This will be one hell of a post I can tell you right now. I arrived in Tulum with the intention of staying for around one week....36 days later I left, not disappointed in any way that I didn't get to see all the other places that I had originally planned to stay.
Tulum at first wasn't what I expected. It appeared much larger, not the sleepy little sea-side town I had hoped for. But first impressions can be deceiving. Despite the resorts that line the beach for kilometre after kilometre and the busy main street in town, four kilometres inland, it really was a place you could comfortably chill out in....for five weeks. It is big enough to be able to get most things you may need but small enough that you don't feel overrun with tourists even though tourism is the main source of income here. That being said, I would not like to be there during the peak periods when it is inundated with North Americans. Thankfully most of them don't stray too far from Cancun airport.
I spent all of my time there at Hostel Sheck. A new hostel with great owners. Never did I feel the inclination to seek shelter elsewhere, although pancakes were served for breakfast every second morning and some of you know how I feel about pancakes! I even did a few days of work there.
Your time in Tulum is typically spent visiting the many beaches, cenotes, ruins and in my case drinking excessively at Hostel Sheck which had some of the best and cheapest drinks in town.
Beaches:
Papaya Playa Project - It is a beach in front of a resort/restaurant/bar that has lounge chairs and staff that don't bother you too much if you don't want to drink or eat too much. Really nice facilities and even has live music and DJs some evenings.
Playa Maya (or Plasha Masha for the Argentines) - A large public beach near the Tulum ruins with the El Paraiso beach bar conveniently located nearby. Frequented here quite a few times. There is a cool bar attached to a hostel on the beach to the northern end of this beach that is built into a small sand dune that has pretty good drink specials. Given its location in the dune, it is constantly being inundated with sand carried by the winds. It has swings.
Xcacel - 16km north of Tulum (take a 20 peso colectivo) was my favourite beach of all. Visited this one seven times and never tired of it. It is part of a turtle sanctuary (donation required at entry, probably towards the volunteer's lunch fund) and is patrolled. Located far enough from touristy towns it doesn't get the hoards of foreign tourists. In fact it is mostly locals that come here. The beach changed everyday I visited it - it depended entirely on the weather conditions that day. On a calm, wind free day, it is amazing. With a little swell there is a small section with sizeable enough waves to mess around in and even surf at high tide. To the north is the sheltered section, protected by nearby reef, providing some great snorkelling. Saw a massive barracuda, a moray eel, hundreds of small to large fish, cuttlefish and plenty of schools of mid-sized fish. The coral isn't particularly bright and colourful but there were some cool soft corals. Well worth a visit. The bonus is that towards the south end of the beach there is a small cenote (free) 100m inland.
Akumal - A popular beach perhaps 25-30km north of Tulum famous for the beach where you can swim with turtles. Those poor turtles. There are so many people in the water at any one time it is quite ridiculous. The snorkelling tours need to respect the wildlife a little more. We saw three turtles but I wouldn't go on a weekend. 30 pesos in a colectivo to get there.
Ruins:
Tulum - Small, touristic, nothing special. There is a nice little beach within the ruins that you can swim in so bring your bathers and towel.
Cabo - Can't believe I never made it here. 30km+ inland from Tulum they are much more impressive than the Tulum ruins, and you can still climb one of the pyramids.
Chichen-Itza - The most popular ruins in this part of the country. Bus load after bus load of sheep descend on this place. Thank god I was visiting with a bunch of Argies whom had hired a car. The main attraction is the large pyramid near the entrance. After spending a few warm hours walking the site I returned to the centre-piece to find thousands of people at one corner of the pyramid just staring at it. I didn't know what they were waiting for. I wasn't until the following day that I realised that two days earlier was the best day of the year to see a phenomena whereby one corner of the pyramid in the late afternoon casts a shadow on the side of one staircase up the side of the pyramid that looks like a serpent is climbing the stairs. I did notice this shadow at the time but didn't think to take a photo. Oops.
