Tulum, Mexico

Casa de las Olas

Rates from (ex tax)$247.90

Price information

If you haven’t entered any dates, the rate shown is provided directly by the hotel and represents the cheapest double room (including tax) available in the next 21 days.

Prices have been converted from the hotel’s local currency (USD295.00), via openexchangerates.org, using today’s exchange rate.

Casa de las Olas Photos

Style

Groovily green casa

Setting

By the biosphere

Family-run boutique stay Casa de las Olas is a 40-year-old traditional villa with serious sustainability cred. This boho stay is just at the end of Tulum’s strip, and has a modern building just beyond the garden, too. Breakfasts at this supremely chilled-out hotel are served under the palm trees, massage therapists can be summoned to the grounds, and the private sandy beach – dotted with sunloungers and swung with hammocks – is only steps away. The enthusiastic owners will happily curate your holiday activities, or share a cool cerveza with you in the evenings.

 

Smith Extra

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A collection of handmade beauty products from Lolita Lolita and a bottle of Mexican wine

Facilities

Photos Casa de las Olas facilities

Need to know

Rooms

Seven suites.

Check–Out

11am; earliest check-in, 3pm.

Rates

Double rooms from $247.90, excluding tax at 19 per cent. Please note the hotel charges an additional service charge of 8% per room per night prior to arrival.

Price information

If you haven’t entered any dates, the rate shown is provided directly by the hotel and represents the cheapest double room (including tax) available in the next 21 days.

Prices have been converted from the hotel’s local currency (USD295.00), via openexchangerates.org, using today’s exchange rate.

More details

Rates usually include home-made breakfast, WiFi and parking.

Also

Have hotel staff arrange an on-site massage by licensed therapists Rodulfo and Yolanda. Choose from a traditional massage or one with the added healing benefits of Mayan clay and unwind under the swaying palm trees.

Hotel closed

From 5 September to 5 October 2017 and from 4 September to 4 October 2018.

At the hotel

Beach, bicycles to borrow, free WiFi throughout and on-site parking. In rooms: iPod dock, Bose sound system, five-gallon garrafon of purified drinking water (filled daily), beach bags and locally-made Lolita Lolita bath products.

Our favourite rooms

Oceanview Balcony Suites suit guests craving modern style; they’re bright and airy with sleek contemporary bathrooms. For small groups or families, the Oceanfront Master Suite provides plenty of space to spread out and relax, with two king-size beds, open-plan living areas and a large balcony with a hammock.

Packing tips

Bring your binoculars to make the most of your boat tour through neighbouring Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve.

Also

Casa de las Olas may not be suited to guests with mobility issues, due to some uneven terrain. All water used in the showers is captured from natural, underground streams and gravity-fed from the roof, so shower pressure may not be particularly forceful.

Children

Although this is more of a quiet, grown-up beach spot, little Smiths aged five and over are welcome; cots, outdoor toys, board games, bicycles and boogie boards can all be provided on request.

Eco‐friendly

In the extreme: it’s the only Platinum LEED-reviewed property in Mexico; all cleaning and bathroom products are organic and biodegradable; all food is locally sourced – and hand-picked – from family farms. The hotel’s design allows it to capture underground water sources, it has multiple rain-collection systems and is powered completely by a state-of-the-art solar-panel system.

Food and Drink

Photos Casa de las Olas food and drink

Top Table

All meals are served at the communal table, under a canopy of palm trees.

Dress Code

Easy, breezy boho beachwear, with a hint of 70’s chic.

Hotel restaurant

There’s no formal restaurant, but a home-cooked Mexican breakfast is served in the garden’s picnic area every morning, with freshly squeezed orange juice, seasonal fruit, home-made granola and yoghurt, French-press organic coffee and a made-to-order daily special.

Hotel bar

None, but beers and wine are available on request; guests and the owners often share a beer together and catch up on the day.

Last orders

Breakfast is served from 8am to 10am; lunch from 1pm to 2pm.

Room service

Four out of seven suites have either a full-size or mini refrigerator that you can stock with goodies for out-of-hours snacking.

