Things to know:

How to get there - We drove from Isla Holbox to Tulum and it took about 2 hours and 20 minutes. From Cancun, it's about an hour and a half drive. There are plenty of ways to get to Tulum (bus, ferry, taxi, driving on your own). If we were doing Tulum only and staying only on the beach road, I maybe would’ve trusted someone else to drive. The roads are insane in Mexico regardless, but the town of Tulum is insane and once you’re on the beach road, there are so.many.cars. Just flooded with cars and nowhere to park.

Expectation vs reality - I have heard only wonderful things about Tulum, and that was my problem. I heard the water is beautiful, the food is incredible, it’s Mexico so everything is cheap!, it’s so holistic and you feel connected to nature! While that may be true for some people, this was not my experience in Tulum. If you were checking out my Instagram stories, you saw how I felt. It is crowded, TOO crowded for a town with one road. It is so expensive, it’s comparable to a major city in the US in terms of prices for hotels, transportation, and food. The “vibe” that everyone was praising, I just didn’t feel it. It felt fake to me and did not feel like the holistic yogi retreat everyone was hyping it up to be. People walk up to you and try to sell you cocaine, the streets get held up by wannabe influencers literally stopping traffic to take 15 photos in front of a mural or a hotel they aren’t staying at to look cool. After visiting authentic and incredible places, I realize I don’t want to spend my time at trendy places like Tulum when it has lost its authenticity and charm. With that said, here is my guide for Tulum!

What to pack:

I packed the following:

3 dresses
2 shorts
2 crop tops/1 tank
1 button down linen shirt
2 sleep shirts
1 pair of heels/2 sandals/1 chacos/1 tennis shoes
5 bathing suits
2 cover-ups

I didn’t wear the sandals at all because everywhere was sandy and my personal hell is having sand in my shoes. I wore my tennis shoes most often, chacos in the water (because it was rocky), and the heels one night to drinks and dinner. Heels can be worn, but I maybe wouldn’t recommend it because there isn’t really a sidewalk or even street. So unless you are 100% comfortable walking in heels on uneven terrain, leave them at home or change into them when you get to your destination.

I wish I had packed more comfy clothes (like tank tops, linen shorts, etc.) to run around. But these were fine and I’m no stranger to some sink laundry :)

Stay:

El Pez - We stayed at El Pez, which is a part of the Colibri Boutique Hotel family. We had an ocean front superior room with a plunge pool and got it on sale the week of for 4 nights for $1000. Way more than what I’d normally spend, but halving it with Neal and being able to take 3 steps from your bed and be on the beach made it seem worth it. They bring you a different tea every night and leave coffee every morning which is a very nice touch! Breakfast is also included (I recommend the French toast!), and they have 2 big rocks right off their beach which is great to climb on! However, the service was lacking, which was a bummer. The shower we had connected to outside, so we had 6 spiders in our shower at any given time and about 10 mosquitoes inside the room. The beach was also very rocky so it was difficult to walk in the ocean without some form of water shoes on.

La Zebra - Also a part of the Colibri Boutique Hotel group, much more expensive, but more South along the road so less traffic. It looked beautiful and we wandered around there one night.

Food:

Posada Margherita - This was a “must-do” for me and man was it so yummy. You walk through this winding maze of jungle and white-painted furniture piled up along the sides and then it opens up to this pretty stunning restaurant in an old Italian way. We ordered a pizza with sausage, arugula, and fresh parmesan and it was incredible. However, for this pizza, one margarita, and one beer, it was $53….

El Pez - We ate at El Pez our first night and balled out. We got guacamole, grilled shrimp, a chicken and couscous bowl, and a grilled fish, with some cocktails and it was around $120. I wouldn’t have eaten there if I weren’t staying there.

Bak - We laughed the entire ride in because there were signs for BAK every 50 feet it seemed. So imagine our surprise when we actually went one night! We decided to really ball out this night and get whatever we wanted. It felt like a restaurant you’d find in Vegas, with 24k gold encrusted steak, sparklers being passed around, incredibly beautiful waitstaff… We got some lightly fried shrimp for an appetizer, and for our entree I got crab legs and Neal got a burger. I also got a glass of wine and Neal had 2 beers and it came out to around $200. Was it worth it food-wise? No. Was the atmosphere great? Yes.

