We No Longer Recommend Papaya Playa Project
Papaya Playa Project is one of Tulum’s most famous beachfront venues, but we no longer recommend supporting it.
PPP has a serious history of unpaid balances, late payments, and unresolved agreements with staff, collaborators, and promoters. This is not just something we heard about. We personally know people who worked as waiters, hostesses, and event staff, many of whom worked long hours and overtime to support their lives in Tulum, only to be paid late, partially, or not at all.
For many of them, this was not a small inconvenience. It affected their ability to pay rent, cover basic living costs, and continue their life in Tulum.
Tulum Bible has also experienced this directly. We had already supported Papaya Playa Project by selling tickets for their events for free since 2023. Later, PPP reached out to us asking for help promoting and selling more events under a 10% commission agreement. We sold hundreds of tickets, but most of that agreed commission remains unpaid.
After multiple follow-ups, PPP ignored the issue and removed us from their official concierge group instead of resolving the balance.
We want to be clear: this is not about us being upset over unpaid commission. For Tulum Bible, this balance does not affect our business in the same way unpaid wages affect staff trying to pay rent. We are speaking about this because we have seen the same pattern affect people who depend on that income to live.
You do not have to take our word for it. There have been public complaints on Reddit about PPP owing payments to staff across security, bars, hostesses, and cashier roles, with people also mentioning protests and comments from employees online. You can also check Google, Tripadvisor, Reddit, and other review platforms to see how many people have raised concerns about the way the venue is managed. Guest reviews on platforms like Expedia have also mentioned high staff turnover, poor customer service, and unresolved refunds or charges.
This is not about the staff, who are often kind, professional, and hardworking. The issue is with the business behind the venue.
PPP charges some of the highest prices in Tulum while people behind the scenes are left unpaid or fighting to be paid fairly. A venue cannot promote sustainability, community, and conscious hospitality while failing to respect the people who make the business run.
For that reason, we do not recommend supporting Papaya Playa Project.
Before spending money there, we believe visitors should know what may be happening behind the scenes at a place they were thinking of visiting.