Tulum is one of those places I will consistently return to. Its beautiful serene beaches, incredible Mayan culture, and bohemian vibes all make it such an enchanting place to visit. I highly recommend visiting at least once and experiencing one of the most incredible spots in Mexico!
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Know Before You Go
Currency: Mexican Pesos (Exchange these ahead of time! Exchange rates are much better in the US than once you get to Mexico)
Phone Service/Wifi: Cell phone service in the beach zone is VERY spotty. Don’t worry too much about this though – hotels and even restaurants will get you connected to their wifi! Just make sure you know where you’re going before leaving your hotel/resort as you might lose your GPS. (The beach strip is quite literally one long street, so if you’re staying here you should have no problems getting around!)
Best Time to Go: Tulum is warm year round, but generally November-April is the best time to visit. Rainy season lasts from June to October, and the sargassum (seaweed) is at its worst from May to October.
Getting There and Getting Around
GETTING THERE | Tulum is located in the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico. You have two options:
- Fly into Tulum’s new airport, Tulum Felipe Carrillo Puerto (TQO). This airport just opened December of 2023, and many major US airlines will be offering direct flights starting in March 2024! This airport is about 1hr drive from the Tulum beach area.
- Fly into Cancun International Airport (CUN). This airport is a bit further from the Tulum beach area – about a 2hr drive, but the flights are often cheaper and there are more flight times offered.
GETTING TO YOUR HOTEL | Once you’ve landed, you have a few options for getting to your accommodation:
- Private Shuttle: The easiest and safest option. Many hotels will arrange a transfer for you to and from the hotel. The shuttles are generally large vans, so this is also the best option if you’ve got a large group!
- Rent a Car: We rented a car our first time in Tulum, and I’ll tell you now – renting a car here is not for the faint of heart! Traffic can be insane and the roads of the beach strip are quite rough. If you are visiting Chichen Itza or Cenotes during your time here, I’d recommend going this route. I would also recommend a rental car if you plan on going back and forth between Tulum town and Tulum beach – they are about a 20-30 minute drive apart!
- Taxi: It’s quite easy to get a taxi at the airport as well as all around Tulum! Rates can vary drastically, so I recommend asking drivers what they will charge prior to riding with them.
Where To Stay
There are three main zones in Tulum: the town, the beach, and the ruins. Generally visitors stay in the beach zone or in town. I have personally stayed in both, but I highly recommend staying in the beach zone! This will place you along the main beach strip, close to the water as well as many restaurants, beach clubs, etc.
Papaya Playa Project
Papaya Playa Project is a sustainable luxury hotel, intertwining the jungle and beach in perfect harmony. The hotel sits on a 900 meter stretch on the Mayan Riveria, and boasts an incredible eco-luxury vibe. The hotel focuses on sustainability, wellness, and music + art.
PPP retained 93% of the original jungle when building the resort (an exponential percentage higher than the local environmental regulation of 30$). They launched their mission in 2015 to become a zero emissions and zero contamination community! Read more about their sustainability actions here.
The resort offers three accommodation options: villas, casitas, or cabanas. Browse the options and decide which is your favorite!
Papaya Playa Project boasts an impressive beach club with luxe day beds, creative music, and delicious food + drink. We visited PPP Beach Club on our first visit to Tulum, and we loved it so much it prompted us to stay at the resort on our next visit!
PAPAYA PLAYA’S AMENITIES:
– Beach Club and Restaurant (option for complimentary breakfast upon booking)
– Casa Wellness: Spa offering massages and facials. (We had a 60 minute massage and it was MAGICAL)
– Outdoor “Jungle Gym” and Daily Yoga + Breathwork
– Saturday Moon Celebrations: Musical celebrations featuring DJs from around the world!
Other Stays I Recommend:
OUR HABITAS | A beautiful sustainable hotel just down the street from Papaya Playa Project. Rooms vary from oceanfront, to private pool, to jungle suite. The restaurant is fantastic too!
LA ZEBRA | We loved the restaurant and beach club here. This was actually an accidental find – it was very close to our Airbnb. Many of the rooms include a private plunge pool.
DUNE BOUTIQUE HOTEL | Another stunning option situated facing the Caribbean. This stay offers a perfect mixture of jungle and sea. Dune is one of the highest rated stays in Tulum!
LA VALISE TULUM | A gorgeous property offering beachfront or jungle facing bungalows.
Airbnbs: There are so many unique Airbnbs in both Tulum town and Tulum beach, and are typically a bit more affordable than most of the boutique stays.
What To Do
Relax at a Beach Club
Tulum is known for its beach clubs. Visiting different beach clubs each day was one of our favorite activities while in Tulum. Most beach clubs belong to a resort and you’ll have full access to the club if you are staying in the resort. If not, you will have to pay a consumption fee to visit the beach club (which is generally about $25 per person and goes directly towards your food and drink).
Check out my Guide to Tulum’s Beach Clubs to read more!
Explore the Cenotes
Tulum is also known for its blue-water cenotes sprinkled throughout the Yucatan. There are a ton to choose from, some closer than others, so do your research to decide which ones are best for you! We visited Dos Ojos and Taak Bi Ha, which were very close to one another. We chose these cenotes because they are both beautiful, but don’t have the crowds like some of the more popular cenotes.
Dos Ojos: Dos Ojos offers a day pass that grants you access to three different cenotes. You can also scuba here, as these cenotes are very deep. Heads up: the water is FREEZING.
