Wakax Hacienda - Cenote & Boutique Hotel

This is the type of place that makes your vacation plans change! The property stretches over 400 acres and its concept is deeply embedded in Mayan culture on one side and hacienda life on the other. This is more than a hotel stay - it’s a walk through history, nature wanders, and an architectural pearl of its kind. The place has even its church! All infrastructure is completely new, authentically built by traditional Mexican construction and it’s absolutely beautiful! Because of its vastness bikes are everywhere and one can ride among secluded cenotes, swimming pools, and many other hidden natural gems in this place. You are in the Caribbean but you don’t miss the sea at all! The praises don’t go just to infrastructure but also hospitality - Xavier is an exceptional manager and in love with hacienda - not only does he knows everything about the place but also takes care of everything connected to the outside life. The food and drinks in their cenote-side restaurant are not only always fresh and delicately prepared but also has incredible waiters, Johnni and Pedro, who do the extra mile and fetch you cigarettes in their free time and bring it to you the next day. For the fun part - an underground river tour or jungle bike ride, Gonzo is a highly experienced go-to person. Gonzo is a Wikipedia for Yucatan, Mayan culture, diving and so many other things that one can book a day with him and just listen to his knowledge!

Set in the jungle near Tulum, there are three pools, and a gorgeous green lagoon with bar and food service and extremely comfortable lounging, paddle boards and kayaks. We did both tours with the amazing Gonzo; Cenote underground water tour and the Mayan Village Tour on bikes. These were the highlights of our vacation so do not miss -- our older teens just loved them! During our stay we saw iguanas, bats, giant spiders, and a boa constrictor. Note, there were no crocs in the lagoon! There were three options for the included breakfast (plus a fruit bowl, granola, honey and yogurt, coffee and a fresh juice). Options were pancakes or waffles with maple syrup, eggs and bacon with salad, or a traditional Mexican chiquillies with an egg and green or red salsa. Each of our family had a different preference for breakfast which we enjoyed. Breakfast was so filling we could last until late afternoon until our next meal. As we had rented a car we visited nearby Akumal and Puerto Aventuras for meals (another traveler recommended AVIS for car rental). We spent four nights at Wakax. If you have a car, I suggest a three night stay so you can do both tours. BTW, if you have claustrophobia you may not like the cenote tour. The bikes are great fun, staff and owners are very friendly, the rooms are huge and right out of a glossy travel magazine, and the setting is out of this world!

Cocktails were made with the highest quality ingredients and service was friendly and excellent, but it would be nice to have a little entertainment or activities in the evening after supper. We did play ping pong and darts by the restaurant. Additional games such as a pool table or shuffleboard would be a bonus.

The place is fantastic

The food is not at the level of the hotel, and unfortunately is the only option as there is nothing you can walk to. I really suggest to get better products to be able to do better food (it can be good but you can see the quality of the meats and fish bad - specially the burger ). However besides this everything was like a dream and fantastic

The Hacienda is spread on 160 hectares of amazing nature and you get to enjoy the beauty of the jungle while benefiting from 5 star luxury. A great work was done to preserve the structure and architecture of the original Hacienda and a lot of work is still ongoing to turn it into an even more amazing resort. Great service, good food and nice people - you feel welcomed and pampered from day 1. But the best thing about this resort are the activities included: the tours with Gonzales were really great, so much information and stories shared, he is like a walking encyclopedia :). All the yoga classes I attended were really good, and Yana's sound healing sessions were extremely pleasant - she is such a nice and warm person. In addition you have a bike at your disposal, free use of kayaks, SUPs, pools, rivers, lakes, you name it! :) I had a wonderful time at the Hacienda Wakax and would love to return!

These are just some recommendations : - please highlight somehow the entrance from the street of the hotel as it can get pretty challenging during the night - some of the activities were not properly advertised or mentioned, for example Yana's sessions / treatments. I would've liked to benefit more from them had I known from the beginning - I enjoy fresh local fruit in the morning so perhaps you could consider something like a fruit bar for breakfast?

The hotel only opened two weeks ago and it’s apparent that a lot of attention to detail has gone into making the hacienda a very special place to visit. The staff were all very attentive and helpful and a particular shout out to the guy who took us on an tour of the haciendas underwater caves, it was a fantastic experience from a very knowledgeable guy - thank you!

As the hotel is still so new there are a small number of things that the hacienda still needs to finalise - for example there was no wifi in the room itself, you can only pick this up in certain spots on the property. I’d also suggest some background music at lunch and dinner as the restaurant felt as though it lacked any real atmosphere, although as the hacienda gets busier that will hopefully change.

