Hotel Catalonia Royal Tulum

Unlike many all-inclusives along the Riviera Maya, Catalonia Royal Tulum is not a place for spring breakers or wild partying. This adult-only resort is mostly quiet -- a place where people come to relax on the beach and have drinks by the pool. Age range varies from young couples to groups of pensioners, but most are in their 30s or 40s. The resort is popular not only with Americans and Canadians, but many European guests; there are often large contingents of Brits (the hotel often has offers through U.K. travel operator Thomson Holidays) and Italians. As the hotel is catering to many countries, expect international items at the buffet and a multilingual staff. The majority of guests spend their days by pool or beach, both of which can get crowded early in the morning.   The rooms are set in the jungle and guests can expect at least a five-minute walk to reach the pool and beach areas. The setting makes for fun wildlife spotting, but also means that room views are of the mangrove forest rather than the ocean. 

Catalonia Royal Tulum is located in a small part of the Riviera Maya known as Xpu-ha. The resort is about 70 minutes south of Cancun Airport, about 30 minutes south of downtown Playa del Carmen, and about 30 minutes north of Tulum. There’s not much to see or do in the immediate area, so renting a car is only necessary for guests looking to do some serious local exploration during their stay. 

The regular rooms are spacious, and the light oak furniture, patterned bed runners, and inlaid tile floors are traditional in style (some may find the look a bit dated). The Superior Rooms are the entry-level category, and upgrading to a Deluxe Room ensures a building closer to the beach. Privileged Deluxe Rooms also have nicer decor (these rooms completed a redesign in early 2015). With modern white couches and lamps, blue and green hues, and dark wood furniture, they have a bit of a South Beach vibe. They also have nicer amenities like iHomes and newer flat-screen TVs. Junior Suites have four-poster beds and a lounge area. All rooms have updated marble bathrooms, with beautiful walk-in showers, but no tubs. They all also have large balconies, but unfortunately none have pool or ocean views. Instead, balconies overlook the hotel’s forrest of mangroves, which means any sort of view is automatically blocked by the massive vegetation. Minibars are restocked with soda, water, and beer daily, and room service is 24-hour. Those who upgrade to a Privileged category room get added benefits such as access to a less crowded VIP beach area and the beachfront B Loved Restaurant; most guests find the upgrade worth it.

Many all-inclusive resorts along the Riviera Maya are massive hotels with dozens of pools and too many restaurants and bars to even count. Catalonia Royal Tulum is not one of these resorts. Instead, the property is fairly small, with one pool, a few restaurants and bars, a lovely beach, a modern fitness center, and a small spa. The only downside to the property’s rather small size is its poor layout. Rooms are far from all of the amenities, and restaurants are scattered about the property. Though there's only one pool, it’s large and overlooks the beach. The pool sees the occasional game of volleyball or water aerobics, but it’s generally quiet with a relaxed, laid-back vibe. The entrance to the beach is just a few steps from the pool. The beach is large and flat, and is much nicer than many others in the area. The water is clear and calm, but there is a lot of seaweed (a common problem that plagues the Riviera Maya). However, during the day, the beach is packed with lounge chairs, and the Privileged section takes up a good chunk of the space. Privileged guests typically find that access to this less-crowded, exclusive stretch of sand is worth the cost of upgrading. The hotel’s main buffet restaurant is an open-air palapa (probably why it’s called La Palapa) that overlooks the pool and beach. Other restaurants -- ranging from Mediterranean tapas to traditional Mexican to Italian fine dining -- are scattered about the property. The food is mediocre, as are the drinks, although Privileged guests have access to premium alcohol selections. They also can eat at the beachfront B Loved Restaurant, a favorite for many. There is a small spa that offers a few different treatment options for fairly reasonable prices. The gym, which overlooks the pool, has LifeFitness equipment, but it’s tiny with only a few machines.     Note that sundries are available in a lobby shop but that U.S. dollars are not accepted due to Mexican bank regulations (guests report Euros and Canadian dollars are OK, as are pesos, and guests can also charge to the room). An ATM providing pesos is available, as is a money exchange window. Tips, however, are welcomed in either dollars or pesos.