There’s no doubt that the Tulum beach club market is competitive, and that means that beach clubs are free to impose minimum spends on top of an entrance fee (day pass).
Yet, at Ikal Tulum they’re not participating in that trend. They do have a day pass, but it’s very generous with its inclusions, and there’s no additional minimum spend.
We liked the family-friendly appeal of this place, and that meant it was easy for our team to decide to visit this spot and see how it was for themselves. This was their experience.
Introduction – Getting To Ikal Tulum
Where Is Ikal Tulum? Zona Hotelera Tulum, 77780 Tulum, Quintana Roo, México
Online: Ikal
Opening Hours: 10 a.m. – 9 p.m. (Thursday to Sunday for non-hotel guests)
What’s Available At Ikal Tulum?
There is a swimming pool, beach access, a beach bed or lounge chair provided for every day pass holder, access to all wellness activities, a volleyball court, a kids’ play area and a STUPA Buddhist Temple, all of which are included in the day pass.
In addition, the day pass entitles each visitor to a full meal (breakfast or lunch from a set menu) plus either a beer or a non-alcoholic beverage. This comes at the fairly reasonable price of $50 USD per person, per day, though hotel guests are entitled to free access to the facilities.
Our Detailed Review Of Ikal Tulum
Every beach club is examined using our fixed standard procedure. This guarantees a fair assessment of the owners, management, and staff and creates reviews in the same style to help with comparisons.
The steps include:
- Assigning a team to the venue.
- Independent visits by team members on different days.
- Completing scorecards with category ratings (1–5) and notes.
- Group discussion to finalise scores.
- Writing and posting the review on our website.
Reservation and Booking Process
In theory, you can book your day pass in advance. In reality, the website is broken, and you can click that “Get Tickets” button all day long and get nowhere.
We’re lost as to how it is that Tulum’s beach clubs can be so bad at what should be a very simple activity.
However, it is as it is, and you’ll need to contact the hotel to reserve (and remember they only allow outside guests in from Thursday to Sunday) and go from there.
Ambience and Atmosphere
The objective of this beach club is to offer a space for relaxation and wellness, and it does a good job of this with plenty of open-air spaces and regular communal wellness sessions (included in the cost of the day pass).
However, while there’s lots of activity, it doesn’t feel particularly social, and while you can strike up conversations, it’s just not really the kind of place to make new friends.
Location And Accessibility
Tulum itself is sort of easy to get to from within the Americas. Though the flights may be long and changes are inevitable depending on where you’re flying from. It’s a bit more challenging when coming from other countries.
Once you arrive in Tulum, you’ll find that most activity is not in the town, and Ikal Tulum is in the main hotel strip on the shore. This means you need transportation to and from this beach club.
We must stress that it’s not a safe area to wander around on your own, especially at night.
Aesthetic And Design
The architecture at both the beach club and the hotel is famous locally; it’s “bio-architecture”, which combines sustainable systems with ancestral design.
The natural wood finishes, jungle integration and open-air flow are awesome, and while it doesn’t have that immediate stunning visual impact of somewhere like FINNS in Bali, it is very nice in Instagram photos.
Staff Friendliness and Professionalism (Service Standard)
The staff are friendly and warm, mainly, but the occasional interaction here is plain bad. You can find they can be a tad blunt, verging on the unpleasant at times.
They’re also not very attentive, and you may have to go and wave your hand right in someone’s face before they acknowledge you at times.
Service Speed and Efficiency
The service speed is also not great. While the wellness classes are amazing and you will be very glad that you spent time in those, the food and drinks take a long time to go from order to physical presence.
Given that prices are nearly the same as they are in Miami, we’d expect the same level of service, and it’s a bit sad that it’s not there at Ikal Tulum.
Food Quality and Variety
The food variety is excellent, and we certainly couldn’t complain about the quality; they feature a lot of local, organic ingredients, particularly from the Yucatan and Quintana Roo regions.
However, there’s no doubt that the food here is extremely expensive (except for the set menu included in the day pass – and that’s not the best of what’s available, though it is good), and the portions are nowhere near big enough to justify the prices.
Beverage Selection and Creativity
The drink selections are good, though the non-alcoholic drinks are extremely expensive, $7 USD for a can of soda? We’d expect that in a New York nightclub, not in Mexico.
The specialty drinks are delicious, and we loved the cucumber margaritas, which were an absolute stand out. The fresh juice bar is very good too.
Cleanliness and Hygiene
We should note that some of the issues at Ikal Tulum are beyond their control. The plagues of mosquitoes in the jungle adjacent areas are simply a fact of life.
But there’s no excuse for the sargassum buildup on the beach that can occasionally end up quite pungent, or the wet sandy floors not getting mopped after some rainfall.
The bathrooms and main visitor facilities are clean, but it’s the details that could really use a bit more attention.
Comfort of Seating and Lounging Areas
Daybed and other seating options (including some cool hanging canopy beds on the beach) are available to everyone with a day pass, and we found them to be exceptionally comfortable.
We like that you’re free to move around, though we should note that this means if you give up a seat, somebody else is free to move into it.
Music and Entertainment
There’s nothing in the way of traditional entertainment like at FINNS Beach Club in Bali, but we think the regular wellness sessions are a form of entertainment and they’re very good.
The music itself is a bit bland and serves as a backdrop for talking with friends and family, but it’s not offensive in any way.
Seasonality
Tulum’s beach clubs don’t close based on seasonality. However, there are two seasons that impact people’s enjoyment of these facilities.
The first is a small hurricane season, where things can get pretty blowy if a hurricane lands on shore here, though it might not happen at all.
