Tips for Doing TuluM Better Than an Influencer
The magical palapa with an ever-present bottle of tequila.
Do the beach, but don’t forget the city.
On Instagram, you only see the Tulum beaches and the luxurious ocean-front resorts, but there’s more to Tulum than white sands and turquoise water. The city of Tulum is about 10-15 minutes inland from the coastal portion called Zona Hotelera Tulum. When Kyle and I visited we started with 5 days on the coast at a resort called Coco Tulum. Most of the beach resorts are pretty similar—palapa style huts with rustic boho interiors and mosquito nets disguised as princess canopy beds. All of them are boutique with a tropical, teak feel.
You step off the palapa’s deck right onto the soft, white sand only yards away from the slow waters. Peaceful doesn’t begin to describe it. Each resort has an elaborate lounge with Mezcal flowing, fish tacos at the ready, and some even have a DJ. You grab a drink from home base and start walking up the beach to explore. Once you finish the drink in hand you hop in the water then venture into the closest beach lounge and grab another. It’s a perfect life. The beachside of Tulum is relaxing, but the city is exhilarating.
If the coastal scene is Mezcal-margaritas-in-a-lounge-chair, then the town is beer-on-the-back-of-a-whizzing-motorbike. It’s a bit of a shanty town, but it’s full of life...not to mention incredible street food and little Ma&Pa restaurants. Either on foot or on scooter you can roam the city and find plenty to do. We were there for New Years’ so there was a celebration of some sort down every street. The city is also a really nice break for your credit card since it might get tired with all the swiping at the beach. Realistically, you’ll probably want more relaxing beach than buzzing city so I recommend splitting your time similar to us—about 5 days beachside and 3 days in the city.
Rent a scooter....and Hurry!
If you had any plans other than renting a scooter, drop them immediately. We originally rented a car at the airport and drove out to our hotel on a Thursday. The car worked well until the weekend rush came and we sat in bumper to bumper traffic on the one-lane road in and out of coastal Tulum.
After a day spent mostly in the car we decided to ditch it and switch to a scooter…but everywhere in town was sold out. It took two days of checking in with every shop and showing up at 6 am to claim one before we got to zip around Tulum.
A secluded beach we found on our scooter ride miles down the coast.
Our favorite part of the trip was riding the scooter down the coast. We started in town and made our way out to the coast, then drove south. At one point we had to buy tickets to enter what seemed like a preserve, and from there it was smooth sailing.
We almost got to the Belize border but turned around when the scooter started sputtering and we realized we were in the middle of the jungle, miles from civilization with no working phones. About a couple miles off the resort strip you end up on your own away from crowds and you can find completely isolated beaches.
The one caveat to scooter life is you’ll have to Uber or shuttle to and from the airport which is a bit of a trek.
Be prepared for saltwater showers.
All of the showers in Tulum are saltwater. Whether you’re in a resort, Airbnb, or hotel it’s allll saltwater. I personally loved it. Beach hair all the flippin’ time. It’s awesome. That being said, come prepared. You’ll need some hair moisturizer to counterbalance the drying-out that comes with constant salt in your hair.
Budget for big meals on the coast.
A fresh water cenote seal washing ashore.
The boutique resorts along the coast come with a very boujee, boutique foodie experience. The coastal restaurants of Tulum are experiential in every way possible. Whether you’re dining 20 feet up a tree in a giant bird’s nest or being served in the dark illuminated by sparklers, the food is delicious enough to upstage the experience.
Practically every restaurant is run by a five-star chef who creates new-aged, authentic Mexican dishes and tropical craft cocktails. Every meal is a magical experience, but ya gotta pay for magic. Make sure you budget for big spending on crazy interesting meals on the coast.
Dive the cenotes.
After a few days of constant saltwater, you might be jonesing for a freshwater dunk. The only way to get that fix in Tulum is a cenote. Swimming through these crystal clear caves is a once in a lifetime experience.
Cenotes are sinkholes where the limestone has collapsed to expose fresh groundwater. There are about 6,000 cenotes and they’re yours for the picking. Some are big swimming holes that are more of a relaxing swimming pool experience rather than an explorative cave dive. For a cenote that involves swimming through caves and diving, you’ll need a guided tour. Most tours are easy to secure the day of, but if you have a big group it’s worth booking in advance.
The only monkey we saw the entire trip…wow, I didn’t realize I ‘d narrate my travel blog like my parents use to narrate their trip slide shows…but here we are.
Snorkel AROUND the ruins.
All the travel guides will tell you the best snorkeling is found outside the Mayan Chichen Itza ruins. However, if all the travel guides are telling YOU this, they’re also telling the rest of the world. And one thing you don’t want while snorkeling is lots of people chasing all the fish away.
Instead, watch the water as you’re driving up the coast to the ruins and stop off when you see a spot where there’s a lot of reef. There’s bright and vibrant snorkeling everywhere, so do some exploring and find your own spot.
Bring a change of clothes so you can power on to Chichen Itza to learn about Mayan history and see the lasting temples. It’s worth an entrance ticket.