The chapel is beautiful! The underground river is a definite no go though! LOL. Cenote is beautiful!! All the structures are fantastic!! The wildlife is exquisite!!!!!!!! The jungle is incredible!!!!! Our room was wonderful!!! Clean and comfy except the bathroom REALLY NEEDS VENTILATION- even just a floor or ceiling fan would make a huge difference!! Otherwise perfect!

While exploring the grounds we came upon a tiny village like place - chickens, pigs, turkeys…. The pigs were very very skinny 😳. Are they different than normal pigs? They looked very hungry. I was quite sick a lot of the time I was there and I think it was one of two things… either the water in MX or the smoke from the stuff they constantly burn to help with mosquitoes. It was quite miserable. No ice for our room! Big ☹️!! Couldn’t get breakfast b/c not enough help at the restaurant. We waited 20 minutes and no one ever came to our table. When I got up to get my own coffee the waiter asked me to sit back down and he would bring me some but never did.

I arrived at hacienda wakax and was met by Itzel who works at the front desk.I was given a cool damp towel to freshen up after the ride into tulum from the cancun Airport. After checking in she took me on a tour of my room and part of the property. Was a nice touch and I appreciated the information given. She is amazing and helpful and does everything with a smile. I appreciated her help and gracious attitude throughout my stay. This property is huge and exploring it for five days was the most fun I have had. Be prepared to find many fun and incredible things as you wander the paths inside the jungle. The room I stayed in was the normal hotel style with king bed which is located near the lobby. Comfortable bed and clean, and a large bathroom. The ac was available all day and night and also a large ceiling fan. There was a mini fridge with free soda and a couple large containers of water. Also an expresso machine in room and also throughout the property for use. Room had a safe and small open closet. Also excellent wifi throughout the property. Water pressure was also excellent for the area. These are all things you will find lacking in most of the hotels in town and by the beach regardless of price. And walking into a cold room after a hot day of adventures feels incredible and being able to send out and post photos of those adventures is nice as well. Can't say enough about the Activity Coordinator Gonzalo. If you come here make sure you do every activity you can. His information and stories were a perfect complement to the beautiful nature you were surrounded by. His willingness to go above and beyond and answer any question at any time really made this stay special. I will never forget being part of your first shaman sweatlodge experience. There is one restaurant on site next to the largest cenote. The food is incredible. I wish I could post more photos to show everyone. The service was amazing. A special thank you to everyone working there.

This is more of some personal preference things than dislikes. It would be nice to have a do not disturb option for door of room as housekeeping comes several times during the day/evening. In case you are in room for a siesta or shower. A shuttle into town for guests not wanting to take a local colectivo or taxi. Even paid it would allow for using the atm or pick up snacks or supplies that are forgotten. I was fortunate enough to be given a ride but it isn't always an option. Also maybe a more detailed map with English. I had fun exploring and discovering but some guests might not be as adventurous and want a more streamlined map to follow. I didn't even know about the blue cenote until the tour on last day. And was my favorite.

Staying in the jungle was a fun experience with all the amenities of biking, swimming in the cenotes/pools, paddle boarding in the lake and tours around the property. The room is very nice, everything was clean.

There could be more options in the 1 restaurant on the whole property since you need to drive if you want to eat anywhere else. It was a bit expensive for the food. Lots of mosquitoes but you are in the jungle and the hotel provides nice bug spray.

This massively exceeded expectations. The hotel buildings are so beautiful and the grounds natural and full of wildlife. The way the buildings are set into the landscape is perfect. We would love to come back when money allows and have been recommending to everyone! Every time we left to go somewhere else for the day, we just wished we'd stayed at the hotel!

I think the food menu could be changed more frequently, and an option for more small dishes or light bites. If you are spending a day by the lake you don't always want a whole meal. Also, coming from the UK, i was naively surprised by the influence of USA culture including tipping etiquette. That was my only negative tbh.

Wakax is beautiful, luxurious and relaxing! A historical estate still owned and used by the wealthy family who built it 100s of years ago. The menu has great variety and the food is tasty, healthy and attractive. We ate all our meals at Cocol, the romantic onsite restaurant. Gonzalo took us on amazing tours of underground rivers, cenotes and jungle terrain all on the property. He told us how to snorkel with turtles and enjoy the beach just minutes away from Wakax’s fine facilities and beautiful swimming pools. Gonzalo is a fascinating naturalist and cultural guide. All the staff was upbeat, helpful and welcoming. I highly recommend Wakax and look forward to returning!

Everything was perfect!