Review - Lush Tulum — The SL Hotel Inspector

*The beach, looking up to the restaurants*

Overall - Highly Recommended

Think back to when you travelled in the before times? Did you ever fly into a resort or hotel, check in late at night - too late to really see the place - and then feel a sense of wonder the next morning as you woke up somewhere new and amazing and walked around?

I have had that experience several times in RL, and now I have in SL as well. I arrived late night (European time) at Lush Tulum and was really only able to explore it the next day. And that same sensation of discovery came back to me.

Which brings me to what I now think makes an SL hotel or resort really work.

I’ve lived in these places for a month now. And the best ones will do one (or both) of two things. They will act as memory and sensory triggers bringing back something from your RL. Or you will think, “I wish I could stay somewhere like this.”

The Lush Tulum did both those things for me. It joins the Rizzi and Lotus Palace as my (at time of writing) favourite SL resort experiences.

Lush Tulum is, as the name suggests, broadly a Mexican / Yucatan themed resort sim. Like many SL resorts, it’s a little bit like those theme parks in China where you have the greatest hits of a country’s attractions thrown together in one place.

So here you get a replica of the Tulum / Chichen Itza temple, cave swimming and diving, beaches, and a rainforest / jungle experience among other things. But you know what? It really works.

I recommend it highly for an SL vacation, and would also suggest staying for several days so you can make the most of it.

The details and ratings:

The look and feel

They’ve done a really good job here. The whole place is built on a private sim / island, with a Mayan replica temple at the top, and the various experiences in the island itself and around the side.

Everything is really well landscaped and high quality. I’ll also give a special mention to the check-in process.

In the last review about Mykonos, I alluded to the fact that a 30 minute voice check in and tour was kind of….well, intrusive. And a number of SL resorts in fact do that.

*But why do the counters say BHX = Birmingham, UK*

Lush Tulum welcomes you and checks you in, but does it in a way that’s fun, memorable but also quick. You arrive at an airport style arrivals desk, get welcomed, you are given your landmarks and itinerary, and off you go - perfect.

Rating - 5/5

The facilities

There’s more than enough to keep you busy here for days - restaurants, beach experiences, jungle walks, ruins, a spa, and a range of activities.

You can also book a spa or dinner RP, though as we were there for three nights, we had it included. What I liked was that they didn’t try and give it the hard sell, which you will find in some other places.

Rating - 4 / 5

The rooms (villas)

We stayed in the Villa Sol, which I picked for the large wall murals. It had a private pool, large living area, large balcony overlooking the sea, private bar, and the most fantastic bathroom, where I really did think “I wish I could have that in RL”

One small thing that wasn’t so good was that two of the villas had ban lines around them, which are of course ugly. As this is a private sim and anyone who arrives has signed up to the rules, is this necessary?

Rating - 4.5 / 5

The anims

A few were a bit touch and go, especially in the restaurant where with the chairs it was a case of “which SL designer actually sits like this in RL!” Overall, especially in the pools / jacuzzis, they were pretty good.

Rating - 3.5/5

Other things to consider

Is the resort adult? No, it’s moderate, so adult activites need to happen in the villas only

Privacy - Good as it’s a private sim, everyone who is at the resort is either staff or a guest

Lag. - I didn’t find it too bad, I was able to take pictures in ultra and walk around with medium graphics settings

Prices. - These range from 1500 to 3500 a night

Overall - Recommended

You will love it here. Book your stay now.

For Lush Tulum bookings, head to their website.

A big thank you to…

Tiffany Kiyori, who came with me on this visit. I always try to take a collaborator / model / travel companion with me on each visit. It means I spot things I might and have missed, and it means you don’t have to look at me in every picture!

Review - Lush Tulum