When most people think of vacations to Mexico, they picture all-inclusive resorts that cater to those not looking to feel too far from home, with all of the amenities to make it feel luxurious. Tulum is Mexico’s trendiest destination as of late, thanks in large part to influencers and celebrities flaunting the most Instagrammable spots that this beach town has to offer. Tulum is a little bit different of an experience, which is why it’s good to know a few things before you go.
Getting to Tulum
Tulum is about 2 hours south of Cancun, so you will most likely fly into Cancun and then find transportation to your hotel. Taxis are an option, but since it’s such a long drive it could cost you an arm and a leg, and won’t be the most comfortable drive. A lot of people recommend just renting a car, which might be helpful if you’re staying far from the beach and plan to do some exploring around Tulum, but it’s not super practical for everyone.
We chose to use a shuttle service, called Shuttle Central, that we booked in advance. I can’t recommend it more. They sent us instructions before we arrived, and then they were waiting with our name on a sign at the exit of the airport. We were led to our shuttle and our driver and had a nice comfortable ride to our resort. At the end of our stay, the shuttle came and picked us up right at our hotel and got us to the airport with plenty of time before our flight. This also is a great option if you’re traveling with a larger group that can’t fit into a standard car or cab. I think this is the easiest and most hassle-free way to get to and from the airport, but choose whichever method best fits your needs.
Where to Stay
Again, the resorts in Tulum aren’t like the all-inclusive resorts you may find in Cancun or Cabo. There aren’t any gates around the properties and warnings not to leave the resort. Tulum is a more quaint little beach town, with lots of boutique hotels, locally-owned restaurants, and little shops along the one long beach road, ready to be explored. It’s a haven for backpackers, adventurers, and those looking to party at the beach clubs.
In Tulum, you can either choose to stay in the “El Centro” area, which is the main part of town and not along the beach, or you can stay right on the beach road. While these El Centro hotels are usually much cheaper, you will have to take some sort of transportation to the beach, and it’s not as easy as a lot of other bloggers make it sound. There’s only one road to and from the beach area, and while biking is very popular, it’s a LONG bike ride. Cabs are always an option, but you have to be prepared to pay $20 USD or more just to get to the beach. And once you get to the beach road, there are very limited public beaches (and the ones that are there aren’t very great). Of course you can go to one of the beach clubs, but you have to be prepared to spend a minimum amount on food and drinks to be able to use their chairs and amenities. It’s not a terrible option, especially if you’re on a budget, but in my opinion, you won’t be saving that much money since you’ll have to use transportation to get to the beach.
On the beach road, there are an abundance of hotels and resorts, ranging from super luxurious to the basics, and many aren’t even listed online. There’s definitely a very cool small beach town vibe along the beach road, and there are so many great options to stay. Paying a little more to be at a beach-front hotel will give you easy access to the ocean (duh) and will give you the option to use beach chairs without having to pay a minimum. (We still chose to use the fancy beach beds at our resort and pay the minimum, but we were planning to order drinks and food anyway so it really wasn’t like we had to pay any extra.)
The good thing about staying along the beach road is that you aren’t committed to staying on the property of the hotel. You could find a basic place to stay, but then walk down the road or the beach for 15 minutes and find one of the cooler, more happening beach clubs or a great restaurant at one of the resorts. You can also do this if you’re staying in El Centro, but again it’s just a little trickier when you have to get transportation to the beach area.
One thing to note about the beach hotels is that you need to be sure of the kind of vibe you’re going for. Some resorts, such as Selina where we stayed, focus a lot of their attention on the beach club, which is quite literally a club. As in, pumping music until 2am and bottle service and not the peace-and-quiet many are looking for when they go on vacation. The beach club reminded me of living in Miami, with people looking to hardcore party while also being oceanfront. Some hotels probably aren’t quite as party-centric, so make sure to choose a more low-key spot if you want to avoid drunk partiers and locals offering to sell you drugs (yes, this happened to us multiple times during our stay). Even if you’re looking to join the festivities a little bit, I would definitely recommend staying somewhere more low-key and going to the club at your own leisure and then having a nice quiet hotel to go back to once you’re ready to sleep.
My suggestions:
Ziggy’s (very chill vibes, more of an older adult scene with a focus on rest and relaxation. They had live music by a saxophone player a few nights while we were there and we loved hearing it from our room. It’s also a very central location to a lot of the fun spots on the beach.)
Ahau (more upscale vibes, definitely pricier, but caters to the yogis/health and fitness crowd. It’s also very instagrammable)
Villa Las Estrellas (we walked past here a few times and really like that it seemed pretty quiet and calm while still having all the charm of the other hotels)
Coco Hotel & Beach Club (definitely young vibes, party atmosphere, but still really pretty property)
Selina (where we stayed) (cheaper price point, has hostel-style rooms in addition to private rooms, has a nice property, but attracts a lot of the big party scene and has music blasting until 2am some nights. Good if you’re on a budget and trying to party.)
