Is it weird to be so obsessed with a place that the day you return you already look into booking another trip there?
What was it like to travel during a pandemic?
-Mexico does not require a negative covid test or a quarantine before going there. We did decide to quarantine ourselves and get tested multiple times upon returning to the US though. We also wore N95 masks on the plane (which is only about an hour long flight from Miami). It is nice that everything in Tulum is outside, so it makes it easier to be safe and distance from people. It was pretty easy to stay to ourselves. Most restaurants require masks and check your temperature before going in, but there were also more crowded places that we avoided. Most stores don’t require masks which I was a little surprised by.
Outfit Recommendations:
–Check out my guide to on what to wear in Tulum.
The Layout:
-Tulum town is a little bit inland and we were only there for 3 full days, so didn’t make it there. I did hear great things though.
-The rest of the resorts are located on a single road along the beach. Of note, the main part of town is a little bit South, so keep that in mind when deciding where to stay.
Where to stay:
-We stayed at two different hotels on our trip (two nights at each). I did like being able to experience two different places because each hotel is pretty unique. All of the hotels are connected by the beach though, so it was easy to get from one to the other.
-I definitely recommend staying in a hotel closer to town. Coco Beach was our initial hotel, and while I thought the hotel was cute, it was about a mile walk from most of the restaurants/shops.
La Zebra: cannot say enough great things! The service was amazing. The staff was so nice and had the best recommendations. The location was also really nice. The hotel provides free bottles of mezcal and Mexican candies on arrival. They also give you hot tea and Mexican chocolate each night during turn-down service. We got a room with a plunge pool and it was perfect! They also give you a bottle of organic bug spray to keep (which you will definitely need in Tulum with the mosquitos).
Coco Beach: Coco has the famous swings on the beach that you see in Instagram. The hotel was a bit more rustic, but still cute. We got an Oceanfront room. It was amazing being able to hear the ocean waves at night. Note: there were a lot of insects in the room, especially at night.
All in all, I think it’s worth the money to spend a little extra and stay at a place closer in town.
Some other cool hotels that we saw:
Nomade: very cool vibes. We stopped by for drinks but didn’t end up staying at the beach club. I’ve heard great things about the place in general.
Be Tulum: similar to Nomade and is a sister hotel. A bit more family friendly than Nomade.
Casa Malca: reminded me of Miami. It was very cool and a bit more modern.
Kanan: super cool place that I would love to stay in when I return. The treehouses were awesome! It’s also a fun place to hang at the beach club or grab drinks.
Nest: looked adorable! More of a boutique hotel as it was much smaller than Nomade and Be Tulum.
Papaya Project and Azulik: really wanted to stop by these places, but you have to taxi to them because they are a bit North of the towns and other hotels.
Exercise options:
-We took some walks/jogs along the beach in the morning.
-A lot of hotels offer yoga. We took a class at Alaya hotel in a little treehouse (they offer a free class but welcome donations). Highly recommend!
-We also passed a cute gym on the beach where you can lift weights (called Tulum Jungle gym).
Where to eat:
Breakfast/lunch:
-Raw Love: bowls and healthy eats! The coconut curry was bomb.
-Matcha Mama: matcha and bowls! It was easy to get a picture on the swing. I didn’t find it crowded and went multiple times at different times of day.
-La onda: amazing pizza and pasta! A few minutes walk from La Zebra.
-Posada margerita: great pizza/wine. Very cute tables set up along the beach with lots of lights. Recommend it for lunch or dinner. Located a few minutes north of Coco Beach.
-Taboo: has a 3pm beach party with a guy who plays the saxophone and there’s a donkey that wonders around.
Dinner:
-Hartwood: my favorite meal of the trip by far. Make reservations in advance. I heard people say that it was overpriced, but I actually didn’t think the cost was too bad and the food was incredible (our whole group agreed).
-Rosa Negra: definite party vibes! Make a later reservation for 9:30 or 10pm. They have a huge beat drop with sparklers around 10:15pm that you don’t want to miss. It was pretty crowded though, so avoid if you want to stay away from large amounts of people.
-Gitano: another place for drinks and good music. We stopped by on Saturday night and it also got a bit crowded near the DJ stand (there are other areas to sit though where you can distance).
-La Taqueria food truck: amazing tacos and plenty of vegan options! There are a few different food trucks with a bar and live music. Highly recommend if you want a more casual meal option in town.
-Kin Toh: didn’t make it here, but heard the sushi is amazing and it’s the restaurant in Azulik so the treehouse atmosphere is apparently great.
-Nu: another place we missed out on, but it’s a new restaurant in Nest that has a romantic atmosphere.
Activities:
-Cenotes: beautiful natural springs. We went to a cenotes in Dos Ojos park (Sac Actún) at the recommendation of someone at the hotel. This was a very authentic experience. We had to wear wetsuits and got snorkels and it cost $30 per person. We had a great tour guide take us through the cenotes that was included. Highly recommend if you want a less crowded place to explore. It was about a 25 minute drive from our hotel in Tulum. Our front desk called a car for us in the morning when we wanted to leave. If you want a more Instagram-able spot, try going to Gran Cenote. It’s not far from Tulum and a more chill place to swim and get photos (also a bit cheaper).
Other tips:
-Bring bug spray! There are mosquitos everywhere.
-Tulum was so dog friendly! I would love to bring my pups one day!
Comment below with any other tips or questions!
XO,
Gab
