La Zebra Tulum, a Small Luxury Hotel

We just returned from an incredible 11-night stay at La Zebra, and I can confidently say that if you're visiting Tulum—especially as a family—this is where you should stay. Our trip took an unexpected turn when our 9-year-old daughter became very sick from food poisoning that she developed (not from La Zebra) the day we arrived. The way the La Zebra team cared for us was extraordinary, but Ivy deserves special recognition. She checked on our daughter constantly, showed genuine warmth and compassion, helped arrange medical care, and made us feel like family during a very stressful time. We will never forget her kindness. Thank you as well to Juan Carlos for the extraordinary care, for always striving to provide the best service possible, and for genuinely caring for us; to Will for his flexibility with our food requests and for always taking the time to give us excellent travel recommendations; to Edgar, the best waiter I have ever encountered, who served us with grace, passion, and incredible patience; and for an unforgettable night when all the baby sea turtles hatched. We were running around the beach collecting them while Edgar led the experience, explaining to both the kids and the adults—in excellent English—the fragile ecosystem of the shoreline. All of the restaurant staff were wonderful and accommodating. A special thanks also goes to our housekeeper, Tere (Teresa), who was the first to recognize that our daughter needed to see a doctor. She noticed our daughter was developing a fever before I even did. Within an hour, the hotel had arranged for an excellent doctor to come to our room. The staff is what makes this hotel so special. Everyone speaks enough English to communicate easily, genuinely loves La Zebra, and goes out of their way to help. We visited during the low season, yet while many nearby hotels felt empty, La Zebra was lively every day. In our opinion, the restaurant offers the best combination of food, value, and atmosphere: excellent food, fair prices, a beautiful beachfront setting, and outstanding service. Oh, and there's a lounge where kids can watch a movie while the food is being prepared. Food can take time in Tulum, so we were grateful for that thoughtful space. As parents, we loved how genuinely family-friendly La Zebra is. Our daughter made new friends every day, and we never once felt that children were anything but welcome. The rooms are spacious, beautifully maintained, comfortable, and all have air conditioning, something we came to appreciate in Tulum's tropical climate. If your budget allows, the plunge pool rooms are a fun upgrade for families. Many restaurants and hotels in Tulum seem to rely on loud music to attract guests. At La Zebra, the music is balanced and creates a pleasant ambiance without overwhelming the experience. The only exception was the sports bar area, where the music carried to our room while our daughter was sick for a few days. We asked if the volume could be turned down a bit, and our request was immediately accommodated. The hotel has two beachfront sections. If you're looking for complete peace and quiet, request a room on the Lula side. It offers the same beautiful beachfront setting with an even more tranquil atmosphere. If you're a couple on a romantic getaway, the Lula side will be perfect. I also loved the beachfront yoga studio. My only suggestion would be to offer classes on a more consistent schedule and to add an afternoon session. Don't let the seaweed discourage you from visiting Tulum. Some of our favorite memories came from exploring nearby cenotes and Laguna Nopalitos, one of the most beautiful places we've ever seen. Download the InDrive app for taxis—it's a must. Taxis along the hotel strip often charge outrageous fares, and the app takes all of the stress out of getting around. And if the La Zebra staff recommends somewhere to visit, take their advice—they never steered us wrong. I would suggest using the hotel's airport transportation service when traveling with kids. On the way back, we felt comfortable using the app, but make sure the car has air conditioning when booking. Driving for 1 hour and 40 minutes without air conditioning is not much fun. La Zebra is elegant without being pretentious. In a town where many places seem focused on creating the perfect Instagram moment, La Zebra focuses on something much more meaningful: genuine hospitality. Thank you, La Zebra, for taking such wonderful care of our family. You made us feel like part of your family.

This was an epic spot for the relaxing vacation we wanted! Customer service was phenomenal. Incredibly helpful and kind people working here! Room was comfortable, cool, and well stocked with filtered water and coffee. Great value for money, and clean and tidy throughout the facilities. We enjoyed our afternoons by the pool, with Walter making the best margaritas we've ever had, while giving us some great tips about where to go in the local area. Low season might mean sargassum season, but it also means the turtles are out and nesting, or hatching, every night. Crazy experience to watch, with the service team at La Zebra giving us a heads up that we could come have a look! Highly recommend for anyone wanting a relaxing, beautiful stay by the beach.

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!