Where to Eat
Food is always a major part of any vacation, and because these resorts aren’t all-inclusive, you get to have more of a choice on where to eat. Many resorts have restaurants on-site, but there are also a variety of options along the beach road.
We had breakfast included at our hotel, which was nothing special but got the job done, and we also tried dinner there one night and ordered lunch on the beach one day. Overall, Selina’s restaurant and beach club, Mia, left much to be desired and I wish we had tried some other local places. We had a reservation at the Instagram-famous Azulik hotel, but we got there after dark which took away the point of seeing the hotel’s architecture, and they stuck us in the dimly-lit bar area, so we left before even ordering anything.
In my opinion, I would bypass the resort restaurants if you’re a foodie like me and I would try more of the local spots along the beach road. I got the feeling that these beach resorts didn’t have a whole lot of focus on their restaurants and they tried to create an upscale menu that ultimately fell flat. One morning we tried breakfast at the hotel next door, Ziggy’s, and it was one of my favorite meals we had, so I guess it all does depend on where you go. I’m sure Azulik’s restaurant would’ve been pretty good, but why spend $300 on some fancy meal when you could get a great local meal for a quarter of that price?
The night we chose not to go to Azulik, we found a local restaurant called Mateo’s across the street playing live music and we were immediately intrigued. Mateo’s ended up being better than any food we had had at our own resort, and the vibe was local and very chill. Over the course of the rest of our stay, we tried a few more local places along the beach road and whole-heartedly agreed that they were better than any of the resort experiences we had.
Recommendations:
Ziggy’s Beach Club & Restaurant (great for breakfast or dinner on the nights when they have live music)
Mateo’s (local joint, great food, live band, and cheap price)
Matcha Mama (instagrammable, good for vegans/vegetarians and other health nuts, pretty good acai bowls)
Raw Love (another cute spot for smoothies and bowls, good for vegetarians/vegans)
La Malinche (local spot right outside Selina, really great tacos, burritos, and drinks; tasted very authentic and it was cheap)
Checkpoint Ciao (surprisingly there were a lot of pizza places in Tulum and this one was really good; good drinks, good authentic-style Italian pizza, and a fun owner/manager)
What to Pack
Obviously you’re packing for a beach vacation so pack those bathing suits, trendy cover-ups, and sun hats, but leave the heels and fancy clothes at home. The aesthetic in Tulum is definitely more boho than bright colorful tropical, and since so many of the hotels and restaurants are along the beach, it’s not necessary to wear anything other than flats. I even packed wedges thinking that I would wear them to dinner, but I just didn’t feel like navigating through the sand in them.
As far as toiletries go, you can pretty much get anything you might have forgotten from one of the local pharmacies. Our big mistake? Not bringing our own sunscreen and buying some at the airport. Not only was it more expensive, but even after reapplying religiously all day, we still ended up severely burnt and one of us even got sun poisoning. Maybe it was just the brand we selected or maybe it was expired and we didn’t notice, but from now on I’m bringing my own sunscreen with me and paying the extra money to check a bag.
By reading travel blogs, I was told there would be a lot of bugs since Tulum is sort of in the jungle. I was expecting to have to go buy bug spray, but surprisingly we didn’t have an issue with mosquitos the entire time we were there. It might have been the time of year or because we were right on the beach with a strong breeze the entire time, but luckily it wasn’t an issue for us.
Other Things to Know
Paying for Things
Having pesos isn't completely necessary to pay for things in Tulum. Sure, it might make it easier so you aren’t constantly doing the conversion on your phone’s calculator, but most of the major hotels and restaurants accept credit cards. The small restaurants along the beach road also accepted credit cards, although I’m sure they would appreciate payment in pesos. At one point we tried to use an ATM to get some pesos, but the ATM just gave us American dollars so make sure the ATM you’re using dispenses pesos (this will also be important when you’re deciding the amount of money you want to withdrawal; $800 in pesos is a lot different than $800 USD).
Taxis
I was warned that taxis might be difficult to deal with, but we didn’t seem to have any issues. All of the drivers we had were very nice, although it does seem like they all just make up prices on the spot. This leaves room to negotiate price, but also leaves the opportunity to be ripped off easily. I also noticed that cabs sometimes advertised that they accepted cards but I honestly didn’t see any way for them to even charge a card so we always paid in cash to be safe. Before we were able to get pesos, we did a conversion and gave him a little more than the equivalent price in USD and he didn’t protest so it’s always an option if you’re in a pinch.
Photo Spots & Activities
Are the Instagram-famous spots really worth it? As with anything, it depends on your own personal idea of what you think is “worth it”. For example, the famous sculpture, "Ven a La Luz", that nearly every influencer has a photo with is actually not free to view. It was my understanding that you might go and have to wait a few minutes for people in front of you to take their photo, but I was NOT expecting there to be a set-up queue and tickets for purchase. The first time we walked up, the line was long, and the second time we passed it was shorter, but to me it wasn’t worth paying for. But that’s entirely up to you.
