Encantada Tulum

For my Mr Smith’s birthday, we decided to return to Tulum, the very destination where we honeymooned several years ago. This might have seemed like a sentimental decision, but really we wanted to holiday somewhere familiar, and Tulum ticked all of the boxes on our checklist: guaranteed sunshine, a varied landscape of dense jungle and sandy beaches, and a myriad of luxe boutique hotels that provide the perfect terrain for hotel-hopping. 

As soon as we arrive in Tulum, we navigate our way to Encantada, an understated adults-only retreat situated on the best patch of beach along the Riviera Maya. Blink and you’ll miss it: the hotel’s discreet entrance is fairly easy to stride past amid the bustle of downtown Tulum, where a concentration of buzzy restaurants and chic hotels jostle for attention. You’ll need to pass through a walkway shrouded by vaulted palapa thatch and through fragrant wafts of Copal incense before reaching the hotel reception. Encantada loosely translates to ‘enchanted’ in Spanish; and, on first impressions, the hotel is certainly very charming.

A brief look around reveals that thatched roofs, woven rattan fixtures and woody accents are the name of the design game here, with earthy strokes of colour running through the airy lounge spaces, and out onto the beach, which is peppered with a handful of squashy cabanas and leafy palms. There are just eight hideaways at this tiny hotel, each of which has a hammock-framed private terrace to admire the sunset from. Mr Smith and I were kindly upgraded to one the beachfront upper rooms to be closest to the spray, and wake up to sweeping views over the ocean from our wraparound terrace. A generous four-poster swathed in floaty linens is the centrepiece of our room, while all eight of the Crusoe-castaway bedrooms come with organic body lotions, open showers paved in sandy stone, and a handwoven tote for lugging your things over to the beach (which is really only a few steps away). 

We arrive hungry after our flight, and while there is no formal restaurant on site, guests can nip across the road to sister restaurant NÜ, where flavourful Caribbean cooking and Mexican favourites are on the menu every day: freshly-fished ahi served with creamy yuca mash, and zingy ceviches, all eaten in an open-air candlelit space. We stumble back to our bedroom after one too many margaritas to find homemade sweet treats waiting by our bedside every evening. 

The next morning, we skip the hotel’s free yoga classes and breathwork workshops in favour of a lie-in. Breakfast is served wherever you’d like, whether that’s in the comfort of your suite, or in one of the open-air lounge spaces on either side of the property. Breakfast unfolds at a leisurely pace: we start with fresh fruit, granola, and yoghurt, all washed down with one of the hotel’s homemade juices, before moving onto favourites such as omelettes and chilaquiles. 

The rest of the day is spent sun-worshipping on the sand and snoozing while sprawled across the sizable beach cabanas. For those who want to venture further afield, Tulum’s Mayan ruins are a worthwhile day trip, and guests could visit a handful of Encantada’s sister properties. Spread-eagle yourself by Radhoo hotel’s palm-fringed pool (which just so happens to be the largest in Tulum, and is just over the road), or sink a cocktail at Nest’s beachside bar. If you’re here for the long haul, Encantada can even arrange a five-day cultural-immersion package for you that includes day trips to ancient ruins, art lessons, and much more. Mr Smith and I chose to work on our tanlines for the majority of our stay, barely moving from our perch on the beach, from where we could order nibbles throughout the day, from zingy fish tacos to fresh guacamole.

In a destination best known for its balance of beach-lazing and buzzy nightlife, Encantada strikes a chord with its distinctly relaxed style. From here, you’ll be in one of the best locations to explore Tulum’s burgeoning restaurant scene, as well as waking up merely steps away from a postcard-perfect stretch of beach. Thanks to the hotel’s compact size, it felt more like a private home than a hotel, with peppy team members just one Whatsapp message away should you need help with restaurant reservations, or arranging massages and excursions. Thankfully, pounding music and party antics are eschewed in favour of some good old-fashioned peace and quiet, and this adults-only retreat mainly plays host to couples looking to secret themselves away in the best part of the region, providing just the tonic that Mr Smith and I had been hoping for.