Tulum Recap
Tulum has so much to offer whether you're looking for food, relaxation, adventure, or new friends. Our Tulum adventure with a group of six midwest girls was unforgettable and I want to share what we learned along the way during our first visit! There are most definitely some things I wish I knew in advance.
Here is a Google Maps ‘Saved’ List that has all of the places mentioned in this blog post mapped out for you - and more!
Logistics
All six of us girls flew on a direct flight from Minneapolis, MN to Cancun. Cancun is the closest international airport you can fly into. We rented a car from enterprise and drove an hour and 45 minutes south to our final destination. There are other options than renting a car. You can take one of their super safe shuttles, a taxi, or pay a premium for a private car. Our entire trip was around $1100 including flight, airbnb, and food.
Renting a Car
Whoever rents the car will have to have an international drivers pass. Also, even if you have car insurance, you still need additional insurance in Mexico. You can read more about that here.
Flights
COVID-Testing
Do not stress about this! We were so worked up about - Where will we get our tests? - Will we get results in time? - What if they cost hundred of dollars? Stop and take a deep breath. There are COVID testing sites around every corner in Tulum. We went to a rapid testing tent next to a Starbucks and it only cost us $40 each. You sign into their testing site online, you give them your email, and they will send the results to your email. We got our tests in less than an hour. When you’re flying out of Mexico you just show your negative test when checking in and that’s that. If you’re worries about testing positive and having to stay, I honestly wish I could stay when it was our time to leave. There are awesome hostels for less than $20 a night and you can find wifi everywhere if you need to work remotely.
Avoiding Scams
In my research I found that there are a few really common scams in Tulum. I urge you to do additional research on this before going to Tulum to stay safe. I heard some disheartening stories from other people in Tulum about their experiences with scams.
Gas Station Scam
This one is no joke - it happened to us even though we were informed! When paying for gas in Mexico it is pumped by attendants for you. You always want to make sure the pump displays ZERO before they start to fuel your car. Then when it comes time to pay in cash, count out your bills one by one so they know you know you gave them the right amount of money. The scam goes something like this: You hand them a $500 and a $100 MXN bill to cover your $600 cost of gas. They quickly take your money and switch the $500 bill for a $50 dollar bill. Then they tell you that you accidentally gave them the wrong amount. Then they give you the $50 back and you give them another $500 bill. Don’t let this happen, be prepared and count out your bills one by one to them.
Police Driving Fine
I’ve heard that the police will pull you over on the highway during check points if you’re not wearing your seat belt or speeding. They will tell you that you can pay them a fine and they will let you go, or they will arrest you. This did not happen to us but the reading I’ve done has said to tell the police that you will go to the police station with them so they can arrest you. They don’t actually want to arrest you, they just want you to give them your money. If you show them that you have all the time in the world then they will let you go. To avoid this, drive the speed limit, wear your seat belts, and do NOT have too many people in the car. Even taxis wouldn’t let us have more than 5 girls in the car when going between bars.
To the fun stuff!
Our Stay
We went the Airbnb route and stayed in a three-bed, two-bath private condo for $2184/7days total! There were 5 beds and enough room for us all to have our own space at an awesome price point of around $360/per person. Airbnb is not a bad route to go in Tulum, there are hundreds of gorgeous places to stay for a super reasonable price.
Here is the link to our exact Airbnb along with a titkok tour below. It was located near the Tulum Centro in a gated private community, but not close enough to walk to the beach or even town. Fair warning, the listing photos are MUCH nicer than it was in person. The couch has been replaced with something less fancy, there were zero cleaning supplies, the washer leaked profusely, the showers didn’t drain, there were no pillowcases in some rooms, the screens were ripped on the windows, and it was in general kind of grimey. For the price point - it made sense. If you’re doing Tulum on a budget, this place is definitely a great option since it comes with a private pool and you can get outstanding photos. I just wanted to be transparent with the less satisfactory bits.
Don’t disregard the beautiful hotels along the coast. If I did it again I would do my best to find an Airbnb in the Adela Zama neighborhood or a hotel closer to the beach.
@karlieplace Reply to @user288268015 dm me on IG for link to this stay! 🌴 ##airbnb ##tulum ##travel ##budgettravel ##traveltip
♬ Over the Rainbow - Mermaid Vision
Beach Clubs
Vagalume
Vagalume has great ambiance and food. This is the beach club known for having that little bridge with hands coming out of the water. Go for lunch to save on the cost of food and have better photo-ops. They regularly have DJs from Ibiza through the BOHO Experience in the evening. The flatbread was outstanding and the jicama taco shells were super unique and fresh.
I will say that this place gave us our first taste of how pretentious Tulum can be. They initially wanted to charge us a minimum for our table at lunch even though the place was nearly empty and we had a reservation. We said we were just there for lunch and then they reluctantly let us in. Once we sat down the same server came back and told us that the owners were happy to accommodate us all night with no minimum and they wanted us to stay for the special event later that night. Weird. We ended up getting bottle-free bottle service and stayed for the rest of the night. Perks of visiting Tulum in a group of girls only I guess.