Matcha Mama was actually a really cute spot to visit, even if it was a little bit of a hike down the beach road. It was a tiny, cute little shack decorated to entice the influencers. When we got there, it was surprisingly empty, and we were able to snag the prime seats right away. The acai bowl was actually pretty good, too, so it ended up being a fun little adventure. As we were there, more and more influencers started showing up, all waiting for us to move on, so I’m glad we got there when we did because I would not have wanted to wait.
Coco Beach Club is one of those instagrammed spots with the white swings overlooking the ocean and I really wanted to go. Unfortunately, with our sunburn issue from our first day, we weren't able to make it there, but I would definitely recommend it because the aesthetic is just too cute.
The Cenotes seem to be one of the most popular activities to do in Tulum, and personally, I just didn't see the hype. Sure, freshwater pools underground sound really neat, but to me they never seemed cool enough to join a flock of tourists exploring them. I’m sure people have a reason for going and loving them, but to me it wasn’t worth it to waste a whole half of a day trekking to one when I’d rather be on the beach.
The Tulum Ruins
The Tulum Ruins are a spot that I absolutely wanted to visit because I love to sprinkle in some learning and culture on a vacation. I have also never gotten a chance to see Mayan ruins so I was really excited for this one. My tip is to get there early, right when it opens, because it will be less hot and less crowded. We got there around 10am and it was already scorching hot and packed with tour groups, but we still managed to enjoy it (just bring lots of water and sunscreen!) There’s actually a beach at the site of the ruins but it was closed when we were there and I’m still not sure why. It would’ve been cool to jump in the water there though!
Depending on how soon you go to Tulum, definitely bring a face mask. We didn’t bring ours because we figured the ruins were an outdoor excursion and it wouldn’t be necessary, but the security guard made us pay $10 USD for two masks, which were pointless because we were literally outside the entire time. I would also recommend bringing pesos and trying to have exact change, but we were able to pay with US dollars without an issue. Admission is pretty cheap, I think it was $9 or so, and definitely not necessary to go with a tour group. The tour groups all seemed hot and miserable, having to stand in areas in the sun listening to the guide go on and on about various aspects of the ruins. In my opinion, it’s best to do your research ahead of time or bring a guidebook and give yourself a tour. Cheaper and faster, and you get to bypass areas you don’t want to see.
Tip on getting to the ruins: if you take a cab, they’ll have to drop you off at a roundabout right near a big area of shops. Ignore all of the solicitors by the shops and walk straight down the long road (follow other tourists and tour groups) and you’ll find the entrance to the ruins about a 5 minute walk down the road. The little shopping area was perfect for after the ruins because we were parched and hot and desperately needed a cold drink. There’s also lots of touristy shops where you can get trinkets or t-shirts or whatever souvenirs you might want to bring home with you. This is also where we found an ATM that gave us pesos, and catching a cab back to the hotel from the taxi stand was super easy.
COVID Protocols (as of March 2022)
One thing we were a little worried about was the COVID protocols that would be in place. Obviously we had to wear masks on the flight and throughout the airports, but we weren’t quite sure what the resorts and restaurants would be like. For the most part, masks were not necessary in Tulum (other than at the ruins, as mentioned above) unless you wanted to wear them. We chose to pretty much go mask-less the entire time since the only places we really interacted with anyone was outdoors. Much of the staff at the hotel and restaurants wore masks, but again, we were mostly outside so we felt comfortable not having them.
To get into Mexico, we didn’t need any sort of test or anything, except for a health attestation form from our airline when we checked in online. We did know that coming back to the States would require a negative test performed at least the day before the flight, and luckily we brought some of our own at-home tests just in case. Driving through Tulum we saw a lot of places offering COVID testing, charging upwards of $35 USD per person, so it would be relatively easy to get one there. Our home tests, however, offered an online proctor service, where you could facetime with a proctor who would make sure your test was valid and performed correctly, and then emailed us proof of a negative test. This worked perfectly because we never had to leave our hotel and it was only $25 USD per person. (Our tests were the iHealth brand and you can book a proctored testing appointment on their website.)
At the airport, it was very unclear who we were supposed to show our negative tests to, especially since our airline didn’t have actual check-in desks and only had the self-service kiosks. We asked one of the agents we saw floating around and she helped us at the kiosk to get checked in, print out our tickets, and check our negative tests. She also informed us that we would have to check in at our gate to show them the tests as well, but we felt much better having asked an agent right off the bat.
Tulum is not for those who want to lay comfortably in a resort and be waited on hand-and-foot. Sure you can find that experience if you want it, but Tulum is more for those who seek a little bit of adventure and a little bit of local culture. It’s probably one of the few vacation destinations in Mexico where you can really explore the town and local life and you’re not confined to your resort. We really enjoyed being able to explore the shops and restaurants and try some local foods. There’s a definite learning curve when you first come to Tulum as you try to figure out how to navigate everything, but the great part about this area is that you really get to choose your own adventure.
Been to Tulum? Planning a trip? Let me know in the comments below!
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