Cenotes:
Casa - The only authorised diving training cenote in Tulum. I did a refresher dive here as it had been 5.5yrs since I completed my PADI. The dive which was actually a buoyancy control session which followed an hour of theory on buoyancy the night before. Took me about 10 minutes to feel comfortable back in the water again but after that it was brilliant and playing with buoyancy techniques was a lot of fun. The cenote is popular with both divers and snorkeller (mainly locals as there are plenty of cenotes closer). The cenote is part of an underground river and in parts the current can be quite strong. A reasonable number of fish and even a large crab.
Gran - Primarily for snorkelling. One of the more commercialised and therefore expensive cenotes close to town. Don't bother diving here. The colours in the caves are great. Worth a look but it isn't a huge cenote.
Cristal / Escondida - Two cenotes for the price of one! Visited this place a few times as it is quieter and has a nice area to hang out in the sun or shade. It is basically two small freshwater ponds, one with a 3m diving platform. Cristal has a couple shy turtles in it too. It is a nice place to spend an afternoon on a hot day.
Dos Ojos - Good for snorkelling and diving but mainly diving if you ask me. As it is cavernous, you need your PADI to dive here. Brilliant stuff. The photos and video say it all.
Pet Cemetery - An amazing place to snorkel. You need to go with a guide given all the fragile formations that need to be looked after. Incredible cavern that looks surreal, almost space-movie-like is its shapes. You can also dive here. It isn't cheap to snorkel but you wont see anything else like it.
Recommendation - If you are looking to go diving, seek out Paolo from Diving Cenotes whom frequents Hostel Sheck. An excellent instructor/guide that provides unbiased advice. So disappointed I didn't get to finish my Open Water Advanced Certificate due to illness then bad sea conditions.
Laguna de Bacalar
A small town 2hrs south of Tulum set on a large fresh-water lagoon. It reportedly has 7 different colours of blue in the water (we only saw 5) and for the most part the lagoon is only waist deep. Not many tourists here at all which was a pleasant change. Goats and sheep wandering the outskirts of town, some quality and super-cheap food, wonderfully friendly locals, scattered stuffed-toys in bizarre poses and a few cenotes. Well worth a day or two. Hire a kayak and paddle the lagoon if it isn't too breezy.
Food Food Food!
La Nave - Probably the best Italian I had in Tulum. Italian owner with many fresh pastas and breads made on sight. Both times I ate pasta (marisco and a basic tomato sauce) but the pizzas come well recommended. They certainly looked great and were huge. The wine list even contains some Italian and Spanish vinos. Located on the main drag. c.100-140 pesos for a pasta.
Pork Rolls - After my first (and only) morning of having pancakes at the hostel I asked Mike the owner where else I could go for a local breakfast. On his hit list was a small cart parked out the front of a small restaurant front along Avenida Satelite Sud (near the traffic lights) that serves hot roast pork rolls and tacos every morning. OMG.....amazeballs!! Get your arse down there one morning before 11am (they sell out fast) and order something.....anything....oozing in porky fatty crackling goodness. Try the roasted suckling baby pig. I nearly cried the days I got there too late or for some random reason they weren't open. 22 pesos for a torta of the good stuff.
El Camello - The seafood restaurant choice of just about everyone in town. It is an institution. Went here perhaps 8-10 times, mainly for the massive serves of ceviche but they also prepare great prawns, whole fried fish and a mixed seafood soup. A must try.
El Gourmet cafe - Makes some fancy baguettes that aren't cheap but they were damn tasty. Also makes a reasonable espresso (sometimes). Consistently good coffee is hard to find in Tulum.
Tamales - Next to the Quesadilla shop on the corner and the Lava Easy near the traffic lights. Supposedly the best tamales in town. At 12 pesos each the price is right.
Fruteria across from Hostel Sheck - Aside from selling a small selection of fruit and veg he also prepares freshly bottled juices. Try the chia which contains chia leaf, cactus and either pineapple or orange juice. 10-13 pesos.
Tulum at first wasn't what I expected. It appeared much larger, not the sleepy little sea-side town I had hoped for. But first impressions can be deceiving. Despite the resorts that line the beach for kilometre after kilometre and the busy main street in town, four kilometres inland, it really was a place you could comfortably chill out in....for five weeks. It is big enough to be able to get most things you may need but small enough that you don't feel overrun with tourists even though tourism is the main source of income here. That being said, I would not like to be there during the peak periods when it is inundated with North Americans. Thankfully most of them don't stray too far from Cancun airport.
