Kai Hotel Tulum

It’s all about location at this great-value toes-in-the-sand Tulum beach hotel.

Unlike most of the plusher, far more expensive hotels further south, Kai sits on Tulum’s widest, whitest stretch of sand, in full view of Tulum’s ruins – perched on a craggy cliff above the turquoise Caribbean Sea. The reef is within swimming distance of the shore.

Villas are simple palm-thatch affairs, packed close together (but that’s inevitable with this location), but they are decked out in modish distressed woods, beach-shack whites and light ocean blues and scattered with traditional Mayan textiles. In the best rooms, beds with wispy drapes look through huge floor-to-ceiling windows to wonderful views of the ocean and the breeze-blown palms.

The alfresco restaurant and bar serve superior Mexican comfort seafood.