The bigger issue is the seaweed season, which lasts for 8 months of the year, and sadly, Ikal Tulum is only so-so at managing the buildup of seaweed on the beach. And if it’s not properly attended to, it gets a bit stinky.
Pricing and Value for Money
We love the day pass concept with loads of inclusions; that’s better value for money than most beach clubs in Tulum.
Sadly, the other food and drinks are so steeply overpriced even for Tulum’s beach clubs that they eat away at that value, until we’re left feeling “OK” about things.
Beach Access and Quality
The beach everywhere in Tulum is quite lovely, and the sand is wonderfully white and soft beneath your feet. And then, the seaweed turns up and spoils it.
If a beach club spends a lot of time keeping the sand clear, this won’t have a major impact on your fun (though it can’t make the sea nice to swim in), but Ikal Tulum doesn’t always do this, and that reduces the value of the beach.
Sustainability Practices
Sustainability is clearly a priority at Ikal Tulum, and they are well known for their amazing bio-architecture, local integration, natural pool (reducing water consumption), adherence to local sanctuary preservation rules, participating in community shoreline projects and microplastic recovery events, and cultural homage.
However, they don’t have a formal audit report for their efforts, which is a bit of a shame; we imagine this is something that will be on their radar sooner rather than later, though.
Exclusive Perks for Guests
The Day Pass at Ikal Tulum is absolutely excellent, and we’d love to see more beach clubs emulate this. It goes far beyond providing a place to sit down and includes activities, food, drinks and more.
While the other stuff in the club may be expensive, the value proposition and perks included with the day pass are unmatched. This club is best in class for perks.
Safety and Security
There is a 24-hour security presence, and mainly the property entrances are well controlled. However, the club does open up onto the beach, and that means that crimes of opportunity can and sadly do take place.
So make sure to use the lockers and never leave anything valuable unattended. If there is a power cut in the evenings, parts of this club can get very dark. So be careful walking around at those times.
Event Hosting Capabilities
They do provide a dedicated event hosting team, and we can see that this could be really useful for those looking to organise a wellness retreat.
However, we feel that the entry logistics are going to be a pain for many groups (all guests must be registered with the national parks, etc.) and that overall, there are probably better event venues in Tulum.
Consistency of Experience
Our team felt that the experience at this beach club was extremely consistent, and speaking to other guests and reading online reviews backed this finding up.
There’s no obvious effort at continuous improvement, but the product that they have works well enough, though they really could use working on the pricing and staff training, in our opinion.
Additional Amenities and Facilities
This beach club has a better-than-average range of facilities, and we were really impressed with the wellness offering, which helps to differentiate the club from other offerings in Tulum.
However, if there’s something that you need and can’t get at Ikal Tulum, you’re going to have to jump in a car and go on a drive (potentially out of the national park area, which means more hassle getting back in).
The hotel strip simply isn’t a good place to go walking about on your own, especially in the evenings.
Summary
Ikal Tulum has found its own unique niche among Tulum’s beach clubs, and we admire that very much. The wellness programs are first-rate and super easy to access.
We also found that the day pass offers excellent value for money and if you’re a family looking to try out a beach club, this might be the ideal spot for you.
Just be aware that there are no wild parties here and if you go with relaxation in mind, we’re sure you’ll find it.
FAQs
Can You Go Swimming At Ikal Tulum?
Yes, Ikal Tulum has both a pool and beach access. The pool is better for swimming than in most beach clubs, as there’s more of a focus on activities and exercise rather than just eating and drinking.
However, like at most beach clubs in Tulum, there are times when the club is simply too busy for easy swimming in the pool.
At those times, you can always swim in the sea, which is safe enough, though during the seaweed season (which runs for nearly two-thirds of the year, now) you may find that swimming in the water there is quite unpleasant.
What Is There To Do At Ikal Tulum?
There is a wide variety of wellness activities which are all included in the day pass, and this is the number one reason to visit this beach club.
You can also swim, play volleyball, relax, eat and drink. There’s even a Buddhist temple available if you want to meditate or just explore the Buddhist faith a little more.
Is Ikal Tulum A Child-Friendly Venue?
Yes, in fact, we’d say that Ikal Tulum is a very family-friendly club, though it’s probably not for the very smallest of children, as there are no defined play spaces for toddlers.
Otherwise, it’s a lovely open-air setting with a pool, a beach and many green spaces. The activities they offer are all family-focused and range from yoga to native clay painting.
It’s certainly not the cheapest family day out in Tulum, as with many other beach clubs, the food and drinks are more expensive than the background level, but a meal is included with a day pass, which is better value than most.
You should also note that you will each need a national park pass as this location is within the boundaries of the park.
Who Is The Owner Of Ikal Tulum?
Ikal Tulum is part of the IKAL Group. The founder and CEO is Ernesto Zarate. The property is also famous for its bio-architecture, which was produced by the Gil Brothers, two famous local designers.
Is There A Dress Code At Ikal Tulum?
No, not really. While you will, of course, be expected to remain within the law and the bounds of general decency, you can wear pretty much anything here.
That’s in keeping with the family-friendly nature of the place; this isn’t some slick beach club where everyone is queueing up to see or be seen.
Final Thoughts On The Review Of Ikal Tulum
Ikal Tulum is one of the best family days out that we can think of in this town. The club has a huge number of features to offer, and they’re all wrapped up in the day pass so that you never feel like they’re nickel and diming you.
The wellness activities are a lot of fun, and the volleyball is great. The set menu included with the pass is generous and tasty too.
You won’t find any partying at Ikal Tulum, but if you want a day out with your kids that has plenty to do, this is the place for you.
