Tulum is located on the southeastern side of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, which separates the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. It’s a one and a half hour drive south of Cancun along the Caribbean coastline, called the Riviera Maya. In Tulum you will find stunning beaches with white sand and turquoise water covered with lush coconut palm trees and the preserved ruins of an ancient Maya port city on top of a cliff overlooking the Caribbean Sea. Tulum was one of the last cities built and inhabited by the Maya between the 12th and 15th century. If you haven’t been yet, I highly recommend it. This place is a pure paradise and is very easily accessible from the US. I love how laid-back and rugged Tulum is. I went earlier this month and wanted to share my tips and recommendations for a successful trip. So save this article for your next getaway!

TIPS:

Hotels in Tulum can be very expensive, so try to target the low season preferably August to mid-September, in order to score the best deals. The weather is good and hotel prices are cheap.
I recommend converting your currency to Mexican pesos before your trip, so that you already have it when you arrive and avoid higher exchange rates. You need cash to pay for taxi, food in taquerias and for the entrance at cenotes and the ruins.
Bring a reusable water bottle like a stainless steel bottle to use the filtered water provided by your hotel. I stayed at Papaya Playa Project and they had a filtered water station at the reception, that you can use to fill in your bottle with clean water. As a reminder, you cannot drink tap water in Mexico. If your hotel does not provide water, you will have to buy mineral water at the store.
Everything is far away in Tulum and the taxis are expensive. So renting a scooter, bicycle or a car are your best options to explore around. We rented a scooter at Chahuites Rental Tulum IG: @chahuitesrental_tulum. They are on the road just past Azulik hotel.
Go to the center of Tulum (Centro) for dinner. You will find plenty of restaurants and taquerias serving great food for cheap! It’s much cheaper compared to the beach hotel zone.
Sunscreens and mosquito repellents are more expensive in Tulum, so remember to bring some with you. I bought 3 travel size sunscreens and it was enough for our 10 days trip. Tulum is very tropical and if you stay in the hotel zone by the beach, you’re literarily in the jungle, so spray yourself to avoid insect bites.
Finally think of purchasing an international travel medical insurance to cover your trip. We never know what can happen, so it’s better to be covered. I chose GeoBlue, it was inexpensive and affiliated to Blue Cross Blue Shield.

WHAT TO DO:

Cenotes. There are a lot of them around Tulum. They are natural limestone sinkholes and are a must see when over there. We went to Cenote Calavera (pictures above), it’s one of the few we visited and I highly recommend it! What’s great about this one is that’s authentic and the closest to the city on the main road.
Tulum Maya Ruins. I mentioned it at the beginning of the article. You have to see them when in Tulum.
Ven a La Luz Sculpture. This is a beautiful giant wood sculpture by artist Daniel Popper. It’s located in Ahau Hotel just past Bagatelle beach club.
Tulum Centro for food and shopping. There are plenty of restaurants and it’s much cheaper than the beach zone.
Beach Cubs. You have to go to one of them, if you’re not staying at a hotel in the beach zone to experience the stunning private beach.