Casa Xixim FAQs

WE BOOKED OUR DATES. WHEN DO WE START PLANNING?
Thanks for booking! Upon booking we auto-send an email confirmation with your booking details. Please check your spam folder for a confirmation email from info (at) casaxixim (dot) com. You will also receive a Paypal payment confirmation. We typically wait until 2-4 weeks (based on season) before your arrival to send our official Welcome email with a link to our Casa Xixim Guest Planning Portal. In the meantime, please feel free to contact us with any pressing questions.

WHY MAX 8 ADULTS?
Casa Xixim is a single family home with four bedrooms. Rooms can accommodate two adults each. We have three twin sized day-beds for a strict maximum of up to four children, and can also provide one pack-n-play. Cribs, high-chairs, and other baby gear is available for rent. Additionally, as a sustainable-eco-minded home we have an amazing yet delicate wetlands system for all household waste water. It was designed to support our max occupancy. We don’t want to overwhelm our wetlands. It could result in sewage backing up and flooding the garden causing environmental damage and unpleasant odor inside the home. On occasion we have approved a 9th adult for an additional fee from $100+ usd per night for short stays.

WHY MAX 4 KIDS?
Due to our open-access pool and remote beachfront-jungle-mangrove location we aim for a high adult to child ratio for safety. There are a variety of poisonous plants, insects, sting rays, crocodile, porcupine, etc. While our favorite guests are families we appreciate when kids have ample adult supervision to ensure our home isn’t trampled too hard (it’s quite difficult to repair or replace items on short notice for our next guests that often arrive same day). As mentioned above, we also have a delicate wetlands system for all household waste water. It was designed to support our max occupancy.

WHATS INCLUDED?
Every booking includes the support of our full time staff: House Manager, Concierge, Chefs, Housekeeper, Groundskeeper. Once booked, you will be provided access to our custom designed Guest Planning Portal to begin firming up details for your visit. Please visit The Experience page to learn more about what it’s like to stay at Casa Xixim, and please visit our Luxury Villa page to learn about our home’s layout, location and amenities.

ARE YOU ON TULUM BEACH? WHAT IS YOUR BEACH LIKE?
Casa Xixim is not on the Tulum Beach Hotel Zone. We are located a bit off the beaten path at Bahia Soliman, about 15km north of Tulum Town. Soliman tends to be a quiet community of rental homes not well suited for loud parties. The bay has tranquil turquoise water, soft white sand, wildlife, a reef, coral and seagrass throughout the bay and shore. We provide some aqua shoes (and other beach gear) and suggest you bring your aqua shoes if you have them. All beaches in Mexico are open to the public but we pay each year for exclusive use of the beach in front of Casa Xixim and provide private shade and loungers for our guests. The bay is a protected zone of Reserva de la Biosfera Caribe Mexicano. During sea turtle nesting season (May – Nov) we reduce our night time lights, sound, and keep the beach clutter-free. There is a Mangrove along the bay which is home to a variety of wildlife.

DO YOU OFFER DISCOUNTS?
Typically as a full-service operation with a staff of six supporting your stay, we aren’t able to offer discounts (and we aren’t able to rent the home without the full staff). We have carefully curated an amazing experience and our seasonal rates are based on regional comps. Every booking includes chef service for three meals per day, concierge support, daily housekeeping, groundskeeping, private beach area, and beach gear. On occasion we offer limited time discounts to our newsletter subscribers. Please Contact Us to ask to subscribe to our newsletter.

IS FOOD & DRINK INCLUDED? HOW DO WE ORDER MEALS?
Every Casa Xixim reservation includes chef service for 3 family-style meals per day by our two chefs. This does not include the cost of food or alcohol. The chefs ask to be reimbursed with cash pesos every few days based on shopping receipt totals. We generally estimate about 500 – 800 Mexican pesos per person per day, not including alcohol or lobster. In advance of arrival, we’ll have you select your 1st dinner and 1st breakfast from our menu. The menu has instructions, and if needed the concierge and chefs can help you select the rest of your group’s meals once you’ve arrived. A family-style menu means 1-2 main entries, and 2-3 sides/salads for everyone to share.

