Many of the beach clubs that we’ve reviewed in Tulum are all about chill days with friends by the pool, but Taboo is not such a place. It’s famous for its parties and immersive rituals.
It’s more like a slice of Ibiza transplanted to Mexico than it is a place for self-care. They have resident DJs and live performances from solo artists such as violinists and saxophonists to complement the show.
So, it was with a certain amount of excitement that our review team packed their day bags and headed to Taboo Tulum, and this is what they found there.
Introduction – Getting To Taboo Tulum
Where Is Taboo Tulum? Carretera Tulum-Boca Paila Zona Hotelera Km 7, 77780 Tulum, Q.R., México
Online: Taboo
Opening Hours: 11 a.m – 7 p.m.
What’s Available At Taboo Tulum?
Taboo Tulum has several pools and beach access, VIP cabanas and Tipis, as well as adybed, a presidential deck for the ultimate experience, a Mediterranean restaurant, full-service beach bars, a shisha lounge and a live music stage with a dance floor.
There is also an on-site spa and massage bar as well as a retail presence. They have valet parking available for a fee and free high-speed internet access.
Our Detailed Review Of Taboo Tulum
We follow one standard process for reviewing all beach clubs. This delivers fair evaluations of the owners, managers, and staff and presents reviews in the same format so venues can be compared easily.
The review process is structured this way:
- A team is selected to assess the beach club.
- Team members make their visits separately and on different days.
- Each person fills in a scorecard, scoring categories from 1 (least outstanding) to 5 (most outstanding) and noting observations.
- The whole team meets afterwards to discuss and finalise scores.
- One member writes the review incorporating the group’s input before it appears online.
Reservation and Booking Process
OK, it’s not perfect, and you have to make a restaurant reservation separately from the beach club reservation, but Taboo has the best booking engine we’ve encountered in Tulum (possibly the only booking engine, in fact).
You can pick a date, pick your seat, get a price for your seating, and while they do hide the “service fee” until the end of the process (we’re not sure why; it’s trivially small compared to the actual booking charge), it all works as expected.
There’s still room for improvement; they’re not on a par with FINNS in Bali, for example, but this is pretty good.
Ambience and Atmosphere
This is a social party destination, and while things start a little slowly, they pick up with fairly amazing speed, and it gets loud and raucous pretty quickly.
Don’t come here for conversation with your besties, because it ain’t happening, but do come to dance the day away with them. That’s what Taboo is about, and it’s pretty good at it too.
Location And Accessibility
Getting to Tulum isn’t always easy, and even from within the Americas, you may have long flights and changes to make to get there.
Once you arrive, Taboo is in the strip of hotels outside of the town, and you will need transportation to get to and from this place.
The beach club itself is also fairly wheelchair accessible, though you can’t take a chair onto the beach itself without special tyres, which they do not provide.
Aesthetic And Design
Every beach club in Tulum appears to have used the same designers, as they all try to blend in with the beach using natural raw materials and an Earthy colour palette.
It’s nice enough, for sure, but after a while they all blend into each other; it would be nice to see more effort to make a beach club stand out rather than conform.
Staff Friendliness and Professionalism (Service Standard)
We found the service to be friendly and attentive, but there is definitely a lot of pressure on them to upsell you into more expensive parts of the club.
That comes across as pretty pushy and obnoxious over time, and we feel that given everything in this beach club comes at a premium price, it’s pretty unnecessary too.
Service Speed and Efficiency
However, there’s no doubt that this upsell pressure doesn’t get in the way of doing their job, and we found that orders were taken swiftly and that they were fulfilled fast enough too.
One thing we liked was that even when this place is at its busiest, they are always on the ball, which is something of a rarity for Tulum, where the service often goes downhill when the crowd arrives.
Food Quality and Variety
While the food is definitely very expensive for Tulum, we found that the ingredients were fresh and tasty and there was plenty of variety on the menu.
We are also pleased to report that unlike many other places around Tulum, they deliver large, generous portions and we’d be happy to go back and tackle another giant helping of their seafood paella again.
