What happens when a villa refuses to keep the jungle out? In this contributor feature, Deborah Kombe checks into a Tulum jungle villa, five lodges woven into the trees an hour from Cancún, where the bathroom ceiling is mesh, the rain arrives indoors, and the design decision at the heart of the place is to let the weather in. Through birdsong mornings, a private chef under the trees and an infinity pool in a turquoise clearing, she makes the case for the villa you actually stay in rather than leave at nine.
It’s a late July night, and you’re drifting to sleep to the steady patter of rain on jungle leaves, insects humming their lullaby in the background. The rain sounds so close it could be inside with you, a gentle white noise wrapping you in rest.
By morning, the birds take over, singing bright, layered songs to greet the sun and stir you awake. You rise slowly, step into the bathroom, and pause. The floor is soaked. The rain that seemed just beside you last night really was. The bathroom roof, held up by wooden beams, isn’t glass or plastic as you assumed, but an inconspicuous mesh. The jungle is your ceiling. When it rains, it rains straight into the bathroom, beautifully, wildly, naturally. And when you shower, you learn what a true rain shower is. Stunning.
That soaked bathroom floor is the whole property in miniature. Jungle V by Loco Luxury is a collection of five lodges woven into Tulum’s tropical jungle, and its entire design philosophy is a refusal to keep nature outside. Most luxury villas seal you in and frame the view. This one leaves the roof open and lets the weather arrive.
Where it sits, and why that matters
Tulum gives you roughly three choices. The beach road, where you are paying for proximity to sand and paying again for everything else. The town centre, which is busier, cheaper and more practical. Or inland, into the jungle, which is where Jungle V sits, around an hour from Cancún airport, in La Veleta, one of Tulum’s most popular residential neighbourhoods.Â
The trade is straightforward. You give up walking distance to the beach and you gain silence, space, and a property that could not exist on a beachfront plot. You will be driving or taxiing to dinner. In return, you wake up to birdsong rather than beach clubs, and the villa itself becomes somewhere you actually want to spend the day rather than a base you leave at nine and return to at eleven.
Designed to host up to nineteen guests across five lodges, with a shared garden-view infinity pool, open-air lounges, a curated kitchen and generous hosting areas, it is built for groups who intend to stay put.
Arrival and first impressions
The concierge arranged a driver to collect us from our hotel in Cancún, and the journey passed in what felt like a quick hour.
The entrance is deliberately unassuming. A wall, a door, trees, all beautifully done but giving nothing away. Then you walk the curated jungle pathway and the lodges appear one by one until the turquoise infinity pool opens up in front of you. Karen from the concierge team welcomed us and gave a tour, showing each lodge before we playfully argued over which one we wanted.
The rooms exceeded the photographs online, which is rarer than it should be. I felt at home within minutes, reading in the hammock on my terrace. By dinner, the concierge team had already handed us a Villa Guide covering everything in the property plus recommendations for local dining, beach clubs, shopping and services. It was a breath of fresh air to see that level of care extended before anyone had to ask for it.
Waking up in the jungle
Waking up here was an entirely new experience. The night before, in Cancún, the four of us had shared one hotel room, waking to each other’s noise, laughter and early alarms. At Jungle V I woke completely alone, staring at the tallest, prettiest straw-thatched, wooden-beamed ceiling I had ever slept under, with only birdsong filling the air. It took a moment to adjust. Then it was magical.
Each lodge has at least one king-sized bed framed by hanging rope lights, log-like bedside tables, a desk and chair, and a genuinely beautiful bathroom. Mine included a mezzanine with two extra beds, which would suit families or larger groups. I claimed the room with the shower and freestanding bathtub because it was too beautiful to resist. Sheer linen curtains drew back to reveal a balcony with a hammock and a few comfortable seats.
The design strikes a boho-chic balance without tipping into either rustic or overly polished. Greenery is woven through the interiors, floor-to-ceiling windows pull in natural light and frame the jungle beyond, and a palette of wood, linen and soft off-white keeps everything calm. It is the kind of place that makes you want to linger in your pyjamas a little longer.
