Beachfront Luxury Villa MarCaribe, TULUM with Ocean Views

We just returned from the most magical 1-week stay at Villa MarCaribe and I can't say enough great things about the place and service. We were a group of 6 close families with young children (ages 1-6) and the Villa was absolutely perfect for our group. Having the pool, naturally shaded beach, soft sand, ocean, snorkeling, kayaks, palm trees, hammocks and breeze right at our finger tips was amazing. We swam with sea turtles every day and saw all kinds of fish while snorkeling. Note: don't forget your water shoes! The Villa itself was beautiful. Internet was spotty but maybe we shouldn't be using internet on vacation anyway:) Nancy was great to work with and very responsive and our caretakers Amelia and Santos were so nice and helpful. The Chef Service was a dream come true with a group our size and they were so accommodating to our dietary needs and schedule. The food was fantastic! There is a small convenient store, spa, and a casual restaurant that you can get to by walking along the beach! Yes, as other reviewers mentioned, there was a lot of seaweed but the caretakers cleaned it up multiple times a day and it did not detract from our experience. I highly recommend Villa MarCaribe for groups of friends or large families looking for a beautiful and relaxing experience. I would most definitely return.

Our amazing 1-week stay at Villa Mar Caribe began in mid November of 2016, and included our large family of 6 adults and 4 children, the kids ranging in age from 2-10 years old. In short, this villa is absolutely perfect for large groups that value relaxation and want to enjoy all of the natural beauty that Soliman Bay has to offer. We did not find a single flaw with this villa, and unanimously agreed that Villa Mar Caribe is the best villa that we have had the privilege of staying in during our 3 separate family trips to Cancun (this being our second stay in Soliman Bay).

Specifically, the villa is beautiful inside, with 2 well-appointed first floor kitchens and ample bedrooms spaced out with large comfortable beds and linens. The 2 master suites on the second floor are stunning, with an expansive connecting deck perfect for morning coffee or evening cocktails. The enormous 3rd floor rooftop deck is another perfect gathering spot for the entire group to luxuriate, feel the ocean breeze and watch seabirds dive for their meal just yards ahead. The beach side pool and lounging area are something to behold. The pool is clean and refreshing. The multiple seating areas outside are under beautiful traditional palapa thatched roofs, with plenty of comfortable seating for large groups. There are even 4 hammocks, perfectly strewn along the beach, under separate palapas where you can relax and listen to the sounds of the bay. And speaking of the bay, Villa Mar Caribe is set on literally the most pristine and most desirable part of Soliman Bay, which is really saying something. The sand in front of Villa Mar Caribe is sugar soft and the pristine wide beach gave us plenty of space to play, even holding nightly soccer games with the kids. The water and snorkeling directly behind the villa is some of the best that we encountered in our Cancun stay. We saw turtles in the bay every evening and all we had to do to see colorful fish, rays and eels was walk out into the bath-like water and swim a few dozen yards offshore. The bay is shallow, safe and an amazing place to explore via snorkeling or via one of the 4 ocean kayaks provided by the villa. I am running out of space to describe this amazing villa, but suffice it to say, we have plans to return soon. This is truly a special place. Owner is good to work with and villa staff are very good. Highly recommend the chefs for dinners. Their food was spectacular and their service was beyond reproach.

Our stay at Soliman Bay in Villa MarCaribe included six couples in our thirties. We each had our own bedroom and attached bathroom. We would highly highly recommend going with the chef services. Not only is it cost-effective but the food is excellent. Our chefs Guillermo and Miguel were amazing. They prepared three Mexican-style meals per day. We chose the menu the day prior. They were also willing to mix a cocktail of the day for us. We were extremely happy with this service and again would like to recommend it. If you are someone who enjoys excellent-quality food than there is no doubt that you should choose this service in order to eat great local food without spending an astronomical amount at local restaurants. If you love teal, warm ocean water with amazing views and top-notch accommodations; relaxing beach strolls; water sports and pool or ocean swimming than this is your place. Nancy, the owner in CA was easy to work with and the caretakers are onsite and responsive to our requests. Cheers and hope you enjoy your stay as much as we did!

