Tulum – quick travel guide

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Mexico’s premier party beach, psuedo-spiritual, over-Instagrammed overly-commercial destination.

A once quiet beautiful beach town with authentic hippie vibes, got discovered, and within 10 years became an overly-commercialized super posh fancy Mexico destination. Probably Mexico’s #1 destination in terms of “cool” factor and most popular among the sexy influencers and crypto bros type of crowd. It’s rapidly developing and now has a ton of sexy casual fancy type of accommodations with a jungle/beach oasis vibe. Fancy restaurants, bars, cafes, boutiques all catering to that foreigner crowd.

Personally, I think Tulum is more hype now and too crowded with Americans and Europeans. Its best days are long behind it. But is it right for you? Let’s find it if you should stay for days, weeks, months, or forever.

Where to stay:

  • Hotel zone – a long street/strip that goes right along the beach. Probably the most desirable area because it’s right on the beach. Expensive but you save money as well not having to taxi to and from the beach everyday. Taxi costs $10 each way, even just to go from one part of the hotel zone to the other part. It adds up fast and if the cost doesn’t annoy you, constantly having to having to hail a taxi and wait for traffic will. However, the hotel zone is so expensive that you wouldn’t want to pay that much for a week-long stay. Zero locals here, pretty much all foreigners and short-term tourists. So that also means many fancy expensive restaurants and boutique shops are here. Going to dinner here already has a party/club vibe.
  • Aldea Zama – I like to call this “the middle zone”, between the beach and downtown area. Still really nice and well-priced. Many hotels and hostels here are built so nice and spacious that you might not even miss the beach. You could just enjoy the “beach vibe” by their fancy hammocks and beautiful pools, all without having to go anywhere. You’ll meet tons of friends and perhaps together as a group, you can hail a big taxi and share a ride to the beach together. I think this is the best (“real Tulum” vibe) and most social option since more people are lingering around to chat. The hotel zone folks are almost always on the beach so as to make the most of it. Lots of expats and long-term foreigners/visitors. 10-min bike ride to the beach from here.
  • Tulum centro – basically the Tulum downtown area. Many streets, people, bars, restaurants, cafes, and locals running about. Many local shops here. Cheap places, fancy places. A wide range of things at all price ranges can be found here. Many (poor) locals and super cheap restaurants catering to them are here. Many clubs and party places are here. Hotels and hostels here can also be very nice and also very cheap. So being in centro can actually be super convenient (to your budget and activities).
  • La Veleta – I haven’t stayed here but have passed by. It’s an area with many luxurious hotels and condos/villas type of accommodation. Many foreigners visiting or living longterm here.

Choose the area based on your activities. I stayed in the main 3.

  • Hotel zone if you want to be on the beach every minute of every day. That the beach is your #1 priority and nothing else. And also for dressing up and eating fancy dinners every night. Perfect for a fancy epic Tulum weekend stay. Hotel Zone is also the least social for solo travelers IMO. Going here alone feels like you went to a party where everybody came with friends.
  • Aldea Zama if you want to chill out at your hotel/hostel. Have drinks at your bar, read a book in peace, lounge/remote-work in a hammock all day. Your accommodation will likely be way more peaceful than going to the beach. You’re also in the middle and can still meet up with people at the beach or go downtown for a wide range of drink options. Great for a weeklong luxury relaxation vibe.
  • Tulum centro if you want to save money and/or like being in town center. Access to the most food, bar, and cafe options. Being near the nightlife. Not just for clubs but also to have a busier town to walk around at night. Being in town center makes it more convenient to take tours or public transportation to the many other destinations nearby (but not in) Tulum.

