A stylish, boho haven with a dreamy, castaway vibe: The Conrad Tulum

There has always been something mystical about the place. It has exploded in popularity because of it's clifftop ruins and sacred cenotes.

The Riviera Maya's gated resorts are a world away from Tulum's hotel scene. There are clusters of solar-powered, palapa-style boutique hotels surrounding the region that cater to a variety of travelers.

Points travelers have been slim pickings.

The Conrad Tulum Riviera Maya opened in January of this year amidst a flurry of top-tier additions to the Hilton portfolio. It promised to entice new and returning visitors with a stylish bolthole with a full embrace of the region's bohemian vibes.

Is it up to expectations? The Conrad Tulum was where I stayed.

Quick take

Discreetly tucked into mangrove forests alongside a gorgeous horseshoe bay, the Conrad Tulum is a sophisticated, grown-up retreat that blends Tulum's back to nature ethos with a jaw-dropping design.

Behind the open-air lobby's magnificent carved doors, there are reflective pools lined with palm trees, and a rainforest-fringed, white-sand beach with swimmer friendly waters. Along the way, there's a series of dens that are furnished with hammocks and rattan chairs.

The Conrad feels like it's connected to water. The public spaces and guest rooms are adorned with Maya-inspired artifacts.

Guests sip on cocktails in cozy lounges filled with books and artwork while check-in procedures are completed and they are handed a black beaded bracelet that acts as their room key.

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Getting there

There is a 90 minute drive from the airport to the Conrad Tulum. You should know that the hotel is 13 miles north of the archaeological site of the Maya.

For up to five passengers, meet-and-greet transportation can be booked through the Conrad's concierge for $170 each way. It will cost around $90 if you take a taxi with a company at the airport.

Booking details

During the peak winter months, off-season rates start at $352 per night and can go as high as $654 per night. The cost for an ocean-view suite is $1,163 per night. I paid $400 per night for a "tropical-view" king for two nights in November.

If you want to get free nights, you can apply for a co branded credit card such as the American Express Surpass Card, the American Express Business Card or the American Express Aspire Card that will give you free nights. You should be able to apply the certificates for stays at the Conrad Tulum when there is enough points.

The rates you would be looking at if you were to plan a February break.

Standout features

• The resort is beautifully integrated with Tulum's jungle-fringed coastline and mangrove forests, so you always feel immersed in nature. A forested trail leading from my room to the main lobby was populated with iguanas, lizards and families of raccoon-like tejones.
• Surrounded by palm trees, the blue-tiled main infinity pool is striking. The scene is cool but without being pretentious. With three quieter casita pools and an idyllic beach, there's a setting for every mood.
• All the food and cocktails I tried were excellent: imaginatively prepared, creatively presented and made with wholesome indigenous ingredients.
• The staff members were warm, ever-present and genuinely interested in guests.
• Even the base-level rooms are chic, stylish and beautifully appointed. I didn't feel any ocean-view envy at all.

The Point's Guy is Caroline Lascom.

Drawbacks

• There were a couple of service glitches: On two occasions, there was no response when calling the front desk — once to tell them my coffee maker wasn't working (when I did get a response it took almost an hour to get another one).
• There was no way to contact the spa from my room and I needed to go to the reception desk and have them call for me.
• The dining venues are swanky and beautifully designed, but I felt it was missing an oceanside venue that offered a feet-in-the-sand or under-the-stars experience — it seems like the kind of place that should.
• I loved the castaway feel to the beaches here, but they are small and contained, and may not be everyone's idea of a perfect Caribbean escape.

Vibe

The Conrad is calm and serene. There are hammocks strewn across the outdoor lounges, dancing and drumming under a full moon, and shaman-led cleansing rituals, which use herbs from the on-site garden.

The Point's Guy is Caroline Lascom.

The gorgeous central pool seems to pull everyone in, and things kick up a notch around lunchtime as cocktails flow and a DJ plays music, but this is not a wild Ibiza pool party. At sunset, guests mingle against a backdrop of fire pits, elegant white sofas and a black-tiled ornamental waterfall at the open-air Ultra Mar.

The room

The main pool and lobby are a short walk from my room. It was small but stylish and user-friendly.

The room was designed to maximize space, with a wooden lattice entryway, a small sitting area, a table and chairs, and a wooden screen-style wall that separated the bedroom from the bathroom.

The Point's Guy is Caroline Lascom.