I spent all of my time there at Hostel Sheck. A new hostel with great owners. Never did I feel the inclination to seek shelter elsewhere, although pancakes were served for breakfast every second morning and some of you know how I feel about pancakes! I even did a few days of work there.
Your time in Tulum is typically spent visiting the many beaches, cenotes, ruins and in my case drinking excessively at Hostel Sheck which had some of the best and cheapest drinks in town.
Beaches:
Papaya Playa Project - It is a beach in front of a resort/restaurant/bar that has lounge chairs and staff that don't bother you too much if you don't want to drink or eat too much. Really nice facilities and even has live music and DJs some evenings.
Playa Maya (or Plasha Masha for the Argentines) - A large public beach near the Tulum ruins with the El Paraiso beach bar conveniently located nearby. Frequented here quite a few times. There is a cool bar attached to a hostel on the beach to the northern end of this beach that is built into a small sand dune that has pretty good drink specials. Given its location in the dune, it is constantly being inundated with sand carried by the winds. It has swings.
Xcacel - 16km north of Tulum (take a 20 peso colectivo) was my favourite beach of all. Visited this one seven times and never tired of it. It is part of a turtle sanctuary (donation required at entry, probably towards the volunteer's lunch fund) and is patrolled. Located far enough from touristy towns it doesn't get the hoards of foreign tourists. In fact it is mostly locals that come here. The beach changed everyday I visited it - it depended entirely on the weather conditions that day. On a calm, wind free day, it is amazing. With a little swell there is a small section with sizeable enough waves to mess around in and even surf at high tide. To the north is the sheltered section, protected by nearby reef, providing some great snorkelling. Saw a massive barracuda, a moray eel, hundreds of small to large fish, cuttlefish and plenty of schools of mid-sized fish. The coral isn't particularly bright and colourful but there were some cool soft corals. Well worth a visit. The bonus is that towards the south end of the beach there is a small cenote (free) 100m inland.
Akumal - A popular beach perhaps 25-30km north of Tulum famous for the beach where you can swim with turtles. Those poor turtles. There are so many people in the water at any one time it is quite ridiculous. The snorkelling tours need to respect the wildlife a little more. We saw three turtles but I wouldn't go on a weekend. 30 pesos in a colectivo to get there.
Ruins:
Tulum - Small, touristic, nothing special. There is a nice little beach within the ruins that you can swim in so bring your bathers and towel.
Cabo - Can't believe I never made it here. 30km+ inland from Tulum they are much more impressive than the Tulum ruins, and you can still climb one of the pyramids.
Chichen-Itza - The most popular ruins in this part of the country. Bus load after bus load of sheep descend on this place. Thank god I was visiting with a bunch of Argies whom had hired a car. The main attraction is the large pyramid near the entrance. After spending a few warm hours walking the site I returned to the centre-piece to find thousands of people at one corner of the pyramid just staring at it. I didn't know what they were waiting for. I wasn't until the following day that I realised that two days earlier was the best day of the year to see a phenomena whereby one corner of the pyramid in the late afternoon casts a shadow on the side of one staircase up the side of the pyramid that looks like a serpent is climbing the stairs. I did notice this shadow at the time but didn't think to take a photo. Oops.
Cenotes:
Casa - The only authorised diving training cenote in Tulum. I did a refresher dive here as it had been 5.5yrs since I completed my PADI. The dive which was actually a buoyancy control session which followed an hour of theory on buoyancy the night before. Took me about 10 minutes to feel comfortable back in the water again but after that it was brilliant and playing with buoyancy techniques was a lot of fun. The cenote is popular with both divers and snorkeller (mainly locals as there are plenty of cenotes closer). The cenote is part of an underground river and in parts the current can be quite strong. A reasonable number of fish and even a large crab.
Gran - Primarily for snorkelling. One of the more commercialised and therefore expensive cenotes close to town. Don't bother diving here. The colours in the caves are great. Worth a look but it isn't a huge cenote.