Location

Photos Casa de las Olas location
Address
Casa de las Olas
10.6KM Boca Paila Rd.
Tulum
77780
Tulum
Mexico

Planes

Fly into Cancún International Airport (www.cancun-airport.com), which is about a 90-minute drive from the hotel. Take your pick of airlines that fly direct from the US, including JetBlue (www.jetblue.com), American Airlines (www.aa.com) and United (www.united.com). From London, British Airways (www.britishairways.com) and Virgin Atlantic (www.virgin-atlantic.com) have direct flights from Gatwick (www.gatwickairport.com). One-way transfers with the hotel are $140 for two guests.

Automobiles

Rental cars are available at Cancún International Airport; from there, take Highway 307 south to Tulum. As you arrive in Tulum, follow the sign for Boca Paila. Keep right at the Y-intersection with a police casita to the left, and continue south for 10.6 kilometres. Casa de las Olas is the last driveway on the left-hand side before you reach the large concrete archway entrance to the Sian Ka’an Biosphere, just after Casa Chic. Turn into the driveway to unload your luggage, before parking in the hotel’s free car park.

Worth getting out of bed for

Join a personalised nature tour at Unesco World Heritage Site Sian Ka'an (boating and kayaking trips are available too). The largest protected area in the Mexican Caribbean is home to manatees, dolphins, sea turtles, impressive big cats (including jaguars and ocelots) and hundreds of bird species. Arrange a private two- to three-hour sailing trip with Captain Fabian (ask staff at the hotel for his number); pick-up is right on the beachfront at Casa de las Olas and you can choose to head north and take in views of the ancient Mayan ruins, or south towards Boca Paila into the Biosphere Reserve.

Local restaurants

Owner Sam is an expert on local restaurants and is always armed with top suggestions for your meals out. At beachside Hartwood Tulum, chefs Eric and Jamie champion the incredible flavors of Yucatecan produce via locally sourced ingredients. Expect modern dishes cooked over a wood-burning fire, served alfresco. It’s Med-meets-Mexico at Maresías, Be Tulum’s in-house restaurant, helmed by chef Angel Martínez.

Local cafés

For prime pork tacos, make your way to Antojitos La Chiapaneca (Cancun, Chetumal Mz 6 Lt 8, Centro) in Tulum Pueblo. Sit outside and order as you eat, so you get them fresh and hot; the salsa station is inside. If it's coffee you're after, head to Tulum Art Club and you'll find organic artisanal coffee from Veracruz and a selection locally-sourced food, including homemade gorditas and fresh smoothies, all surrounded by eye-catching pieces from local artists.

Local bars

Continue the 70’s-inspired trend at Gitano and sip mezcal cocktails under the dancing lights of the disco ball beneath the palm trees.

Reviews

Photos Casa de las Olas reviews

Anonymous review

Every hotel featured is visited personally by members of our team, given the Smith seal of approval, and then anonymously reviewed. As soon as our reviewers have returned from this eco-friendly hotel in Riviera Maya, unpacked their sandy suitcases and sorted through their wildlife photos, a full account of their beachfront break will be with you. In the meantime, to whet your wanderlust, here's a quick peek inside Casa de las Olas in Tulum…

The beachfront balconies are breezy and have uninterrupted views of the crashing waves here at Casa de las Olas (appropriately enough, ‘House of the Waves’). This 1970s villa-style stay is sustainable to its core, and has us channelling such strong hippie vibes that we don’t even mind the gravity showers. Besides, that means the delightful alfresco breakfasts are incredibly fresh and local, the private beach is wonderfully untouched and we can feel just a little smug about a stay that’s powered solely by the sun’s rays. Add to that two enthusiastic owners armed with regional recommendations, and we’re totally groovy with this far-out boutique boho stay. 

The Guestbook

Whenever you book a stay at a Smith Hotel with us, we’ll invite you to review it when you get back. Read what other Smith members had to say in Casa de las Olas’s Guestbook below.

We loved

Case De Las Olas is truly a special experience. The oceanfront suite was so beautiful with the palm trees right outside the deck and the waves crashing 24 hours a day. The wind coming through it was so amazing as well. Lulu's breakfasts were to die for and Jimmy is the coolest guy in town. We can't wait to go back!

Don’t expect

Loud, party dance music and lots of people around you is not what you will find at Casa De Las Olas. If you want tons of action then stay somewhere else. If you want an intimate personal experience then this is your place.

Rating

Stayed on 12 May 2017

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