Hostels:

  • Mama’s Home Hostel (Tulum Centro) – not the most comfortable beds but still my favorite of all the places I stayed. Just because of the super friendly, chill social vibes, family meals and organized activities everyday. Perfect place to meet people, linger around chilling or partying together. In Tulum centro close to everything. Should you ever want to go to the beach, you have many people who will join you.
  • Mayan Monkey (Aldea Zama) – super nice fancy looking hostel (built like a hotel). Friendly vibe, beautiful party people. Huge beautiful pool area. Great pricing. You could just hang out here all day. Located in Aldea Zama with variety of hipster restaurants, bars, cafes nearby.
  • Straw Hat Hostel (Tulum Centro) – the #1 party place to be. Not only as a hostel but as a club. It seems all the young people in town go here every night. Hordes of drunk tourists, bartenders shooting tequila out of water guns, spin-the-wheel game where some people get naked and jump into the tiny pool. Rooms are terrible in terms of space, cleanliness, comfort, service. Go here if you just want to get drunk and hook up with strangers. It’s not good for anything else. Even if you like partying, you could just stay elsewhere and then visit here. I would never stay here but it is super popular.
  • Oostel Smart Hostel (Tulum Centro) – super chill, quiet, nothing going on…but I LOVED this place. It’s cheap but super comfortable and super fast internet. They have a nice pool and nice bar/restaurant but just hasn’t caught on. The crowd is mostly 30’s remote workers/nomads who actually get work done. The pool looks nice but not used often. I loved the people I met here. The bed designs are amazing. Spacious room, big queen-size bed with curtains/lights/outlets and huge cubby storage dressers right next to your bed. One of the best hostel designs ever. I really enjoyed the people I met here.
  • Selina (Hotel Zone) – the most expensive Selina hostel ever. I didn’t even go or stay here. Looked nice from the outside though.

There’s many hostels and accommodation options in Tulum. New ones popping each day. Try them out and see what you like.

Hotels:

  • There aren’t many cheap hotels in the Hotel Zone. Whichever one you pick, make sure it’s close enough to the beach you actually want to visit (Usually Playa Paraiso). Because if you have to take a taxi, it’s gonna be $10 and you might as well just stay elsewhere cheaper and taxi in.

Neighborhoods & Walking areas:

  • Tulum centro – the downtown area is the most walkable area. Lots of food places, cafes, shops for you to poke in and out of…escaping the sun. At night, there’s lots of stuff open and spaces to hang out and sit. The more time you spend in Tulum, the more you will end up hanging out here at day and night.
  • Aldea Zama – has some stretches with stuff and then some stretches with nothing. Of course, it’s filling in more and more each day. But you might walk long blocks past hotels or nothing.
  • Hotel Zone – arguably not walkable. During the day, it’s full of the beach tourist crowd. At night, the sun is down so it’s more comfortable but now you’re just walking past a huge line of taxis bringing to and from the restaurants. Kind of feels like you’re just walking down one super busy dirt road. Shops are closed and only expensive restaurants are open. Not a nice vibe.

Activities to do:

  • Walk around town – the Tulum vibe is mostly visit some beach, then walk around town looking for food, then chill somewhere for drinks/music.
  • Beaches – Playa Paraiso beach club is the main beach open to the public. Costs money to enter. Playa Las Palmas is the other option. Other beaches, you can read about online to see if they’ll fit what you’re looking for.
  • Sunset views –
  • Cenotes – many beautiful cenotes nearby. There’s even a bar with a cenote inside it. (Not sure if it’s still open.)
  • Kaan Luum Lagoon – big shallow lake around a deep central pool with clear turquoise, hammocks and swimming pier. Great place to relax and take photos in beautiful nature surrounding.
  • Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve – guided tour through protected jungle preserve and ecosystem. See wildlife, explore walkways, diaper-float down the river. More of an eco-tour than a hangout.
  • Temazcal ceremoney – curious about natural healing? A friend of mine recommends temazcal and peyote with Espiritu Wellness, this shaman (Jaime Garcia), Mushrooms ceremony with Ira (the shaman) and I also did the yopo (I don’t recommend it) and the cocoa ceremony (I strong recommend it) in the same place, but with different people: casamamayemi