Cristal / Escondida - Two cenotes for the price of one! Visited this place a few times as it is quieter and has a nice area to hang out in the sun or shade. It is basically two small freshwater ponds, one with a 3m diving platform. Cristal has a couple shy turtles in it too. It is a nice place to spend an afternoon on a hot day.
Dos Ojos - Good for snorkelling and diving but mainly diving if you ask me. As it is cavernous, you need your PADI to dive here. Brilliant stuff. The photos and video say it all.
Pet Cemetery - An amazing place to snorkel. You need to go with a guide given all the fragile formations that need to be looked after. Incredible cavern that looks surreal, almost space-movie-like is its shapes. You can also dive here. It isn't cheap to snorkel but you wont see anything else like it.
Recommendation - If you are looking to go diving, seek out Paolo from Diving Cenotes whom frequents Hostel Sheck. An excellent instructor/guide that provides unbiased advice. So disappointed I didn't get to finish my Open Water Advanced Certificate due to illness then bad sea conditions.
Laguna de Bacalar
A small town 2hrs south of Tulum set on a large fresh-water lagoon. It reportedly has 7 different colours of blue in the water (we only saw 5) and for the most part the lagoon is only waist deep. Not many tourists here at all which was a pleasant change. Goats and sheep wandering the outskirts of town, some quality and super-cheap food, wonderfully friendly locals, scattered stuffed-toys in bizarre poses and a few cenotes. Well worth a day or two. Hire a kayak and paddle the lagoon if it isn't too breezy.
Food Food Food!
La Nave - Probably the best Italian I had in Tulum. Italian owner with many fresh pastas and breads made on sight. Both times I ate pasta (marisco and a basic tomato sauce) but the pizzas come well recommended. They certainly looked great and were huge. The wine list even contains some Italian and Spanish vinos. Located on the main drag. c.100-140 pesos for a pasta.
Pork Rolls - After my first (and only) morning of having pancakes at the hostel I asked Mike the owner where else I could go for a local breakfast. On his hit list was a small cart parked out the front of a small restaurant front along Avenida Satelite Sud (near the traffic lights) that serves hot roast pork rolls and tacos every morning. OMG.....amazeballs!! Get your arse down there one morning before 11am (they sell out fast) and order something.....anything....oozing in porky fatty crackling goodness. Try the roasted suckling baby pig. I nearly cried the days I got there too late or for some random reason they weren't open. 22 pesos for a torta of the good stuff.
El Camello - The seafood restaurant choice of just about everyone in town. It is an institution. Went here perhaps 8-10 times, mainly for the massive serves of ceviche but they also prepare great prawns, whole fried fish and a mixed seafood soup. A must try.
El Gourmet cafe - Makes some fancy baguettes that aren't cheap but they were damn tasty. Also makes a reasonable espresso (sometimes). Consistently good coffee is hard to find in Tulum.
Tamales - Next to the Quesadilla shop on the corner and the Lava Easy near the traffic lights. Supposedly the best tamales in town. At 12 pesos each the price is right.
Fruteria across from Hostel Sheck - Aside from selling a small selection of fruit and veg he also prepares freshly bottled juices. Try the chia which contains chia leaf, cactus and either pineapple or orange juice. 10-13 pesos.
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| The Norwegians.... |
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| Playa Maya, Tulum |
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| The Argies |
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| Breaking into the hire car....successfully too! |
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| Chichen Itza |
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| Pete |
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| More models.... |
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| The Swedes.... |
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| Tulum ruins beach |
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| Cenote Cristal |
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| The main pyramid in Chichen Itza |
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| My favourite beach in Tulum....Xcacel |
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| The cenote at Xcacel |
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| Gabbie sleeping on the job at Hostel Sheck |
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| Hostel Sheck |
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| Matthew giving a yoga lesson on the beach |
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| Jahne at Cenote Cristal |
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| The Majan monster |
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| The beach near El Paraiso, Tulum |
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| Maja.....always asleep at the beach |
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| View from the beach bar built into a sand dune |
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| This is how quickly the sand builds up around the bar |
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| Ceviche at El Camello |
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| Xcacel again |