Tantra
We were invited to Tantra while eating at Rosa Negra for dinner. Our group got a ‘reservation’ card and a free round of drinks. We visited after 9 PM and the place was gorgeous. They had a live violin performance that was possibly the coolest thing I saw all week. The musician was absolutely killing it when we walked in, playing the Game of Thrones theme song!? He even was playing with a sparkler in his hand to make it even more visually exciting. We came back the next day and couldn’t even get a chair on the beach because of the crazy minimum price. An employee named Alain was so helpful and escorted us to MIA, a different beach club, and got us a table with no minimum.
While Mia is less boujee than Tantra or Vagalume, the vibes were great and we met our favorite people of the entire trip here. Our little group of ladies bought a bottle together and had a cabana for a reasonable price. Beware of buying individual drinks and shots though- we did this another day and it was our most expensive tab of any place spent the day.
Restaurants
Burrito Amor
This was the most underrated place we ate the entire trip. The burritos were so yummy, they had an awesome selection, unique drinks, and it was so cheap. The vegetarian burrito did not disappoint and I loved all of the sauces they brought out for dipping. Our table of 8 ordered entrees and two rounds of drinks for less than $100 USD - best prices from the whole trip! If I did it again I’d go for breakfast based on what I saw on their menu.
Go here for sunrise. You will never regret waking up for a sunrise even if it’s hard - trust me on this one. We arrived a little before 7 am and headed down to the beach through their interestingly botanical walkway. We ordered out juices and then sat on the beach for the view. The sun rises over the ocean and we had plenty of time to take photos, time-lapses, and enjoy the quiet before all the other visitors woke up. Below is a TikTok of our sunrise experience!
@karlieplace Sunrise Juice Bar in Tulum! 🌴##posadamargherita ##tulum ##travel ##foodie Idea Cred: @veganwknd
♬ Take Me to Pluto - idonthateyou
Rosa Negra
Go here for a late dinner. You will also need a reservation a few days in advance. We went around 7 pm and I felt like we kind of missed out on the full Rosa experience which usually includes sparklers and standing on the chairs. The food was pretty good but don’t get the crab tacos - so fishy and soggy. Towards the end of our stay, I guess they felt like we had stayed too long and a bouncer came over to ask us to leave. They even took a drink out of one of my friend’s hands. I know we weren’t the highest paying table but we were still customers and I have never had an experience like that in a restaurant. In all honesty, I don’t think I would visit again.
Pico De Gallo
We visited this resort beach restaurant in the middle of the day by just walking up. We got a big family-sized table right on the beach in the sunshine and had some amazing tacos. They were well worth the reasonable price. They were my favorite fish tacos I had during my visit. This place doesn't really have an IG because it’s mostly a resort, but definitely check them out for lunch on the beach. We were able to walk down to the beach chairs and cabanas and continue sipping cocktails for another few hours. If you want to visit the crooked palm tree that you’ve probably seen in photos, then eat here for beach access, then it’s only about a two-minute walk south down the beach to the tree!
Crooked Palm Tree - Directions above & marked on my Saved Google Locations list!
La Hoja Verde
All my vegetarians and vegans buckle up! I have become so used to only being able to order a few things on the menu at regular restaurants that when I was handed an entirely veg. menu I almost had an aneurysm - in a good way, haha. I got their most popular dish - the vegetarian taco trio and they were so amazing. I felt like I was eating real barbacoa and chorizo. Everything on this menu was gorgeous and I could eat here every day and be so happy.
GO HERE! The food was cheap, yummy, and had an amazing selection of tacos and veggie options. They gave us a complimentary appetizer and a free round of mezcal with orange slices and crickets. It was so much fun. This lunch spot is nestled between some big resorts in the hotel zone and was a perfect little escape for lunch.
To Experience
We did a Cenote tour of four different pools. This specific tour was only about ten minutes from Tulum and the tour guide was so nice. Do not buy tickets online in advance, they will charge you MXN$600 per person instead of MXN$400 per person at the entrance. It was about $20USD per person and super worth it. We even got to go back in after our tour with cameras and take some really fun pictures with no life jackets. We also brought our own snorkels but that’s not required.
There are so many other cool cenotes in Mexico and around Tulum. You’ve just got to do a little research.
Follow that Dream Sign
There are a lot of these unique signs all around Tulum. This was my favorite one and you can find it on the south side of the Hotel zone.
If there is one thing you’ve already seen from Tulum - its this statue. Go early in the day to avoid the line!
Yes Women // Travel Opportunities
Are you the kind of friend that says YES to every travel opportunity but can never get anyone else on board? After my Tulum tiktok blew up, I have had so many amazing women from around the world reaching out and looking to make connections with others who love travel! I’m thinking about putting together a community of women who want to be considered to join on future trips I plan. Imagine renting a huge villa with in Tulum with an amazing group of people from around the world to share experiences and adventures with?! YES please. If that is something that interests you, add your name to the list below and I will reach out with future travel opportunities.
Shop My Suitcase!
Scroll to see links to nearly everything I brought with and took photos in on our trip.
*note* these are through LikeToKnow.It and are affiliate links
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