If you’re planning your next vacation, I highly suggest adding Tulum, Mexico to your bucket list! It wasn’t on my radar until about a couple of months ago, and then I decided to go for my birthday in January. All I knew about Tulum, from pictures and videos I saw on Pinterest and Youtube respectively, is that it was a mixture of a seascape with a rustic jungle architecture vibe that is absolutely stunning! And when I arrived I was nothing short of amazed!
HOW TO GET THERE:
Tulum is located about 75 miles south of Cancun – which is roughly an hr and 40-minute drive. Since there isn’t an airport in Tulum, you’ll have to fly into Cancún International Airport (CUN) and either make arrangements to ride in a shuttle or rent a car. We chose the latter. I find that renting a car gives me more freedom to come and go as I please. And it definitely ended up being way cheaper (more on this later). The ride there was a straight shot, just get on the highway and follow the signs you can’t get lost… Along the way, you will find cars in front of you slowing down and putting on their hazard lights (which had me so confused, I mean, this is the highway we’re talking about) because there are a few of those tiny speed bumps ahead. Once you reach Tulum you’ll find that there are speed bumps…everywhereee, and more than a few potholes as you are entering, along Tulum Beach Road – I’m mentioning this because as I was doing my research before going there, I didn’t find any details on this. And since I like knowing minor details like this I figured I would write about it for my fellow minor detail knowers 🙂 Ok, so once you get to Tulum you will pass a huge colorful TULUM sign on the left, you could make a quick U-turn and turn into that area to get your first instagrammable picture or get it on your way back to the airport. Once you’re back on your original path there will be a 7Eleven gas station on the left side, where you’ll turn and that will lead you down to Tulum Beach Road – this is where the beach and all the fancy hotels are.
WHERE TO STAY:
If you’re wondering if you should stay in town or along the beach, I would personally recommend staying on the beach just because I have no personal experience staying in town. Of course, it all depends on your budget. In town, you’ll find more reasonable Airbnbs and hotels than along the beach. But it was so worth it! We had our own treehouse with a beach view! It was sooo dreamy!
WHAT TO DO:
VISIT THE CENOTES
There are SO many things to do in Tulum, but here are a few recommendations! Spending a day visiting the different cenotes is a must – and this goes back to my point of renting a car, the taxi ride fares will add up if you are “cenote hopping”, which I highly recommend! What is a cenote, you ask… Per Wikipedia, a cenote is a natural pit, or sinkhole, resulting from the collapse of limestone bedrock, that exposes groundwater underneath. Especially associated with the Yucatán Peninsula Mexico, cenotes were sometimes used by the ancient Maya for sacrificial offerings. I visited the Gran Cenote and Zacil-Ha
VISIT KIN TOH (NESTS) AT AZULIK HOTEL
I’m sure you’ve seen this place all over Instagram! Its open daily from 5:30 pm – 11:30 pm, I suggest getting there as soon as they open to get a well-lit picture. I got there at almost 6 pm and it was kind of dark :/ Also, just to be on the safe side you should make a reservation. In order to visit the nests, you have to either be dining there or purchase a bar pass ($32.50 per person, subject to change) and this grants access to 2 drinks and 1 beer. Hot food is not served in this area, but they do bring out popcorn.
VISIT VEN A LA LUZ (WOODEN SCULPTURE)
This sculpture by Daniel Popper has become an iconic art piece in Tulum. The translation of Ven a la Luz is “come into the light”, made up of rope and wood and filled with lush green plants to walk through. As we were approaching the sculpture to take a photo, we noticed that there was a line. So we decided to have some lunch at another “go-to” spot called Raw Love Cafe located right behind the sculpture in the meantime. Raw Love is known for there yummy açaí bowls and vegan food in general.
Soooo will you be visiting Tulum soon?
I hope this was helpful.
Be right back, working on 2 more blogs for Tulum coming out shortly 🙂
Xoxo Tia 💋
