One Week in Tulum
Tulum is a beachy, bougie destination. Located about 70 miles south of Cancun, it’s an easily accessible beach paradise for those of us who prefer to avoid big resorts. While it’s one of the more expensive spots to visit in Mexico, it can be done affordably if you’re willing to do a little extra work.
The stretch of beach that Tulum occupies is big-resort free for a simple reason: they don’t fit. The narrow space between sea and protected jungle leaves just enough room for small specialty resorts, a two lane road, and a stretch of small shops and restaurants carved from the jungle. Wilderness takes over from there.
Tulum suffers from seaweed surges that make the beaches a mess, and indeed there was one while we were there. The area has also become a major tourist destination, and it can feel like you’re surrounded by Instagram models and travel bloggers (wait- is that me now?). But it’s not difficult to create an itinerary that generally avoids the crowds to have a low-key getaway. Our week there was so memorable. I mean, I don’t know how you can have a bad time in a place that looks like this:
Where to stay:
If you want to go for it on the resort side, you should! (Read on for the ones we scoped out.) But we are budget travelers, and the town of Tulum is vibrant and fun as well. We stayed at this Airbnb, which was an excellent option. It did require that we rent a car to get around, but our rental was only $100 for the week and allowed for easy out-of town excursions. We enjoyed the freedom, though parking was often tricky.
Be aware that plumbing is finnicky throughout the whole area, so you’ll be putting your toilet paper into waste baskets. It’s also an eco-aware area, so access to air conditioning isn’t guaranteed. Many resorts only allow AC during sleeping hours, and our Airbnb only had AC in the bedrooms.
The Tulum resorts are picturesque and expensive, which is why we stayed “in town”. But this didn’t mean we couldn’t enjoy those exclusive stretches of beach. Many resorts have a guest policy: you can hang out on their beach if you’ll agree to spend a certain amount on food for the day (400-700 pesos per person, or about $20-$30). We needed to eat anyway! Staffers will come check to see if you need refills or snacks periodically and add them to your tab.
Our favorite resort food was at Ahau, although they reserved the best spots on the beach (cabanas and hammocks) for their guests. Our favorite spot to spend the day was Villas Las Estrellas, which offered unlimited beach access and still had good food. I could have died happily in that shaded hammock. Both resorts were unbelievably picturesque.
Where to Eat
I could write a short book on the food scene of Tulum, but I’ll keep it brief. There are more wonderful restaurants than we could make it to in a week, but here are the ones we loved:
Taquería el Ñero: it’s on every list for a reason. There are no sides, just 15 peso street tacos and drinks. Sit on the street in a plastic chair, people-watch, and stuff your face. You won’t regret it.
ARCA: a jungle-side fancy restaurant, and a destination in and of itself. It’s pricy; there’s no way you’re getting out of there for less than $70 per person. But the drinks are strong, and the food is creative and veggie-forward. It’s a small plates menu, and you really can’t go wrong. It’s also an extremely gorgeous outdoor dining space (click through on that link).
Kitchen Table: a jungle-side fancy restaurant. You’ll truly feel like you’re eating in the jungle. The kitchen is open to the seating area, the service is fantastic, and you need to try the octopus if it’s on the menu (photo below). It’s a little more under the radar than ARCA, but still make a reservation if you can.
Burrito Amor: this in-town restaurant is definitely geared toward American tourists, but that doesn’t mean it’s not delicious. You must get the shrimp burrito and a smoothie. It’s a cash-only spot, as many places are in Tulum. It also faces directly west, so bring your sunglasses in the afternoon.
Campanella Cremerie: a gelato stop in town that’s absolutely worth your time for an afternoon sweet treat (or a nighttime sweet treat. We won’t judge you.)
Holistika: Attached to a hippy hotel in town, this open-air restaurant is a great brunch spot. Beware of mosquitoes, but check out their art walk while you’re there for some large-scale funky art.
Here are the restaurants that made my short list but we weren’t able to visit:
Mur Mur: another fancy jungle-side option. Their fare is simple, seasonal regional Mexican food.
Gitano: allegedly has phenomenal party on Friday nights and is famed for the atmosphere and aesthetic.
Safari: fusion “campfire” food, juices, and cocktails made in an airstream that’s parked in the jungle.
Kitchen Table
Ahau
What to Do
If chilling on the beach isn’t enough of an activity for you (or if, like me, you found yourself hopelessly sunburnt after a single day on the beach and thus require a few sunshine-free days), there are other options. Most travel lists will include the Tulum ruins and some cenotes, but here are a few other options:
Azulik Uh May: The resort branch of this funky art museum is located on the beach in Tulum, but the Uh May location is deep in the jungle about a half hour west of Tulum. As a designer, I can’t over-exaggerate how phenomenal the building is. A local told us about it after hearing that I’m an interior designer, and it’s the best insider travel tip I’ve ever gotten. It’s part architectural wonder, part art museum.
Sian Ka’an: this Unesco World Heritage site translates to “where the sky begins,” and it’s easy to understand why. The nature reserve that starts where the resorts end, and it contains wetlands, lagoons, and more. We did a full-day Airbnb experience, and it was excellent. (Link here)
Cobá: about 30 miles inland from Tulum, the ruins of the ancient Mayan city of Cobá still partly stand. It’s a lesser-visited ruin, but its pyramid is one of the few in the area that tourists are still allowed to climb. I remembered about halfway up that I’m terrified of heights, but the view of the surrounding jungle was worth the sweaty palms. There are tour guides and bike taxis that will escort you around the ruins, and I maybe wish we’d have done a proper tour. But the cost of entry is low and pre-loading the Wikipedia page also worked.
