Casa Los Pelicanos Sian Kaan

Casa Los Pelicanos is in Sian Ka’an, the UNESCO-listed biosphere reserve south of Tulum, inside a private community reached through the arch at the top of Tulum’s beach strip and about 6 km from the beach zone. The villa is about 4,000 square feet and sits on a private beach of fine white sand with warm, clear water, next to roughly 1,000 meters of privately owned, unoccupied beachfront.

Four bedrooms and four bathrooms sleep up to 12. Three bedrooms have king beds, and the fourth is a Maya-style bunk room with two queens and two twins, which works well for children or friends sharing. Private terraces open off the rooms.

The staff is part of the stay: full daily housekeeping, a villa manager and concierge, and an in-house chef. The way food works is flexible. You pay for the actual food and drink you want plus a modest service fee, and you can choose all-inclusive, half-board, select meals, pre-stocking, or cook for yourselves. The owner pre-approves all reservations.

Outdoors there is a beachfront deck, a stand-alone covered beach dining room and a yoga deck. The owner’s site does not list a swimming pool, so plan on the sea for swimming.

The trade-off with Sian Ka’an is distance and simplicity. The villa is about 6 km beyond the beach zone, so trips into Tulum for dinner take some planning, and there is a four-night minimum stay. In return you get a quiet, nearly empty beach and a staff that cooks and looks after the house, which is exactly why most guests choose this part of the coast.