Beverage Selection and Creativity
The drinks, on the other hand, weren’t quite as impressive; there’s plenty of choice, and they look amazing when they arrive. But at these prices?
There’s just not enough alcohol present in them. We expect strong, generous measures when you charge a premium for a drink, and we just weren’t getting them.
Cleanliness and Hygiene
Overall, we feel the team at this beach club deserves some high praise for its cleanliness. The beach is kept pretty spotless even during the seaweed season, and there are no unpleasant odours wafting over the beach club.
We were also impressed by the speed at which tables are cleared (we suspect it’s to avoid people falling on stuff when drunk).
But while the service doesn’t falter during busy periods, things can get a bit neglected in the pool, changing rooms, toilets, etc. when the crowds pour in.
Comfort of Seating and Lounging Areas
They charge a pretty substantial amount of money for a seat at Taboo, and while the daybeds, cabanas, etc. are comfortable, they’re also “party-proofed”.
That means they’re not the best places to sit in Tulum by any means, not that it matters much if you intend to spend most of your time up and dancing.
Music and Entertainment
Think Latin fusion in upbeat remixes with touches of tropical house and even reggaeton. The music here is all crowd-pleasing stuff without any hints of being cutting edge.
They want you to have a good time, and generally, that’s exactly what you will have. And while their entertainment doesn’t quite match a place like FINNS Beach Club in Bali- the bottle service parades, sparklers and staff happy to dance with guests- it does keep things interesting and fun throughout the day.
Seasonality
Tulum is in the tropics, which tends to mean it’s hot and sunny with a little rain thrown in, well, at least it does in Bali or Thailand.
Tulum has a hurricane season which isn’t very long, but can make things pretty unbearable on the beach.
Worse, it also has a seaweed season that lasts for a large chunk of the year, and while Taboo has no problems shifting that seaweed so it causes no problems, many other places leave it to pile up and stink.
Pricing and Value for Money
Taboo is expensive. Yes, even for Tulum’s beach club scene. You have to pay a fairly hefty door fee compared to nearly every other club, and the food and drinks are pricey too.
It’s not bad value for money if you consider the music and entertainment costs, but it’s certainly just OK rather than good.
Beach Access and Quality
The beaches in Tulum are lovely when they’re not buried under seaweed, and as we’ve already mentioned, they’re good at getting rid of that seaweed at Taboo.
They also keep the sand pristine almost all of the time, and it’s very pleasant to look at and to feel underfoot. We’d also note that you don’t have to pay the $22 beach access fee that Tulum’s local government expects elsewhere on this beach, which is nice.
Sustainability Practices
Tulum’s patrons expect businesses to be sustainable and there’s no doubt that Taboo does some work towards meeting those expectations.
They are working towards being a zero-waste venue and have a full ban on single-use plastics; they always provide guests who swim with reef-safe sunscreen and don’t use nightlights on the beach (which protects turtle nesting sites); they also practice ethical sourcing.
Sure, they could do more, but it’s a good start.
Exclusive Perks for Guests
You get a seat, pool access, a towel, a locker and the use of the sunscreen if you want to swim in the sea. This is fine. It’s the standard around most beach clubs.
However, we would still like to see premier tiers with more inclusions; we feel that most beach clubs are missing a trick here.
Safety and Security
There’s no getting around the fact that Tulum is not a particularly safe environment, and while the club has a 24/7 security presence and CCTVs, this club is as dodgy as many party venues around the world tend to be, and you will find a lot of people offering substances they shouldn’t, inside.
Sometimes, these people are a little reluctant to take no for an answer, too. If you’re smart and streetwise, you should be fine, but don’t forget that penalties for chemical-related foolishness are much stiffer in Mexico than they are in most people’s hometowns.
Event Hosting Capabilities
They do offer event hosting at this beach club, but it’s very clear that it’s not really what they’re focused on, and it tends to simply involve booking enough seating for you and your guests.
Given how busy it is in Taboo all the time, we’re not really surprised; why change up what works?
Consistency of Experience
The experience at Taboo is incredibly consistent, and the large crowds who come to party at this day club on a daily basis are a testament to that.