The Good:

The Chefs - Get them! They were great!

The location - 10 min drive away from the town of Tulum (and ruins), and 15 mins away from the 'hip' part of town.

Hammocks - Enough said!

Chamico's - Best seafood right down the street from the house! Amazing hut on a beach serving fresh ceviche, fish, and lobster!

Hotel Jashita - Another great hotel/restaurant down the street. A little more upscale than Chamico's, but worth it. Book early, as they fill up.

The So-So:

The House - Lots of little touch ups needed here and there. Broken screens, jammed doors, chipped/peeling paint - The place just needs some TLC. The House is huge, and each bedroom has a bathroom. The AC in each room worked. As stated in the ad, there is NO AC in the main part of the house, so it leads to a lot of stale/stagnant air during the summer months. Some of the rooms smelled a little moldy, but maybe that comes with the territory.

The Ugly:

Seaweed - Apparently the area is being hit with a LARGE swell of seaweed. There was so much of it that you had to wade through a lot just to get into the ocean. I don't think it's typical, but it's a good question to inquire about. The seaweed sits on the beach for days at a time, and starts to rot, so you have high temps, mixed with rotting seaweed, which all adds up to a great odor-ific party. To the point of several guests feeling nauseas during a strong breeze.

Owner Communication - It was fine before the trip. Some emails took a while to answer, but she was accommodating. Once the issue with the seaweed started, the emails because very accusatory/defensive. We just wanted a clean beach. Several other houses on the bay had people cleaning up the beach daily, but for some reason, ours did not. After dealing with the smell for 5 days, we decided to take matters into our own hands, and shovel it up ourselves. We never got an apology or 'thank you' for the clean up, only requests for photographs to prove my friends were doing it themselves, and then a response that 'seaweed is an act of nature, and not covered as stated in the agreement.' This was after several polite emails requesting that something be done to help with the seaweed. For the amount we paid for a week, we'd expected to have a little more assistance to clean up the area. In the end, we were offered a small refund (<3% of the total).

We wouldn't recommend this house to any friends based on lack of accountability/communication with the owner.

We frequent the area because it is easy travel for us and predictible. We live in the northern U.S., so it is a great winter getaway. The weather has always been close to perfect. The Cancun airport is easy, as is the travel from the airport to this home. We always rent a car. There is a decent grocery store in Tulum, but there are many great restaurants closeby. Our favorite little joint between Cancun and this home is Turtle Bay Cafe in Akamal. My daughter thinks they have the best smoothies anywhere hands-down (perhaps just nostalgic, but they are good!) We eat at most restaurants without concern (but we always ask if they use purified water/ice). We are a little more careful cooking with food/water when at home (use iodine to clean everything). This is an absolutely Lovely Home. Everything was as it looked in the photos. We visited and stayed with only four of us(2 adults, 15 yo and 11 yo). It would be a great spot for multi-family gatherings or other larger group. The description says 6 bedrooms, which is accurate. However, two of the rooms also have separate sitting rooms with a couch that converts to a comfortable bed, which is separated from the main bedroom by heavy curtains, so each could be easily used for another sleeping room. The private outdoor space makes this home even more special. We did not use it, but the roof top deck is huge and would be a great place for a party. It is very convenient to have the pool, hammocks, paddle boarts, kayaks and life jackets all availbale for your use. it is very peaceful. The caretakers on-site and owner, (Nancy in CA) are both responsive and good to work with. The wi-fi is a little hit or miss. Also, there are lot of weeds off shoreline, so you need to paddle out a distance to swim. It is a calm bay, which is great for boating, snorkeling. Don't anticipate riding waves here. There are several fun activities in the area if you are looking for adventure. We love the beach at Tulum. There are some good restaurants there. We prefer the ruins at Coba over Chichen Itza. We also recommend the 4 in 1 tour with zip lines, skycyle, cavern rappal and cave snorkel and XPLOR. We did the XPLOR Fuego (night time with fire) and would highly recommend it (avoid the lines & the heat and it is fun to do at night). I would pick the latter if just picking one. Enjoy. It's a beautiful place!