Food Market - Yes, it’s called “food market.” It’s 4 smaller food trucks that stay in this open area selling fajitas, tacos, pizza, and poke bowls. Neal and I split a spicy pepperoni pizza and it was really good. Tulum has GREAT Neapolitan pizzas.

Boccanera - After our disastrous time at Azulik, we went to Boccanera and it was so great, it almost made me change my mind about Tulum. We got the carbonara and a pizza with prosciutto, mushrooms, and olives. It was fantastic. They also had 2 orange bar kitties which made my heart swell. Towards the end of our dinner, a raccoon walked up to the front of the restaurant and the owner brought him some food. I asked her if raccoons come often and she said “No, that’s Mr. Pizza. He’s come every night the past 5 years.” My heart couldn’t handle this!

Other places we didn’t eat at, but had made note of:

Taqueria La Eufemia - super cheap and authentic tacos on the beach
Parole Tulum
Pasha - Mediterranean/Turkish
Rosa Negra - has live music
Casa Violeta
Gitano - Forbes wrote an article about them - mezcaleria tucked into the jungle
Hartwood - top 50 restaurant in Mexico

Shops:

Craft House Tulum - If you’ve read my travel guide to Tallinn, you know I love a good pottery shop. We came here twice and I bought multiple things both times. They have handmade pottery, textiles, linens, clothing, plates, and other great items. It’s in Tulum City, so about 10 minutes from the beach depending on traffic.

Most of the shops along the beach strip all have the same clothing and are all priced too high.

Tulum Pop Up - Given that it’s a pop-up, I’m not sure how long it has been or will be open, but it is an open-air warehouse filled with local designers.

Things to do:

Chichen Itza - It hurts to write this, but I did not enjoy Chichen Itza. It is so well-maintained and that makes me so happy. But the entire perimeter is filled with merchants selling and harassing you to buy cheap Made In China souvenirs. You can’t even enjoy the sights without hearing “One dolla! One dolla!!!” I’m glad I went given that it is one of the Seven Wonders of the World, but I would not go back. I enjoyed Uxmal more.

Cenotes - We didn’t go to any cenotes and I am so bummed about it. Tulum has so many cenotes, here are some you can visit when in Tulum:

Dos Ojos
Gran Cenote
Cenote Car Wash
Jardin del Eden
Caracol
La Gloria
Calavera

Sian Ka’an - Sian Ka’an is a biosphere reserve and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There are tons of tour operators offering kayaks, ATVs, animal excursions, snorkeling, etc. I really wanted to go on a snorkeling tour, but time escaped us. Be sure to find a tour group that is not hurting the environment when visiting. If you need help finding one, reach out to me.

Final thoughts:

I went into Tulum with an open mind and an excited heart and left very disappointed. The traffic is unreal because the tourism has grown quicker than the city and because “influencers” literally stop traffic to have a photo shoot in front of hotels they aren’t staying in. I fail to see a Bohemian, health—centered paradise when random men (who usually look and sound American) walk up to you and ask you to buy cocaine from them.

A perfect example of my annoyance with Tulum is Azulik. Their instagram promotes a beautiful hotel that looks like it is an architectural piece of art that is just an extension of the jungle. It is beautiful. The bar area on instagram has booths that look like nests, and I wanted to go and experience it! We went before our dinner at Boccanera and they informed us it was a $35 cover per person but that it covers one drink per person. I paid for it even though I knew it was insane. We walked up to the bar and it looked NOTHING like what they’ve promoted. That is my fault for believing social media, but I was very disappointed. Neal and I got a glass of wine each (definitely not worth $70 I had spent to just get us into the bar) and listened to “influencers” expressing their disappointment, as well.

While we were savoring our $35 glass of wine that was not $35 worth, we looked up how much a room cost at Azulik. They run for $1,700-9,000 a night. They market it as an “electricity-free, clothing optional hotel experience.” WHAT. You are paying $1,700 at least to not have any electricity and at most see naked people running around. Why not go camping?!

At the end of the day, Tulum was beautiful! I think I just came too late in the game and saw Tulum bursting at the seams. I hope the local community isn’t negatively affected by overflowing tourism. If you go, manage your expectations and your budget.

4 Days in Tulum