself is beautiful, and some members of the staff were genuinely pleasant. Unfortunately, when we encountered a significant problem, the level of service fell far below what I would expect from a hotel in this price range. The biggest issue was our room’s air conditioning. It stopped working overnight on the first night. We reported it around 1:00 a.m., and the night staff member was kind and believed it was still functioning, so we tried to get through the night. We were traveling with our five year old and were too exhausted to move rooms in the middle of the night. The following morning we explained that the room was still unbearably hot (90+ F) Rather than moving us to another room, we were asked to wait while maintenance tried to repair the unit. Hours passed with almost no communication unless we went to the front desk ourselves. In total, we spent nearly 20 hours without a comfortable, air conditioned room during July heat and humidity, including several hours while maintenance worked in the room with drills and equipment. We had nowhere comfortable to rest during the heat. Eventually we were moved to a different room. The hotel described it as an upgrade because it was larger, but we lost the plunge pool and ocean view that we had specifically booked. From our perspective, it was simply a room with functioning air conditioning, not an upgrade. What was most surprising was not that the air conditioning failed. Problems happen. It was the response. Throughout the experience, no one acknowledged how disruptive the situation had been or offered an apology. After hours of waiting, I eventually went to the front desk in tears from exhaustion and frustration, and that was the first time anyone apologized. It left me with the impression that this was not the fault of any individual employee, but rather a service culture that lacked urgency, ownership, and proactive communication when guests experienced a serious issue. There were several smaller moments that reinforced this feeling. We requested bug spray that had been available in our original room, but it never arrived. Then, as we were leaving the property, a staff member came out to our car to charge us $30 USD for bottled water and soft drinks from the minibar in our replacement room (which we assumed were kindly included due to our poor experience), despite there being no visible pricing information at all. After everything else, it was a disappointing way to end the stay. Luxury hospitality is not about having a perfect property. It is about how guests are treated when something goes wrong. Throughout this experience, we never felt that our family’s basic comfort was treated with the urgency it deserved. We left feeling dismissed and tracked down for money rather than cared for. I cannot recommend La Zebra based on our experience, and I would not choose to stay here again.

Hotel concierge made a breakfast reservation for me. Because I ate at the restaurant, I was able to use the beach club for free all day. Staff provided towels and I had a whole covered sofa bed all day.

We had a wonderful time at La Zebra! Our room was fantastic – spacious, generously sized and spotlessly clean. From our terrace we enjoyed a breathtaking view of the beach and sea. Little touches like fresh water in the room every day or the evening thermos of tea with a small pastry showed that real attention is paid to the details here. The food was delicious and the entire team, especially Walter, greeted us with extraordinary friendliness and attentiveness at all times. La Zebra was the perfect finale to our Mexico trip – we will definitely be back!

the stay was incredible, the staff amazing and the food delicious. SO many things to do and relax at the hotel, I loved it!! and the yoga classes

Perfect relaxing holiday we loved the hotel. We had a sea view room and would definitely book this again, spacious balcony and room and beautiful spacious bathroom with a double walk in shower. Daily maid service with fresh water and also turn down service. Beach cabanas were super comfy and despite the seaweed went into the sea it was beautiful. Last but not least the food and staff were exceptional, really friendly and efficient. We had breakfast at the hotel every day, so much choice and everything was so good. Would highly recommend La Zebra and we hope to return soon.