Tulum Travel Guide

So why is Tulum so popular you may ask.  Tulum, Mexico is geared towards balance and wellness. Hotels offer yoga, healing rituals/experiences, meditation, and healthy creative and most importantly delicious food with plenty of vegan options.  I ate so much food on my second visit yet returned home feeling refreshed, not bloated and zen.  Overall, Tulum is a place where you want to disconnect from your busy agenda, relax, meditate and reconnect with yourself; trust me its easier said than done. 

Tulum has become the blogger/Instagram destination.  Like any other beautiful place in this planet, once it becomes known, people exploit it often turning it into something more touristy or commercialized. 

Being in Tulum this second time made me realize how much Tulum is changing and not necessarily for the better.  So please be respecful of its wild life, ecosystem, local people and obey the posted rules and regulations.  Let's preserve this beautiful place forever.

Help protect Tulum

• If you rent a vehicle please do not park it on top of plants.  Parking is madness in main Tulum as its a long stretch along the beach leaving limited parking available. I suggest once in Tulum to move around in Taxi, or a collectivo (local transportation method, a van), or even better rent a bike or walk.
•  Rinse ALL sunscreen, makeup, hair products etc off before entering any Cenote.  This is so important because the structure of the Cenotes does not have continuos flowing water that can filter the chemicals we bring into them. I noticed some Cenotes have showers and some do not. So please apply sunscreen etc once you have finished your visits for the day. 
• Pick up after yourself, this is a no brainer, we are adults. 
• Respect locals, please ask permission to be part of a photograph or to photograph their shop/restaurant.  This second time I noticed "no photos" "no drones" signs due to the vast amount of vloggers and influencers who were at Tulum.  Tulum doesn't want to be the next Cancun or Playa del Carmen, at least not the people who care for its wellbeing. Please be respectful and leave Tulum better than you found it.

                    

(I asked their permission before taking the photo, they happily said yes)

How to get there?

Both visits we took a flight into Cancun International Airport, we rented a car and drove for around 1hr 40 min on a straight highway road to reach Tulum.  First time we rented with America Car Rental and the second time with Hertz.  Both great companies to work with, if you are member of American Airline frequent flyer you get a discount with Hertz.

There is also options to rent a shuttle as transportation if driving is not for you.  The ones I looked at where around $100 each person one way.   Renting a car was less for two people even with gas so this was no brainer for me.  I don't have any recommendations for shuttles so Google is your amigo here.  If you plan to explore around Tulum like Yucatan (like we did) or Akumal for turtle dive experience then renting a vehicle is what I would suggest. You can also ask your Hotel to arrange transportation.

Where to stay?

Tulum offers many many options, you can stay at an Airbnb and save a lot of money or stay at the most know hotels by the beach.  Staying at a place that you enjoy and works for you while in Tulum is crucial.  I got to experience both ends and let me tell ya (if you look at my insta-stories under Tulum you will know) that I got to experience the jungle in its full bloom and it was not necessarily the most amazing experience for me lol; but I sure did laugh my ass off.

The first time my husband and I stayed at Azulik, in the Sea Villa. I still remember really vividly that we arrived at night due to my husband loosing me and getting lost at Playa del Carmen while I got eaten up by mosquitos.  As soon as you arrive they offer Valet parking so none of that stressful sh*t with parking.  They take all your lougage to your villa.  As soon as you walk in you get greeted by a smoky smell of jungle and Maya; I know its weird but super cool.  I mean COOL AF! okay okay. Then they give you a fresh cold towel and some cold water in a glass bottle (that I for sure brought back with me) because its HOT AF in Tulum.

Then this goddess looking chick greeted us; they are your personal contact person while staying there, they are called Angeles.  She showed us all around while Maye and I, like real paizas were just blown away. I am pretty sure I screamed when I walked into our villa hear the ocean and saw the full moon reflect into the waves that crashed right under me; I am telling you it was Magical!

  

Azulik offers only two plug in outlets, no lights so your room is lid up by candles.  Every night when we returned our room had new rose pedals in tub, towels in our bed shaped up in some sorda romantic way you know those you see in advertisements,  two square bars of hand made Mayan chocolate, and all the room lid up by candles.  Now tell me that doesn't make you wanna go to this place.  Since they have no telephone room service is done via a rolling ball where you place your order in a small piece of paper and it rolls to the kitchen.

Azulik is geared towards disconnecting from your busy life so there are no showers in any room (they say showers were an invention of rushed humans) and no Wifi.  The only place to get Wifi is in a connection point where you can actually swing and chat with others.  The beach is also an adult beach only and this means you can go bootai naked if that floats your boat.

The experience is not for everyone, you have to be willing to come in this place with an open mind and acceptance.  My husband was not at first so he had a hard time relaxing and just taking in what this place had to offer.  By the last night he was taking it all in even better than I was.  The food is not the greatest, the beach bar drinks are.

Other hotels that I hope to stay at when I return yet again are NOMADE TULUM, La Valise Tulum,
Since our experience with an airbnb was not the greatest I will not recommend the one we stayed at but please please search carefully.

Where to eat?
 The food here is pure paradise.  The many vegan friendly, healthy option and yet Mexican cuisine and culture embedded in the dishes was paradise in my mouth.  I can say I have never tasted a ceviche as good as the one in La Popular in Nomade Hotel.  

