Santuario Jungle

I stayed on the 1st floor. Big room with very big and comfortable double bed. Only sounds at night are from the jungle. Well equiped common kitchen (you need to bring your own food/drinks, or just eat in Akumal 15-20 min. away by car). I bought food from a store at Akumal Beach and fresh fruit from a fruit stall in Akumal town, where I had a nice late lunch at a local restaurant. I only stayed 1 night, and I saw monkeys and different birds. Don't forget to lock your doors, the monkeys will try to get in (but they are not aggressive at all:).

It can be tricky to finde the place, you need a car og other transportation. On the main road from Playa del Carmen, about 3-4km before Akumal, there are small signs for different "eco lodges", but not for this one. Follow the dirt road, and you will see signs for Santuario Jungle also. It's about 1-1,5km from the main road. If you miss the dirt road, just follow the main road a bit further towards Akumal and turn back at the nest "Retorno", pass the gas station on your right and do the next "Retorno" towards Akumal again, then drive about 1km and take the dirt road on your right. A larger complex is beeing build next to Santuario at the time of writing (12th march 2023).

We loved all the plants and wildlife at Santaurio Jungle. Onsite there are several private cenotes, although at present I'd say these are more for viewing rather than swimming in (it probably is possible to swim we just weren't brave enough). We had an encounter with spider monkeys on our first morning which really made our decision to stay here worthwhile. The rooms are massive with a lovely bathroom.

The following points didn't detract from our stay but I think are important to write about as this place won't be right for some guests: The place is a little off the beaten track and realistically I think you need your own car to get to and from the place (approx. 10 min drive on a dirt track off the main road). We had a car so no issues for us. We didn't have Aircon. There is a ceiling fan and a floor fan, which provided us with adequate comfort. We didn't have hot water. We didn't mind the colder showers as it helped us cool off after being out in the heat. There are lots of mosquitoes so make sure you bring suitable protection. It is worth noting I didn't raise the issue of no Aircon or hot water. There was a heat exchanger looking device in our room but didn't really provide cool air. Overall the positives much outweighed the points I've made above and I wouldn't hesitate from staying here again. We found it to be exceptional value for money and loved the experience.

I only used the place as a stopover - arrived in the evening and left first thing in the morning. Bed was comfy, WiFi was good, owner was friendly and helpful. Relatively easy to find but you need a car to get there. Very cheap compared to other places in Akumal.

No air con - they gave me a fan but the room was still very hot. There were holes in the wall with live wires.

In the jungle and very kind host

not much hot water

What a pleasant surprise and at such a good price, especially seeing what is offered in the area. The road in from the highway is well marked to find Santuario, you do have to pay attention. It is a dirt road but in good condition, probably took us little over 5 minutes. I had stayed in the area before, so I was familiar with it. Coming from Cancun, you do have to look out for the turn off, it is before you reach the Akumal turn, 3 kilometers down the road. We were met by Manuel, a very kind and helpful person. The room is expertly designed, the polished concrete work is excellent. The room has few furnishings but a pleasing design. Everything worked perfectly, the bed was comfortable, and the fans kept the room a nice temperature; the large windows all have very good screens. The bathroom area is lovely. The icing on the cake is the beautiful private cenote, while there were other guests, we had it to ourselves. I think that there are 4 units in the guest house, one was occupied, while we were there. The communal kitchen is a 1-minute walk from the room, everything you need for cooking is supplied. The kitchen area is not new, but it is sufficient, the huge open-air palapa sitting area adjacent to the kitchen is very nice as is the landscaping. Santuario is very new, still being worked on, but more than adequate for a lovely jungle stay. There are spider monkeys, you do have to be aware, they apparently are little thieves! There are 2 good restaurants in Akumal, not even 10 minutes by car, I think that there are others. Akumal is so much nicer than Tulum, no comparison; Tulum is terribly overrun now, but there is a good supermarket there.

what indication for the turn off from the highway, not that clear. It is 3k before the Akumal turn off coming from Cancun.

The environment inside the jungle. The two free cenotes.

The bad smell of humidity in the room

The staff never bothered to answer my messages regarding the wrong direccions they have in booking. I could never reach the hotel and never stayed there. But the location seems to be in the middle of the jungle and taxis were charging 700 pesos each way.