CAN WE DRINK THE WATER? SHOULD WE BUY WATER?
We provide large water coolers of drinking water. Please make yourself at home and help yourself to glasses in the kitchen. Coolers are located in the kitchen and the upstairs hallway, and are replaced as needed. Our tap water is not drinkable. For your convenience, glass bottles of drinking water are also provided in each bathroom for brushing teeth. Please don’t purchase single-use water bottles (we don’t have recycling). We recommend filling up your personal travel bottle for when you’re on-the-go.

CAN FOOD ALLERGIES BE ACCOMMODATED?
Our chefs can usually accommodate most mild food sensitivities if given guidance in advance. Please note our remote location and no medical services in the vicinity. The nearest clinic in Tulum Town 20-30 min away, and nearest hospital in Playa del Carmen 45-60 min away. We advise brining all needed medications as a precaution. We are not held responsible for health emergencies.

CAN YOU HELP US BOOK AIRPORT TRANSPORTATION, PRIVATE DRIVERS/RENTAL CARS, TOURS, ETC?
Yes, we have a transport company we work with for private airport transportation to and from the Cancun Airport. We recommend flights that land at 12:30pm or later. Casa Xixim check-in is no earlier than 3:00pm. We recommend booking separate vehicles if flights land more than 1 hour apart. Our concierge can also assist with booking rental cars and/or private drivers, adventures, tours, in-house services, etc. For flights utilizing the new Tulum Airport, we can provide guidance on booking transportation shuttles. All of these details will be shared in our official Welcome email and the Casa Xixim Planning Portal which includes lots of house info, our menu, adventure guide, and introductions to our house manager/concierge.

DO YOU HAVE AC?
Yes and no. We have AC units in the bedrooms only to help cool your room at night. But because we don’t have glass windows—instead we have screens with shutters—the AC won’t always feel “hotel cold”. Our house was designed to be open-air with sliding doors to let the sea breeze come through. It can be quite hot during Summer so it’s good to consider if you need accommodations that can support all day AC in the main living spaces and/or bedrooms, and if we are good fit for you.

WHEN IS SEA TURTLE NESTING, HURRICANE & SARGASSO SEASON?
Sea Turtle Nesting, Hurricane and Sargasso Seaweed season all happens during May – Nov. Hurricane events are highly unpredictable and vary year to year. We strongly suggest purchasing refundable or changeable flights (as a single family home and small operation we are often unable to offer full refunds due to mother nature, Covid-19, or climate change). During mild to moderate sargasso we hire a crew to clean it up daily. Occasionally the sargasso is severe throughout the region, and those days may make the beaches unusable. Fortunately, there are dozens of cenotes, Mayan Ruins, and a variety of other tours to enjoy.

WHEN IS CHECK-IN / CHECK-OUT?
Check-in time is 3:00pm – 8:00pm only. Check-out time is before 11:00am. We are a small operation with one housekeeper. These strict times allow us to prepare the villa in time for everyone’s arrival. If you need early arrival or late departure please contact us no later than one week prior to your arrival so we can review your request. If it’s possible to accommodate your request, we charge $50-150 USD per hour depending on season and can include a meal service. We are unable to provide late arrivals after 8pm as our chefs need the ability to complete the arrival dinner service in a timely manner and be well rested for your first breakfast. This is also outlined in our Rental Policy.

WHAT SAFTEY MEASURES DO YOU HAVE IN PLACE?
Soliman Bay has a 24/7 security check point to keep track of comings and goings, and monitors the beach and road periodically. Soliman is known to be a low traffic and quiet beach. The beach closes to the public at sunset. Casa Xixim has a key-pad entry system and locking gate at our road entrance. Our groundskeeper lives in a cottage at that gate entrance. Each bedroom has a safe deposit lock-box to store personal items and valuables. Our Casa Xixim staff are like family, and we have built great personal relationships with our 3rd party service providers–many of whom have been with us for years.

DO YOU HAVE WIFI?
Yes, free WIFI is included at Casa Xixim. We have fast 150 MBPS fiber optic service.

WHAT IS YOUR CANCELLATION POLICY?
When you book, you check a box that you agree to our Rental Policy. This includes our Cancellation Policy and House Rules. You can read it all here: https://casaxixim.com/cx-rental-policy/