By: Mari Mulrooney

What is it like to run a small hotel on a beautiful white sand beach in the Riviera Maya? 

My husband and I arrived in Tulum last November after making arrangements with our friend to live in his family casita behind his restaurant and hotel called Vista al Mar. In the interim, the hotel had been sold to a man from our home state of Colorado. He agreed to honor the arrangement with the original owner and allow us to live in the casita and, as a bonus, we could run the hotel until he was ready to begin the remodel; that would turn out to be the fabulous property now known as the Mezzanine ...

We were following our dream to build a B & B on property we had purchased the previous year located only 50 meters from the hotel.  What a stroke of luck for us to have the opportunity to live on the same beach where we owned property, and at the same time discover if we were cut out to be in the hospitality business!

We were never quite sure when our jobs as managers would start as the closing was delayed many times.  The old owner, kept telling us “Friday,” and each Saturday we woke up wondering if we were running the hotel.  We were never officially transitioned from hotel guest to manager and when the day finally arrived, the hotel’s only employee had the day off and the old owner had gone to Cancun to start spending his newly acquired money.  Since we were left on our own we began our day with the most obvious tasks.

We soon discovered that we were out of water and propane.  Not to worry, the water truck was down the street and they agreed to deliver water within the hour.  Lou my husband, went to town in search of the propane supplier while I carried on with the task of preparing the vacated rooms for the guests who were waiting to check in.  Surprise, no clean sheets!  I dug out some we had brought along and would figure out later where the hotel laundry was being done.

When Pablo, the employee returned the next day, I had prepared a script or training program in cabana cleaning in my best Spanish and together we tackled the much needed task of cleaning the kitchen, communal bathrooms, and guest rooms.

Lou and I had also prepared job descriptions for each of us. Now, I laugh at the absurdity of this and what Pablo thought of his new bosses. Soon we found out! At mid-day he left with the money from the cash drawer and went to the old owner and said he quit. He returned the money with the exclusion of $15, his wages for a whole day of work.  He was not happy when he realized just how much his position had changed.  The restaurant was no longer open (he had been the host, cook, waiter and dishwasher), he was now taking orders from foreigners and a woman in particular, AND the job of “guest relations manager” that he aspired to, was no longer available.

With only six rooms in the hotel Lou and I found the tasks a welcoming challenge. There was always something that needed to be repaired or replaced and Lou was a skilled carpenter, plumber and electrician.  We had brought along a trailer full of tools and building materials so he was prepared for any task.

This was the start of the peak season so our day was filled with one back-packer after another inquiring about rooms to rent or reserve for upcoming nights. We delighted in meeting each guest from far-off places around the globe.  English became our common language so our knowledge of Spanish did not grow as rapidly as we had hoped.

Our bikes became our companions for exploring the ruins, beaches, cenotes, jungles and back streets of the pueblo. We found out with each discovery that there was so much more to the Tulum area than we had ever imagined, and it was rapidly growing and changing.  

With each day’s efforts and approval from the new owners from Boulder we upgraded the rooms and hotel grounds and took great pleasure in being able to keep the hotel full with happy guests who become friends. The 2 ½ months we spent at Vista al Mar was a gift that enabled us to ease into a new country and a new way of life that unfolded with each glorious sunrise.  

We are still waiting for permits to build our B & B with the multi-hued Caribbean as a backdrop and feel confident we will someday have a little piece of paradise that will be worth the delay. It has been one year since our arrival at the hotel and tonight we are invited to celebrate the inauguration of a new treasure on Tulum beach, the hotel and restaurant, Mezzanine.

Mari Mulrooney and her husband Lou Pintkowski are retired and live in Macario Gomez near Tulum, where they have a small, elegant B & B. They are writing a book about their experiences moving to Mexico. This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it

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