We stayed at Cabanas Tulum for three nights, and it was wonderful. We took the beachfront deluxe room (first floor). It was a beautiful, simply decorated room. The bed faces the beach, with a beautiful view of palm trees, white sand and ocean. Everything was perfectly clean and plush.
The breakfast was very filling - you get a hot drink, a cold drink (which can be freshly squeezed juice or a fruit shake of your choice) and a hot plate of cooked food.
The service is a bit slow if the restaurant is full, but it didn't bother us.
Note that with the beachfront room, you don't have any privacy when sitting outside, because the sunbeds and hammocks are right in front of you. Meaning, most of the guests usually lounge directly in front of your room (at some distance). Room number 1 which we stayed in was also adjacent to the restaurant so we were very close to some tables.
As people mentioned, the beach is one of the best on the strip. North of Cabanas Tulum there are several hotels whose beaches are full of seaweed and thin strips of sand. At Cabanas Tulum there is plenty of soft white sand, and they clean away the seaweed every morning.
The staff was really nice and helpful with everything - advice on going to town, arranging airport transport, etc.

We stayed at the new,adult-only, section of the hotel. Amazing, modern, simple(in a good way) rooms. The only desirable addition to the room(actually more to the bathroom) would be an extra shelf. Great, uncrowded beach, no seaweed,decent access into the water, always enough chairs/sunbeds. But, you can be very comfortable seating on the balcony of your room, since It is right on the beach. The breakfast,which is included in the stay, is awesome. The lunch and dinner are on the expensive side- would be great for the hotel guests to have like 20-25% discount (Just an idea, since they are not all that busy). Take free bikes and ride 20-30 min south of the hotel. There is a Nature Reserve with amazing wild beach-the best on the whole coast. Overall, the location of the hotel is great-not too far, and not too close to the other great places in Tulum.

We had a wonderful time at this hotel. I agree with others who say the beach here may be the nicest in Tulum - soft white sand, great beach chairs and beds, hammocks, great views from most rooms. Definitely get an ocean-view room: the new Super Deluxe rooms are great, but the regular Deluxe are probably the best value for your money. But otherwise, a basic ocean-front if your can. The view from the deck and the sound of the ocean is wonderful.

As others have said - the rooms are basic, but that works well in a place where you want to spend as much time as you can on the beach - or visiting ruins, etc. You will also track a lot of sand around so its nice to have floors that are easy to clean.

Again, I agree with others who rave about the breakfasts: filling, great choice, nice places to sit. The restaurant has great food for lunch and dinner too! It is not cheap but nothing really is along that strip of hotels, and Le Bistro is within the price range of those (though if you go into Tulum Centro you will find amazing food at much lower prices).

I gave 4 stars instead of 5 for some small reasons: the new construction means that some mornings we were awoken early, and there are some small things they could do for the rooms (screen doors for the basic beach rooms would be nice).

But I really recommend this place highly and can't wait to go back!

There's no better remedy for the winter blues than Tulum, and Cabanas Tulum provide the perfect escape. The rooms are comfortable but minimalist, directing your focus to the private terrace that frames a perfect view of the ocean, complete with palm trees. We kept the large doors open all night - lulled to sleep with the the sound of waves and wind and awakened by the sunrise. The location is great for anyone who wants to take advantage of all that Tulum Beach offers but prefers to stay in a place where you can enjoy the natural sounds and surroundings. If you can, get a second-story room with the rooftop sun deck (in the adults-only section). It provides a good wind block when you need it.

It takes less than 45 minutes to walk to the main hotel zone along the beach, but you need water shoes to cross one rocky section. You can also walk to Sian K'an to the south, but that takes longer. The food at El Bistro was as good as anywhere on the beach. (Also try Buenos Aires and, Zamas (of course) and Pasada Margarita. There's also a yoga studio within walking distance (Shala) with weekly rates.