Something to note, if you eat at El Pueblo the price goes down significantly and the portions increase.  My suggestion is to balance it out.  Have breakfast at El Pueblo and plan lunch/dinner by the beach restaurants to balance it out.  This way you can have a little of both and will not feel like your missing out and most importantly you will not break the bank.

Breakfast

• Babel Cafe at El Pueblo. We went twice because it was that good and unbeatable price.  My husband found this place on our first visit.
• Don Cafeto at El Pueblo.  It was not as good as Babel but it was good.
• Raw Tulum by the beach area.  Its in the middle of the palm trees so location wise I was not the happiest.  The tables and stools were uneven shapes giving me a wedgie anytime I moved (no joke). I didn't enjoy the vibe of this place, even though its very popular place.

Lunch

• La Popular at Nomade Hotel, its a seafood only lunch hangout spot.  The view of this place is unbeatable.  The food was delicious. I tried the Nomade Ceviche, I am still daydreaming about it.  Just remembering makes my mouth water haha.  Plus you get to seat on some moroccan inspired sitting area; the whole vibe here was so me.
• La Barracuda at El Pueblo. This place was super affordable, yummy and some mariachi even stopped by so we paid for couple of songs.  It made our lunch very romantic.
• Coco Tulum Beach Bar, grab a bite/drink and swing your afternoon away in the many swings and lounge areas they offer.  This place is so beachy. Everything is white, they have swings, and its beach front view.  I have been there twice for sunset.  It was so relaxing to just unwind for the day.  Go for a dip in the ocean when the clouds are cotton candy (as I like to call them), make this your own magical moment.

Dinner

• Kin-Toh at Azulik had some really yummy and fancy food; price reflects that.  If this type of dinners are not your thing, I suggest going for a cocktail for sunset outside and soak in the magic of the nests outside.  FYI make an online reservation (I used OpenTable App)
• Gitano, they have live music, the food is top notch and once again the cocktails were so unique and good.  FYI make an online reservation.

Matcha Mama

If you know Maggie then you know I- LOVE- matcha (green tea leaves ground up into powder).  So when I found this gem on Instagram I wanted to book a fly and get there asap.  Its one of the many new shops they opened after my first visit.  Overall the place is just so cute, peaceful and so instagrammable.  I personally really liked my drink.  If matcha is not your thing they also have ice cream, smoothie bowls and more .

i Scream Bar

Just go. lol First off the ice cream is delicious, and secondly the vibe and music will get you happy and hyped.  The first year we visited this place was no way near as popular as it was now; we even saw a naked female with a camera following her around taking shots and what not (again, so sad to see such behaviors in Tulum).  Nether the less this place is a cool hangout spot day or night.  I had lots of fun watching the guys scream "iscream barrr" and dancing. lol

What to do?

• Tulum Mayan Ruins; get their early, the heat and crowds are no joke.  Don't forget a hat, water and sunscreen.
• Rent a bike and get lost; try not to fall like I did.
• Go try some unique cocktails at the many bars Tulum offers.  This was cocktail heaven for me.  Some of the best ones I have tried.
• Go to Akumal, scuba dive and watch Sea Turtles in their normal habitat. This was super cool experience.  Ismael and I enjoyed so so much.
• Go to El Pueblo de Tulum and explore all the shops. Get souvenirs for family/friends and yourself. 
• If your feeling adventurous and if you rented a car, take the drive into Yucatan and see one of the seven wonders of the world Chichen itza.  While in the area go see Cenote-Ik-Kil, it left us speechless.
• Visit the Cenotes; natural sinkholes that exposes natural groundwater.  The one's I experienced and recommend: Cenote Calavera, Cenote-ik-kil in Yucatan, and Gran Cenote.  
• Take a yoga class.  The options are endless, Azulik offered free yoga class in the morning so be sure to ask your place of stay if they offer a complimentary class.  You could also book an Airbnb experience like yoga under the moon by the beach.
• Get a body massage, my husband and I did this while at Azulik; you can still book one even if your not staying at Azulik.  Our couples massage was the deep tissue aromatherapy and oh boy! I have gotten massages after that session like three times and NONE can compare to that one at Azulik.  We highly recommend this!  I recommend doing it the day you arrive to get you in zen mood, relax the mind and body from your travel then chill by the beach and enjoy the sunset at one of the nests.
• Visit Tulum Jungle Gym to get a unique workout experience; have yet to make it myself.
• Relax, unwind and just chill by the beach.  Ultimately you are "on vacation" so enjoy the time off work/daily routine and just sit back and relax.

Massage Locations at Azulik

Ultimately the goal when I travel to any place in the world is not to do what others are doing.  I found that I was visiting and seeing things I had seen on Instagram already.  However, the goal is to make those spots your unique experience.  When I was sitting in my swing at Matcha Mama, I realized that it doesn't matter if the place is Instagram famous or not, what will truly make it memorable is how you decide to experience it and live in that moment.  Trust me you can still do all the Instagram famous stuff while making it a great and unique experience.  Go out of your comfort and explore! Tulum has so much to offer and new places to be discovered.

Sorry this post was so lengthy but I just had SO much to share. Hope it helped.  If you have any questions leave it down below. Happy day loves.

With Love,

       Maggie ♥