Hotel Bardo Tulum

Mr Smith and I arrived at Hotel Bardo on a sweltering August day. Having been in Mexico for five days already, we’d fully acclimatised to the time zone. As for the heat and humidity, only one of us was thriving. While I adore it, my other half can get a little flustered and forgetful. 

We came off the bush-lined road and reached an opening dotted with tiki torches. Ari, a Mexico City native with a somewhat chaotic energy (which we loved) welcomed us like old friends. He seemed just as excited to see us as we were to be there, asking us about what we were hoping to get out of our stay and if we had any set plans over the next couple of days. His advice: to scrap them all and go with the flow, make the most of the communal areas, lie in (breakfast is served until 11:30am), and sign up for a Temazcal ceremony. We consented to all of the above. 
 
It wasn’t until we’d completed check-in and asked for the wifi password that we realised Mr Smith had left his phone in the cab. Ah, that brain fog-inducing heat! Luckily, a few swift phone calls from the hotel security meant the driver would be doing a U-turn. Ari, of course, said it was a sign that we should probably switch off for the next couple of days anyway.
 
Crisis averted, we got to know our new digs. Indoor-outdoor spaces all revolved around a vast, palm-fringed pool at the heart of a petite complex. The hotel is essentially made up of a series of open dwellings which make up the separate spaces, from the reception-cum-boutique to the bar on one side of the pool and all-day restaurant on the other. 
 
Because everything is so open yet shrouded in lush foliage and bamboo, it feels both intimate and spacious. At the far end of the pool was a gravel path with a curved bamboo wall and behind it was our villa. 

A front garden made great use of limited space, with a private plunge pool – just big enough for two – a breakfast table with two chairs, and a hammock. Floor-to-ceiling sliding doors opened up to reveal an immaculately designed, minimalist space with a brutalist feel; all concrete slabs and low-lying furniture. It had a softness and romantic warmth to it too, though, thanks to cushions, candles, incense, dim lighting, and a pretty sexy outdoor shower.

The hotel is calm and secluded, sitting on the outskirts of the Tulum Pueblo, set back from the perpetual hustle of the beach zone. It’s less than a 10-minute walk to the main strip where you’ll find local restaurants and great cafes too (try Del Cielo for brunch). 

Complimentary bikes are great for getting around and of course taxis are abundant too, but our preferred mode of transport was the Collectivo: a super-efficient public minivan service which runs from Tulum town to the nearby cenotes, beach zone, and beyond.  
 
People rave about the food at Hotel Bardo, and with reason. The menu perfectly summarises the best dishes from the Yucatan, adding just enough modernisation to make it palatable to the health-conscious, global audience it attracts. 
At breakfast, the golden porridge infused with turmeric, local honey, fresh fruit and various superfoods was truly delicious – and looked like a work of art. Later in the day, poolside tacos and truffle fries were fast-casual but felt a little fancy, too. For dinner, we feasted on whole roast local fish with charred vegetables and a surprise Mayan chocolate torte to celebrate Mr Smith’s birthday, which was sweetly accompanied by a Mariachi-style singalong.
 
Our first full day in Tulum was spent exploring the local cenotes, which are a must whether it’s your first or tenth time visiting. After a long shift swimming and stuffing our faces with pollo tostadas and tacos al pastor at my favourite spot in town – Antojitos la Chiapaneca – we returned to our villa for an early evening power nap. 

What was meant to be a quick recharge before heading back out for the evening turned out to be a three-hour, full REM-cycle sleep. The bed was just too comfortable! Mr Smith and I awoke to the roaring of thunder and sound of fist-sized droplets plip-plopping into the plunge pool outside. Our evening plans of heading to a beach bar were scrapped and just as Ari had proposed, we decided to go with the flow. 
 
The ‘flow’ led us to the Kinky Room: the hotel bar which (overheard from a Spanish couple at breakfast) did tremendous gin cocktails. Neither of us particularly like gin, so we ordered two mezcalitas – smoky, potent, divine – and took a seat on the cosiest looking sofa to watch the rain from our copal-scented, candle-filled shelter. There was a billiards table and board games too, the perfect rainy-day pastimes. 
 
What Mr Smith and I loved about Hotel Bardo is that nothing feels overdone. In a destination that’s seen style triumph over substance as its popularity has grown, Hotel Bardo really isn’t trying to be anything. It’s embracing of a rudimentary type of luxury, a place to go with your own flow (facilitated by the super friendly and genuinely enthusiastic staff) and be as awed by the company you’re with as you are by the holiday itself. You feel connected to the elements too, which, if you ask me, always inspires a sense of renewal.