Tulum, Mexico Guide
Over the past few years, it seems as if everyone has gone to Tulum! When deciding where to go for my first vacation in 2 years, Tulum felt the easiest and safest since I knew so many people who already went, and I’m all about recommendations. Now it’s my time to pay it forward and share the details on my 7-day trip to Tulum!
Where to Stay:
Hotelito Azul (Tulum Beach) - We began our trip with 4 nights at Hotelito Azul, a small boutique hotel located on the beach. Since it was Ty’s 30th Birthday and I wanted to open our room and see the water, we booked the Ocean Front Suite. The hotel staff and our favorite bartender Alex, really made our stay as great as it was. Keep in mind - this isn’t going to give you luxury 5-star hotel vibes. Our room was literally a hut, the power went out twice (but only for less than 10 seconds), and the AC wasn’t exactly hot - but it wasn’t that cold either. Since the hotel is located on the beach, it does get noisy during the day so don’t count on peace and quiet. However for the price, location, convenience, and service, I’d say it was worth it and I would recommend it to others.
Kiki Tulum Condos (Aldea Zama - Tulum Town) - For the remainder of our trip, we stayed in “town” and I’m so glad we did! Kiki gave me hotel vibes (and even looked a little bit like my apartment), but it was a place I felt like I could unpack and feel at home. During the day it was super quiet, so it was a perfect way to wind down from our trip. Staying in town allowed us to try a whole new set of restaurants, and we really didn’t go back to the beach besides for a wedding. The concierge, Edgar, was amazing - we were able to rent a scooter directly from him, he arranged our airport transportation, and answered any questions we had.
Where to Eat:
I also have all of these places listed as a Yelp Collection.
Breakfast:
Frescos - Order the chilaquiles! So delicious.
Raw Love - Great acai bowls, located close to the Tulum Beach Gym.
Potheads - I also ordered chilaquiles here :)
Del Cielo - In town, and had the best chilaquiles! They also had delicious grain-free pancakes
Taqueria Honorio - Tacos for breakfast? That’s because they’re the best in town. Open from 6 am - 1:30 pm, get there early because there will be a line!
Lunch:
The Real Coconut - Amazing gluten, grain, and dairy-free options + a beach view. It was so refreshing to know I could eat anything on the menu.
Burrito Amor - The only place I went to twice! The burritos were delicious and they have a coconut flour wrap if you’re gluten/grain-free.
Taqueria la Chiapaneca - Authentic tacos in town.
Dinner:
Casa Banana - The best dinner I had in Tulum! I originally had reservations at Arca for the night of Ty’s birthday, but it got canceled out of nowhere. The bartender at our hotel told us to come here and I’m so glad we did. I ordered the whole fish - phenomenal!
Chambao, Tora, Rosa Negra - Chambao and Tora is owned by the Rosa Negra group, so you will see similarities in their menu and pricing. If you go to Rosa Negra, the food isn’t good (to me) but it’s a party vibe. Personally, I’d rather have great food and then go to a party, rather than super loud music and sparklers while eating. At Chambao we had 2 drinks each, an appetizer, SHARED an entree, dessert, and hookah for over $300.
Arca, Hartwood, and Casa Jaguar are other options that were recommended to me, but I didn’t get the chance to go.
What to Do:
Visit Chichén Itzá - Chichén Itzá is a complex of Mayan ruins on Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula. A massive step pyramid, known as El Castillo or Temple of Kukulcan, dominates the ancient city, which thrived from around 600 A.D. to the 1200s. I’ve visited Chichén Itzá once before and it was a pretty bad experience - I went on a huge tour on a bus, middle of the day, super hot, and it took my entire day. This time, I booked an Airbnb Experience for Ty’s birthday and it was an intimate group of 4 (normally 7 people), only took half my day and it included a delicious meal. We left Tulum at 6 am (it’s about 2 hours away) and got to Chichén Itzá when there were NO CROWDS. Our tour guide Andrea was amazing and I would definitely recommend her.
Cenotes Casa Tortuga - We decided to visit Casa Tortuga cenotes because I was too lazy to plan anything else, and didn’t want to book another tour! We took our scooter there (it was about 15 minutes from our Airbnb in town), and it was super easy to get in and out. Casa Tortuga has 4 cenotes, 2 of which are caves. We didn’t have to book anything beforehand, and it only took half the day.
Follow BlackinTulum - One of the best parts of my trip! One thing I always heard about Tulum is that you don’t find places that cater to the Black community. BlackinTulum curates events that do, including fun hookah nights with DJs that actually play Hip Hop, to yacht parties. The owner, Nubia, was so hospitable and sweet that we ended up going to three of her events during our trip.
Beach Clubs - so many people recommended that I go to Taboo Beach Club or Papaya Playa Project, but I didn’t. There are so many beach clubs in Miami I could go to, and I really wanted some time to relax. Maybe next time we’ll check them out!
Random Tips:
To get to Tulum, you have to fly into Cancun. For my airport transportation, I went through happyshuttlecancun.com which was super easy and it was a private shuttle.
There is currently a TON of seaweed along the beaches of Tulum. I didn’t go into the ocean once because of it. If you plan on laying out by the beach, pack a spray bottle so that you can keep yourself cool.
Convert your cash to pesos but use your card whenever you can! Save your pesos for taxis or restaurants/shops that are cash only. Also, prices in Tulum beach are comparable to Miami Beach. Drinks will be around $20 each!
Rent a scooter if staying on the beach! We were able to rent one across Hotelito on the beach for $60 for the entire day - in town it was $40. When using the scooter to go to dinner, I wore shorts and took them off since I packed a ton of dresses. Taxis will add up, especially at night when things are packed. You can expect to pay anywhere from $20-$40 USD for them!
A ton of people suggested going to Casa Malca, Pablo Escobar’s Mansion however the famous photo ops are now reserved for guests of the hotel. You can pay $100 to go to their beach club, and $80 of that is used as a food/drink credit. I didn’t do this because I had a free beach right at my hotel. AZULIK is also a great place for photos (the museum inside called SFER IK is $10 USD per person and $100 USD if you want to use a professional camera).
To get back into the U.S., you need a negative COVID test. There are tons of locations all over Tulum, but we got ours done for $30 each at the hotel. It took 30 minutes and was hassle-free - it’s what our Airbnb owner suggested.