Restaurants & Cafes:

  • Gitano Tulum – sexy, fancy, expensive, highly Instagrammable. Classy and chill, not crazy party vibe.
  • RosaNegra – probably THE restaurant in Tulum. That embodies all the things people love and hate about Tulum. Sexy, fancy, expensive, highly Instagrammable, sexy people, total party vibe. Many beautiful people all dressed up super nice…feels somewhat like you’re eating at a club. And that it’s someone’s birthday every 5 minutes, and everyone in the restaurant is invited to it. Sparklers handed out to everyone, singing and dancing, phones out and IG story time.

Many many nice spots. I’ll just list the ones that are more notable, but you should explore as well.

Bars & Clubs:

  • Straw Hat – super popular party spot every night. Safe choice if you don’t have better plans. Lots of young people. Hordes of drunk tourists, bartenders shooting tequila out of water guns, spin-the-wheel game where some people get naked and jump into the tiny pool. Kind of a college frat vibe. For something more classy and grown-up, go elsewhere.
  • Santinos – probably another #1 most popular party spot any night of the week. But more of a proper club. Get drunk and be wild. Popular among the foreigner/expat crowd.
  • There are some nice bars in town where you can see near the street and people watch, live music, etc.

There’s a ton of places to party. I really didn’t party much here except for Straw Hat and bars where I got so drunk I don’t remember names.

Miscellaneous tips:

  • Colectivos – white shuttles that take you to other cities (like Playa del Carmen & Cancun) can be found in the town center. Go to the main street and ask around and people will point you to where they stop and pickup.
  • ADO bus station – for going to farther places.
  • Crime – tourist-targeted crime does happen. When you’re out drunk and having fun, try to pay attention to your surroundings. It’s often easy to spot that weirdo guy watching you from across the street. Or some guy trying to approach you. They’ll probably try to get close and show their gun or knife, and demands your valuables (like your cellphone). The 2-dudes on motorcycle robbery thing happens too.
  • Cartel violence – not meaning to scare you but cartel violence does happen in Tulum. Sometimes in centro, sometimes in hotel zone. My best advice to stay safe is to feel the vibe. You can feel the tension in the air sometimes. Like all cops, soldiers, and random guys on the street are being overly cautious. If you feel that, then don’t go out. Or at least don’t be on a busy street where you could get hit by stray bullets. If you see lots of soldiers out, that probably means something happened yesterday.
  • Safety notices – join the Tulum expats groups on Facebook or Whatsapp. The safety notices and word on the street will get passed around there, notifying you of what people or areas to watch out for. Tulum has lots of cartel violence I feel because many areas are still being developed…which means new territories for cartels to fight over. It’s not like other cities that are already established and with gangs already with their turf staked out.
  • Holbox – if you loved Tulum’s hippie vibe but hated the fake-spiritual and over-commercialized part of it, I would suggest other cities with a more authentic hippie vibe. Holbox, Bacalar, Puerto Escondido, San Jose del Cabo, Mazunte, and Zipolite.

Nearby towns:

  • Playa del Carmen* – I imagine if you love Tulum, you’ll probably not like PDC so much. It will seem too crowded and touristy to you, and beaches not as nice.
  • Akumal – nice turtle sanctuary and beach right by it. Also the little strip mall across the street from there. Nothing else to do or see.
  • Bacalar* – the next Tulum-ish place. But more authentic. And not overly commercialized like Tulum. Go at the right time of year and you get super beautiful green water. If you really like a true hippie vibe, Bacalar is arguably much more authentic hippie vibe than Tulum. Some people get bored and say there’s nothing to do. Others love the chill vibe and get stuck there.
  • Mahahual* – awesome beach destination, beautiful water and beaches with palm trees. Developed just enough, still feels raw. Also kinda hippie. Nice friendly people all around here.

Unfiltered notes:

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