We would like to see them putting more effort into evolving the experience to something even better, but if it works, why fix it?
Additional Amenities and Facilities
The facilities are pleasant enough, but there are fewer amenities here than at most Tulum beach clubs, and given how dodgy the area around this place is, we’d recommend driving elsewhere if you need something they don’t have.
Summary
If you keep in mind that this place is for drinking huge quantities of alcohol and partying with friends, then Taboo is everything you can reasonably expect.
No, it’s not as safe as it could be and it’s certainly expensive, but many people are willing to put up with that in order to shake their funky stuff among the beautiful holidaymakers this place attracts.
FAQs
Can You Go Swimming At Taboo Tulum?
Yes, in theory, you can swim at Taboo as they have some pleasant outdoor pools, but in reality, they’re normally packed with people cooling off and enjoying cocktails. We wouldn’t book this place if swimming is a vital part of your experience.
You can also swim in the ocean alongside the beach, and while the water is reasonably safe, we have to note that the lifeguards in Tulum are notoriously easily distracted and may not be timely in their attempt to rescue a tourist who gets in trouble.
What Is There To Do At Taboo Tulum?
You can enjoy comfortable seating, drink and food services, cool off in the pool, walk along the beach and smoke shisha. They also have an on-site spa and massage bar as well as a fashion boutique selling the latest in resort wear.
However, the primary purpose of this beach club is for you to dance and have fun with others.
Is Taboo Tulum A Child-Friendly Venue?
Sort of. The management doesn’t restrict access to kids, and they will supply a kids’ menu and a high chair on request; the reality is that this is a very loud party place with a lot of very heavy drinking taking place.
That means lots of adult hijinks and even the occasional outbreak of rough stuff.
We would also note that they regularly section parts of the beach club off as adults-only and children can’t freely access these areas.
Overall, we would strongly recommend against taking your kids to Taboo; there are much nicer family-friendly clubs around than this one. It’s a place for adults who want to party.
Who Is The Owner Of Taboo Tulum?
Taboo Beach Club in Tulum is owned by David Forcada, a local businessman, and it’s operated by Grupo RosaNegra, which is a hospitality and entertainment group also based in Mexico.
Is Taboo Tulum Worth It?
“Worth it” is a very subjective concept, but we think Taboo Tulum is worth it if you enjoy partying in an upscale venue and you don’t mind paying a premium for it.
However, if you’re seeking a little peace and quiet away from the crowds, you would probably find it was not what you were looking for.
What Is Taboo In Tulum?
Taboo in Tulum is a beach club (or day club) with an emphasis on partying rather than chilling out. It’s very popular with the young and beautiful people with money to burn.
It’s well known for its chic design, good food and excellent musical offerings.
What Is The Dress Code For Taboo Tulum?
You are meant to wear “beach chic” at this beach club, which really boils down to elegant swimming clothes plus high-quality cover-ups and resort wear.
During our time at Taboo, we didn’t encounter anyone being rejected for infringing the dress code, but there’s no doubt that people dress to impress for this place, and it’s worth putting some thought into your wardrobe if you want to feel a proper part of things.
How Much Is Taboo Tulum?
It depends on the seating you choose and the event on the day, but as a guide, you’ll pay $100-$150 USD for a daybed and half of that is returned in food and beverage credits.
If you want VIP or cabana seating, that can go up to $500-$1,000 USD, and again, half of it comes back in F&B credits.
The food and drinks are expensive, in common with most beach clubs in Tulum, and you will probably end up exceeding your credits.
You do get free Wi-Fi, lockers, towels, etc. as part of the entrance fee, but the valet parking costs about another $10 USD on top.
Final Thoughts On Taboo Tulum
Taboo is most definitely not for everyone, but if you enjoy a raucous and mainly daytime party on the beach, it’s for you.
While it suffers from many of the issues that all beach clubs have to deal with here, such as the seaweed season and being expensive, we feel that the audience they are targeting is happy to overlook minor issues in pursuit of a good time.
Certainly, the next time we’re in Tulum looking to dance the day away, we’ll be visiting Taboo again.