Taak Bi Ha: Taak Bi Ha was my favorite. Hidden underground and accessed only through a hole in the ground, it is absolutely stunning. The water here was also cold, but a bit more bearable than Dos Ojos. Photos really don’t do these places justice, you need to see them in person!
Gran Cenote: This is the biggest and busiest cenote in Tulum. If you get there early you can beat the crowds, but we chose to skip it.
Kaan Luum Lagoon: This cenote is so huge, it resembles a lagoon more than a cenote. The water here is a beautiful light blue with a large dark blue ring in the center (apparently it’s a sinkhole, but don’t worry – there’s a net that keeps swimmers safe). Many locals love this spot because it’s less busy than other cenotes.
Cenote Sac Actun: If you’re into cave diving, this is the cenote for you. It has the largest underwater cave system in the WORLD.
Cenote Suytun: This cenote is one of the most photogenic. Light beams shine from above perfectly illuminating a circular viewing platform. This cenote is a decent drive from Tulum, but if you have the time it’s absolutely worth it!
Azulik
One of the most popular resorts in Tulum, Azulik boasts beautiful jungle-beach views and showcases Mayan culture. While Azulik is quite expensive to stay in, you can visit their museum, Sfer Ik, and their restaurant, Kin Toh, to get the same vibes without the price tag of the room. If you visit Kin Toh, you get admission into the museum for free! The exhibit changes from time to time, showcasing different aspects of Mayan culture and art.
Jungle Gym
For all my fellow fitness geeks, prepare to nerd out at the Jungle Gym. Finding the Jungle Gym on instagram is actually what introduced us to Tulum. Of course, it was a must do. This gym is essentially a Flintstones gym – all the equipment is made from wood, bamboo, and stone.
We had an absolute blast in here and it was one of our highlights from the trip.
You can either buy a day pass for $30 USD or get a weekly pass for $120 USD. If you want the whole gym to yourself, you can do private bookings from 8am-9am!
Tulum Ruins
One of the last places inhabited by the Mayan people, the Tulum Ruins are a history buff’s dream. The Ruins are about a 15-20 min drive from Tulum Beach, making them and easy half day trip. Buy tickets here.
Chichen Itza, one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, is also somewhat nearby! It’s about a two hour drive from the beach.
Siaan Kan Reserve
The Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve is a UNESCO Heritage site. It’s incredibly diverse, with tropical forests, barrier reefs, mangroves, and a variety of wildlife. Many tours are all-day events, but it’s an unforgettable experience.
Eat and Drink
ARCA
Arca is hands down my favorite restaurant in Tulum, and probably top five of all time. The menu consists of different tasting dishes with Mexican and Mayan influences. You order everything at once, and the chef decides the ideal order for the dishes to come out based on tastes and textures. The food is incredible, and the atmosphere is so uniquely Tulum with smoky incense burning, tables situated on the sand, and house music bumping throughout. Arca is an absolute must do, I cannot rave about it enough! I highly recommend making a reservation to secure your spot.
Kin Toh
For a luxury dining experience, make a reservation at Azulik’s gorgeous restaurant – Kin Toh. This is one of the most beautiful restaurants I’ve ever seen – get here early to snap some pics before you sit down for dinner! If you’ve got a group (or simply just want to splurge) you can book one of the nests extending out over the jungle. It’s truly a one of a kind experience!
The food is delicious, offering international cuisines with a Mayan flair. However, the experience here definitely comes with a bit of a price tag. It was one of our more expensive nights in Tulum, but well worth it!
Moro by Habitas
I found this restaurant while just searching around on Google Maps for places close to our hotel, and I am so glad we came across it. The food literally had us rolling our eyes back in our heads it was so food. Their slow roasted pork was to DIE for, the cocktails were so good, and restaurant was beautiful. It’s located at Our Habitas Tulum, a gorgeous sustainable hotel! Grab a a reservation here.
La Zebra
This beachfront restaurant is located within the La Zebra hotel. We had the carne asada tacos which might be the best tacos I’ve ever had! We got there a bit late so we didn’t get to enjoy the sun, but we had a romantic candlelit dinner with the crashing waves in the background.
Raw Love
I would eat here every single day if I lived in Tulum. Raw Love is a smoothie/acai bowl stand, fairly close to the Jungle Gym. After we worked out, we walked over for some bowls and we were NOT disappointed. Everything was so fresh and beautifully crafted. Definitely check this place out!
Rosanegra Group
Rosanegra group includes some of the most popular spots in Tulum including Tantra beach club, Tora, Chambao, and Rosanegra itself. They are known for their restaurants turned clubs at night, sparklers, and great music.
I would recommend this place more so for the drinks and nightlife rather than the food. The servers actually encourage you to get up on tables and dance, they have bottle service, and I’m sure you’ve seen the sparklers all over social media. All of the restaurants in the Rosanegra group have similar vibes with all different types of cuisine, so try what you like best!
Mateo's Treehouse
Mateo’s is a super casual, super affordable spot with some of the best tacos I’ve ever had. They bring you 3 different types of sauces to try and they are all INCREDIBLE. I’m a big sauce girl so this was important to me. We went here after visiting cenotes and it was a perfect laidback meal to end our day. The view from the upper deck (the “treehouse”) is gorgeous, and you can watch the sun sink over the palms while sipping on a margarita!
Update 2024: I have now visited Mateo’s three times – and the tacos are still just as good as they were when I first wrote this blog post.
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