Honestly? When we arrived in Tulum we wanted to leave immediately 🙈 It was loud and hectic and had nothing to do with the relaxing break that we had hoped for. However, since we couldn’t rebook on such short notice, we decided to stay and make the best of it. If you know a few things in advance, a stay in Tulum can be a great experience 😊
So before I start with our top 5 highlights, I’ll give you a few tips that I would have liked to have had BEFORE our trip 😉
- Tulum is hyped way too much. From the former “Bike City” Tulum has turned out to be the number 1 influencer hotspot in the last 10 years. In my opinion… not a good development. The best thing to do is to approach the whole thing without great expectations.
- If you are looking for peace, then don’t come over the weekend! I like to compare it to the “Ballermann” (party spot on Mallorca) in the Caribbean 😉 The beach clubs are a perfect location for bachelor parties, students or just people who want to party. During the week it is much quieter, so we recommend this time.
- Be sure to note the travel time. From May to October the beaches are littered with sargassum/seaweed. Swimming in the sea is only possible to a limited extent.
- Take a big wallet with you. Of course there are international prices wherever there are tourists, we are used to that. Tulum, however, is in a class by itself. The two of us paid around 300 USD for 2 starters, 2 main courses, 1 dessert and 4 cocktails. Pretty steep for Mexico.
- Do not expect large all-inclusive resorts, in Tulum you will mainly find small boutique hotels. These are correspondingly expensive.
I definitely don’t want to stop you from a Tulum vacation. If you are prepared for these things, then you can definitely recommend a detour to Tulum. Now we come to our TOP 5 highlights in and around Tulum 😍
1. TULUM’S DREAM BEACHES
Tulum offers endless white, palm-studded sandy beaches with turquoise water. Luckily there are currently only small boutique hotels in the beach zone, which creates a chilled flair. There’s partying at the weekend and relaxing during the week. Most beach clubs require a minimum consumption, but the loungers and daybeds are then included. We strongly recommend making a reservation in advance on the weekends. The beach clubs Taboo, Mía, Ziggy’s & RosaNegra are probably the best and most famous along the Zona Hotelera.
2. EXPLORE THE SURROUNDINGS BY BIKE
The streets are very busy, but a tour on a rickety bike is simply part of a Tulum experience. Be sure to set off in the morning hours, as it gets unbearably hot during the day. You can drive to the Maja Ruins, explore downtown Tulum, or maybe drive to a cenote.
3. VISIT THE TULUM ARCHAEOLOGICAL ZONE
For more information, check out my blog post about the Mayan sites of Tulum & Cobá.
4. SWIM IN CRYSTAL CLEAR CENOTES
This excursion was by far the highlight of our Yucatán tour.
A cenote is a natural pit formed when the limestone cover collapses, exposing the groundwater/freshwater beneath. In Mayan times, this was the only source of drinking water.
We booked a private excursion to 3 cenotes… a cave cenote (Taak Bi Ha), a semi-open cenote (Gran Cenote) and an open cenote (Xuanaan Ha). In the Gran Cenote we even had the opportunity to swim with turtles 😍
This half-day trip isn’t exactly cheap, but we can highly recommend it:
5. GET PAMPERED IN A FUNKY RESTAURANT
As already mentioned, when you visit a restaurant in the Beach Zone, you should not look at the prices. But this applies to Tulum in general. We can recommend these two restaurants to you.
Funky Geisha | Asian Restaurant
Mamazzita | Mexican Restaurant in Tulum
Our personal opinion about Tulum:
During the week and at the right time of year Tulum is a great travel destination for 2-3 days, albeit a very expensive one 😉 So for us it will remain this one visit.
Best travel time:
In our opinion, November to April is the best time to travel, although we would rather avoid the holiday season in December and February. In March, you should also consider Spring Break time.
Hotel recommendations:
- Cabanas Tulum (Beach Zone)
- Secrets Akumal Riviera Maya (not in Tulum, but from here you can do day trips to Tulum and the surrounding area)
Restaurant recommendations:
- Funky Geisha
- Mamazzita
Here is our YouTube video about our TOP 5 highlights in Tulum. Have fun watching 😍