Two of us took a lodge each, both easily sleeping four or five adults, while the other two shared. Every lodge has its own drinks station with a coffee machine and pods, kettle, mugs and a fridge. I brewed a cup of matcha, which yes, I had brought from home, and settled into the hammock with my journal while the trees moved around me.
Gathering in the open-air kitchen
When we eventually emerged from our own peaceful bubbles, the cobblestone path took us past the infinity pool and sun loungers to the open-air kitchen. You step in and are met by an expansive dining table backed by giant ceramic planters, wooden fans turning slowly overhead.
To the left, the kitchen, with a beautiful island and every tool or appliance you could need. To the right, the multi-event room above the pool, which functioned as our living room and, on one occasion, a massage space. My friend Diana fell asleep on the beanbags in there more than once.
Geckos are regular visitors to the ceilings and walls of the open-air sections. They didn’t bother us. We were guests in their home.
The concierge team
The service here is the property’s strongest asset after the architecture.
Most of our meals came from the Villa Guide’s recommendations and every one of them landed. After a few exceptional dinners I messaged the concierge to ask how the suggestions were quite so accurate, and was told the founder, Maria, had personally visited each restaurant and cafe before including it. That is a level of curation you rarely encounter.
We were in Tulum for our friend Priscilla’s birthday, and the team made it effortless. They sourced cupcakes and coordinated massages without being asked twice, which meant we could focus entirely on the celebration.
A night with a private chef
One evening we invited a private chef to cook for us, which turned out to be one of the highlights of the stay. Mexican and Brazilian music played through the speakers as we gathered around the open-air kitchen, asking about every ingredient and technique. The chef had never worked at Jungle V before and was visibly taken with the open-air setup.
The night was music, conversation and the smell of fresh herbs and sizzling meat carrying up into the trees. It is the sort of evening the property is built to host, and worth arranging if you are travelling as a group.
Pool, massages and the jungle soundtrack
When we weren’t exploring, we were in the pool. My first infinity pool in a jungle, and it felt like floating in a turquoise clearing with sunlight coming through the leaves.
The birthday massages took place in the multi-use room above the pool, and the soundtrack was the actual jungle. Birds, leaves, wind. Far more effective than any spa playing a recording of the same thing. I drifted off more than once.
Come prepared, then slow down
The concierge team arrived with insect spray and told us to use it generously. They were right. The jungle is full of unusual insects and we were each bitten several times despite the spray. Bring your own repellent as well.
Because so much of the property is open-air, pack lightweight breathable clothing with long sleeves for the evenings. Comfortable sandals make the cobblestone paths easier. A light rain jacket is worth having in rainy season. Sunscreen and a hat are essential for the pool. And bring a small comfort from home, a favourite tea or coffee, because the mornings here deserve it.
The most useful advice I can give is to build in time to do nothing. Hammocks, pool, open-air dining. The villa rewards guests who stay in it.
Final thoughts
Jungle V is unlike anywhere I have stayed. Waking to birdsong, sleeping under straw-thatched ceilings, moving through rooms that are deliberately open to the weather. The design decision at the heart of it, to let the jungle in rather than keep it at a distance, is what separates this from every other villa in Tulum.
It suits groups, special occasions and anyone who wants a genuine pause from city life. It suits people who are relaxed about geckos and rain and a bathroom floor that occasionally gets wet. If you want sealed, air-conditioned, beachfront polish, this is not that, and it is not trying to be.
Go with an open mind. Use the pool, the hammocks, the open-air dining. Arrange the private chef. Let the concierge team do what they are extremely good at.
Planning your stay
Jungle V by Loco Luxury sits in La Veleta, around an hour from Cancún airport. Five lodges sleeping up to 19 guests, with a shared infinity pool, open-air kitchen and concierge team. Four nights in July cost around £2,379, with an Airbnb offer bringing it closer to £1,974. Book through Loco Luxury or Airbnb.
Deborah stayed at Jungle V in July 2025 as a guest of Soul Stay Tulum, when they owned the property.
All views are her own.Â
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