Ahau Tulum

As much as Tulum has grown in recent years, it’s impressive that its hoteliers have managed to keep things relatively low-key and low-impact. Ahau Tulum takes this approach to a higher level; it’s named for the Mayan sun god Kinich Ahau, who represents universal consciousness. Needless to say it takes great pains to minimize its ecological footprint, as does more or less every small hotel in this part of the world. Where it excels, however, is in the related goal of stepping out of the way and letting its guests experience the closest possible communion with nature (short of sleeping outside under the stars).

The accommodations range from suites to freestanding cabañas, palapas, and even Balinese-style huts, all of which are rustic in style but modern in construction, and full of contemporary comforts. Many of them look directly out to sea through vast windows, and all of them are as open to the air as you want them to be.

Also open to the air is Ahau’s restaurant KAPOK, which serves a hybrid Mexican-Caribbean cuisine. And for lighter fare, there’s the Raw Love Café, with an entirely vegan menu — not at all a typical choice for a Mexican hotel, even in Tulum.