Fodor's Expert Review Paamul Hotel and Cabañas

Quiet and secluded are the key words when talking about Paamul Hotel & Cabañas. Located in a gorgeous stretch of beach about half an hour south of Playa del Carmen, Paamul is a nice retreat for those looking for peace and tranquility. You won’t find flashy rooms or exotic restaurants here, just good service and a lot of serene spots to just relax and disconnect.

room

We found out that, surprisingly enough, between the cabañas and the hotel rooms, the latter are the expensive option. Why surprisingly? Because well, even when there is nothing wrong with the rooms, they are spacious, fresh and cute (and some have nice ocean front terraces), there is nothing really special about them. While the ocean front cabañas have this rustic feeling that you can’t find everywhere. It seems that the reason for this apparent incongruence is that cabañas lack air conditioning but still, we are talking about wood-floored, palapa-roofed cabañas steps away from the Caribbean!

YOU SHOULD KNOW Not all cabañas enjoy ocean views. Also, during the hot season, not having air conditioning can be an issue for some people.

bathroom

I have to accept that the bathrooms of the rooms are much better than those at the cabañas (but still!). The bathroom sinks of the hotel rooms are of stained glass, they have pink-tiles walls and even a bathtub. Meanwhile at my rustic paradise, the bathrooms are quite simple with just the most basic stuff and an ordinary shower instead of a nice tub.

lobby

There is no such thing as a lobby at Paamul, just the small front desk needed for check-ins, check-outs, and little else.

pool

The beach front swimming pool plays an all-important role at Paamul because is the only actual public area in the hotel, besides the adjacent restaurant. So, guests spend there most of their daytime reveling in the serenity of the place. There are not chaise lounges around the pool, but you can sit at some of the poolside restaurant tables around.

It’s a good idea to get up early and secure one of the few chairs with palapa by the beach. From that point, you will be able to refresh in the pool, get some food from the restaurant or simply enjoy the beach all day.

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dining

The poolside and ocean front restaurant is a nice, casual area with rustic wood tables and some floor-to-ceiling sliding windows that let in the Caribbean breeze and allow for stunning ocean views, especially at sunset. Breakfast is included, but not the rest of the meals. A Brazilian chef offers a fusion of Brazilian and Caribbean cuisines.

drinking

There is only one restaurant in the premises and it also functions as the only bar. The margaritas are the house specialty, but a variety of other cocktails is available too.