Tulum Dreaming

Tulum will always have a special place in my heart….

Around my 30th birthday in early December, I knew I had to escape to an environment that my mind, body, and soul needed most. Covid travel restrictions have been booming around the world lately, but surprisingly Mexico has been the hot spot to travel to, welcoming travelers with their own rules upon entry. With Tulum being on my bucket list and my travel business launching successfully, I knew this was the time to take a trip out there. The best time to visit Tulum is around October – December to avoid hurricane season and crowds. Who wouldn’t want to travel to a sexy, jungle-like beach vibe around the holidays?!

Flight Departure/Transportation: Currently residing in Arizona, my fiancé and I booked a non-stop, four-hour flight to Cancun. The only thing you would need to board the plane is your US Passport. Before we landed in Cancun, the flight attendants handed out an Official Entry Immigration Form/ Entry Tourist Card. We had the option to fill it out on the plane or fill it out once we landed in the Cancun International Airport. If you are in a rush or do not want to wait, make sure you have a pen handy to fill everything out from top to bottom to give to an immigration officer to stamp. You will need to keep the bottom portion that they give back to you; that is part of your ticket out of Mexico! We made reservations with Cancun Shuttle to drive us to our hotel in Tulum. The ride was an hour and a half, but we had the shuttle to ourselves and relaxed the whole way. One thing to keep in mind is that Tulum does not have Uber, so you will have to rely on taxies for transportation.

Travel Tip: The exchange rate from the United States Dollar to Pesos varies. Check before and during your vacation, especially if you are on a budget and want to avoid multiple stops to the ATM/money exchange booths around town.

Hotel Stay: We booked our stay in Downtown Tulum. Our hotel was called Era Hotel and Spa, a cute little boutique hotel tucked away between a neighborhood and other surrounding hotels. Our room had a modern bohemian look to it with a jungle like entryway and pool front. It was the perfect couple stay for the budget we had, about fifteen to twenty minutes away from Paradise Beach (Playa Paraiso) and the beach strip.

Downtown Restaurant Suggestion: We borrowed some bikes from the hotel and ate dinner at a place called Encanto Cantina. The restaurant was indoor/outdoor, and had a live band playing that night. If you go to this restaurant, I highly recommend you try the JICARITAS Queso Fundido Con Chorizo as an appetizer. It was so good and fun to interact with because the cheese was so thick and stringy. We both had TACOS Sinaloa and TACOS de Pulpo, with some strong margaritas to top it off!

Paradise Beach & Beach Strip: Paradise Beach (Playa Paraiso) was the first place we explored while in Tulum. We were the first ones there (arrived around 10:30am), so we rented a couple of lounge chairs and got to experience the beach to ourselves for a little bit.

Top Recommended Places/IG Worthy Pictures: We only had two full days there, so we had to make the most out of it! Some places we hit up were:

Cenote Experience: This place we really enjoyed exploring off the strip was one of the cenotes called the Gran Cenote. A cenote is a water-filled sinkhole that is surrounded by limestone rock. This is where an underground cave collapses, exposing the water from underneath. The water is clear so you can see tiny fish and turtles that reside in it. The temperature of the water was very refreshing, especially because the weather was around 80 degrees and sunny. You must rinse off before you can swim in the cenote, or you are not allowed in the water.

Overall, if you need a quick international getaway, I highly recommend visiting Tulum for at least 4 days. There was still a lot of places we did not explore, but we made sure to put it on our list for next time! With that mysterious jungle vibe, laidback community, and clear blue waters, this place rejuvenated my wanderlust and my heart overflowing with love.