Modern Mexican design is reflected in both tropical and ocean-view rooms with organic fabrics, wooden furnishings and hand painted tiles.

There was a walk-in shower on one side and a water closet on the other side of the bathroom. Every room at the Conrad has either an outdoor soaking tub or a plunge pool.

The Point's Guy is Caroline Lascom.

The room was easy to use. The upscale amenities included plush robes and coffee makers.

The Ocean View Suite has a separate living and dining area and some of the best bay views.

Food and beverage

There are four fine dining venues that cater to every taste. The breakfast buffet costs 700 Mexican pesos, or about $35, for adults and 350 Mexican pesos, or about $17, for children under 12. The best place to start the day is on the leafy terrace which is surrounded by thick mangroves and overlooks the ocean.

The Point's Guy is Caroline Lascom.

Each of the three palapa-style pool bars has an assortment of modern and classic Mexican food. Heartier options include taco with crab and pork belly, which costs about $17, and there are also lighter, plant-based items such as portobello ceviche. I ordered a bowl of the catch-of-the-day ceviche, which was made with sea bass, zingy, and delicious, and was topped with anavocado vinaigrette.

I ate at the Mediterranean restaurant Maratea on my first night in Chicago. The dining room has a sea-and-sand theme with circular booths made from natural mesh fibers and a mosaic tiled floor.

The menu includes meze such as date-stuffed grape leaves and a few salads. I ordered the tuna tartare with fried capers and harissa and the striped bass with asparagus spears. Both dishes were delicious and had unique flavors.

The Point's Guy is Caroline Lascom.

I went to the Japanese sushi restaurant for my last meal. The small dining room has a minimalist look with a blond wood interior and rectangular tables between the windows.

The terrace was separated from the pool by a wall of foliage. The chef's daily special rolls include a combination of tuna, hamachi and truffle oil, and the spicy flamed sea bass with buttered enoki. Even big-city sushi snobs shouldn't be disappointed with the experience.

The service at both restaurants was excellent.

Amenities

Each of the three blocks has its own quieter, more secluded pool and chiringuito, which guests can choose between. There wasn't a kids pool, but there were lots of older kids in the pools.

The beach has soft white sand that slopes into the water. The staff of the pool set up black metal and white parasols and provided ice buckets with water and food. Families can use free water sports equipment to explore the bay when the water is calm.

The Point's Guy is Caroline Lascom.

The lavish spa, which is designed to resemble a cenote, is shared with the all-inclusive hotel in the same gated complex but with access to a different beach. There are a variety of treatments and massages that use indigenous herbs, as well as more traditional Swedish, deep tissue and ayurvedic massages. A four-hand massage using hot poultices with corn and cocoa seeds is included in the Kinich Ahau Journey.

The Point's Guy is Caroline Lascom.

The sleek gym, located on the lower level of the main building, has a handful of cardio equipment, as well as free weights and a small studio that hosts a daily schedule of fitness classes.

Embracing the region's alt-lifestyle and mystical vibe, there are also full moon gatherings with dancing and sound healing.

A full program of activities and events, including crafts, face painting, video games and a DJ lab, can be found at the kids club and teen zones.

Out and about

If you want to escape from the resort's pools and chill vibes, there are a couple of half-day excursions to take. Gran Cenote is a place where you can snorkel among stalactites and stalagmites in crystal-clear water. The Great Maya Reef near Puerto Morelos is a great place to snorkel and dive.

The Maya Route has a number of pyramids and temples that haven't been fully excavated.

There are some amazing places in Mexico's Riviera Maya that aren't in Tulum.

Accessibility

There are king accessible rooms at the Conrad. The hotel's public spaces are accessible through ramps and paved walkways.

Wheelchairs can be accommodated in guest rooms and restaurants. There are handrails and a wooden bench in the walk-in showers. There are audible warnings in the elevators.

Bottom line

I had a great time at this hotel. A true sense of place is what the Conrad Tulum has to offer. It is cool without being pretentious, bohemian or generic. It's a place where couples can easily spend four or five days without ever leaving the resort.

For young families, there is a kids club and teen zone with programming, but, overall, it does feel like more of a grown up sanctuary where days of spa treatments and excursions to visit the cenotes are included.

The Conrad isn't as accessible as other resorts along the Riviera Maya that are closer to the airport, but it's still a great place to start your exploration of Mexico.