I always thought hotels and restaurants are more about people than anything else. Actually, success with every business, sport or hobby is always about passionate people. I was on the plane today reading June’s Wired edition (back from Tulum to Mexico City) while accidentally stumbled upon by an article about the next generation of social networks. The journalist was saying that in order to pick the winner you need to watch how obsessed are the founders about the issue they want to “solve” more than anything else. And this is what I’ve found at Rosa del Viento: obsession with the Tulum’s finest lifestyle, meaning top food, style and relax at a perfect beach.

Let’s start with the best: people! Massimo, Elisa and the rest of the crew of Rosa del Viento make the big difference. From the Mediterranean Sicily, Massimo has a family tradition and obsession for good food. You just need to spend five minutes close to the kitchen watching Massimo taking care of every detail, and eventually sending back to the oven (or trash) one dish every now and then because his “Nonna” or “Mamma” would not be proud of it. Elisa provides the nice PR touch, and takes care of patrons. She is clearly the macro manager of Massimo’s up-to-the-detail micro-macromanagement. Perfect matching.

Food is just great. Simple, as the best of Italian cuisine, it is all about good quality ingredients, love and artsy touch. The wood oven is the key piece of Rosa del Viento’s cuisine. Freshly made Italian pizzas and whole fishes are baked alike at the oven. The Napolitan pizza I had three days in a row only has a matching peer in Napoli. The whole “boquinete” or “mero” fishes slowly cooked on the oven can create addiction. They also have amazingly fresh pasta, just made of Italian imported flour to keep the original flavor (Lobster ravioli or Seafood tagliatelli were my favorites). The wine list is one of the best at the Tulum beach, a decent line-up of Italians (usually very pricey in Mexico- same as in New York City) and a greatly balanced offer of Argentines Malbecs and Torronteses for less than $50. I had Aguijón de Abeja Torrontés (Salta, Northern Argentina) to marry the Ceviche, and a powerful Bianchi Particular (Cabernet Blend from San Rafael, south Mendoza) to tame the anchovies of the Napolitan pizza. Rosa del Viento also boasts typical mexican beach staples: fish tacos and ceviche. They are both fresh and tasty. The fish tacos (had ‘em three times!) have an amazing taste of chipotle chili’s.

Then, there’s the great beach club and an the white sand beach. Best beach south of Tulum. Pristine powder white sand, perfect turquoise sea, and almost no rocks under your feet, just a comfy sand bed. A group of stoic palm trees to give you the shade you want, beach chairs and beds, and attentive waiters to see when your Victoria beer has got warm to replace it by a new one…

The hotel has 15 rooms, most of them with sea view. They are all air-conditioned and very comfortable, and extremely clean (not always the rule in some of the Tulum eco-chic hotels). Rosa del Viento is a place suitable for top models, trendy tourists, the average family, honeymooners, couples with kids, retirees, and mostly everybody other than the hordes of cheap-all-inclusive individuals looking for inexpensive beer. While we were there the crowd included top models, photographers and other celebrities, couples from USA, Canada and Europe, hipsters from Mexico city and families with kids and dogs from Tulum and Playa del Carmen. Big bias on New Yorkers and Californians.

The hotel and restaurant have another great advantage: they are really low cost compared to the value you get. Hotel rooms cost from US$ 150 to US$ 250 in top season, a fraction of the cost in similar places in Tulum. Food at the restaurant is also very reasonably priced, including the wines and liquors (the latter extremely inexpensive – good drinks from US$ 6).

Rosa del Viento will soon be spotted by the New York mainstream media as already happened with Be Tulum, Coqui Coqui and Hartwood, and become a favorite of the fashion and trendy crowds.

You can contact Rosa del Viento at : +52 (984)-164-9903
Email: rosadelviento@gmail.com

How to get to Rosa del Viento? If you drive from Cancún or Playa del Carmen, when you get to Tulum, before getting into town, turn left at the Boca Paila road (at the crossroad of the San Francisco supermarket), once you get to the beach crossroad (Adonis hotel) turn right and drive 6 kilometers on the beach road, you will see the Rosa del Viento sign on your left.