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We feel like we've passed through Tulum a hundered times on our trips between the northern parts of Quintana Roo (Cozumel, Cancun, Playa del Carmen) and the southern parts of the state (Chetumal, Majahual & Xcalak.) But until recently, our only visits there included stops for a meal or provisions on the way somewhere else or during a trip to visit the Tulum or Coba Mayan ruins. But in April-2007, we made a 2-day visit that included a tour of Coba, an overnight stay in Tulum and a "Muyil: Forest and float Tour" of the Sian Ka'an UNESCO World Heritage site on the next day.
While best known for the cliff-side Mayan ruins that share the same name as the village, the town and beaches of Tulum have a growing reputation in their own right that is spreading world-wide. In fact, many of the small hotels and restaurants have a distinctly European feel to them.
As Cancun and Playa del Carmen continue to grow, those looking for a slower pace may very well feel more comfortable in Tulum.
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Ground travel to Tulum is about as easy as it gets. From the Cancun airport, you can take a bus all the way to the village, getting dropped fairly close to the Tulum Ruins.. There is also regular bus service from the central bus station in Cancun City.
There are almost hourly buses running between Playa del Carmen and Tulum as well as shared "combi" service, which will drop you anywhere you want along Highway 307.
If you have a rental car, driving couldn't be easier either. From Cancun or Playa, you take Highway 307 all the way there. No turns required.
If you don't have a rental car, taxis are the easiest way to get around the village. Any excursion to the ruins or Sian Ka'an will usually include hotel pick-up and drop-off.
From Tulum, you can catch a bus either noth or south as well as west to places like Chichen Itza or Merida..
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This section will be short as we haven’t eaten all that many meals in Tulum. But as a general observation, the seafood we’ve eaten there has been very fresh and the local Mexican eateries still offer good values.
The European influence is being felt in some of the more upscale restaurants in the town that results in some very imaginative if a bit expensive alternatives.
On our drives through Tulum, we’ve eaten several times at Don Cafeto, one of the oldest restaurants in town. It’s located right on Highway 307. This place serves breakfast, lunch and dinner featuring traditional Mexican cuisine. It’s nothing fancy but the food is good, the portions are large and the price won’t put a big dent in your wallet.
We had a terrific seafood dinner at Zama’s restaurant located about 5 km down the road known as “Boca Paila”. Boca Paila crosses Highway 307 just on the north side of Tulum village. If traveling from the north (from Cancun), a right turn would take you to the village and Mayan ruins at Coba and a left turn will lead you to a beachside entrance of the Tulum ruins on one side and a narrow beachside road on the other (right) side. As you drive down the Boca Paila road, you’ll pass beach front hotels, hostels, cabanas and restaurants on both sides of the road.
Once you bear to the right at the sign that says Zona Archeolgica to the left, Zama’s will be among the first group of buildings you will pass and includes cabanas as well as the restaurant. Most nights, there is a band playing classic rock standards and a brisk breeze off the ocean.
The first time we drove down Boca Paila, it was at night and we were about to turn around as it felt like we had gone too far. But just keep going. It's impossible to miss.
We also enjoyed a very nice breakfast at Don Diego de la Selva, the hotel we stayed in. The French owners also serve dinner on most nights. Dinner reservations are suggested.
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There is a wide range in terms of style and prices of hotels from palapas to international class health spa resorts. And as is the case in most other locations, there are numerous house rentals available. An Internet search will turn up quite a few options. Many offer beach front locations.
While we haven't taken advantage of them, there are a number of beachfront cabana style hotels along the Boca Paila road. Many of the hotels in that part of the beach are “eco-friendly”, which in many cases is code for “We don’t have 24-hour electricity in the rooms.” Prices run a large range from back-packer friendly to top drawer.
In addition to the beachfront hotels along the Boca Paila, there are other hotels in the village of Tulum..
The only night that we spent in Tulum was at Don Diego de la Selva. The hotel describes itself as “Maison d'hôtes a Tulum” and as that description suggests, the owners are French. They bring some of the European small hotel sensibilities that many travelers appreciate.
Some of the details: The beds were firm but not rock hard. The pillows were comfortable. The sheets were high thread count cotton. The towels were large and plush. We noticed that as the breakfast service was being set up, each plate and glass was wiped with a clean dry cloth before being set on the table.
This is a small hotel with only 8 rooms but it offers private bathrooms, air conditioning in some rooms, a small open air restaurant & bar along side a (small but) lovely pool. The hotel will loan bikes and snorkel gear and help arrange local tours. Breakfast is included in the price of the room.
The rooms are large and while the furnishings are minimal, they are very well thought out and constructed. The shower features good water pressure and a large sky light giving the impression of bathing outdoors. Each room comes with a semi-private balcony looking out over a lovely garden.
It’s located just south of the village of Tulum down a short driveway off of Highway 307. That puts it just under a mile south from the Tulum bus station.
If you can’t tell from that description, we loved this place. Even though it wasn’t on the beach, we would stay there again without question. The owners were friendly and responsive. The rooms were clean and comfortable. While a small portion, the breakfast was original and delicious. And when we had a problem with our shower, it was repaired in less than an hour. And considering the quality of the experience, the room rate was more than fair.
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No visit to Tulum is complete without a tour of the Mayan Ruins that share the same name. While the site does not include a large number of restored buildings, the setting of the Castillo on the edge of a cliff overlooking the South Caribbean Ocean is the worth the visit alone. Click on the link above for a more detailed description of the Tulum Ruins.
About 45 km west of Tulum are the even more impressive Coba ruins. We visited there again in 2007 and found the road there and the facilities for taking care of visitors have been vastly improved.
Tulum borders on the northern end of the UNESCO World Heritage site, the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve. The reserve includes 1.3 million acres of lowland forest, flooded savannas, mangroves, and a portion of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef. There are hundreds of plant species, birds, wild cats, monkeys and numerous species of reptiles.
There are several tours with different themes (birding, flaura & fauna, etc.) offered by several groups but we took one called "Muyil: Forest and float Tour" that included a walking tour through the Mayan ruins at Muyil and then a and loved it. It's owned and operated people from the local Mayan community who seem to have a real interest in sharing what they knew about the history and beautiy of the area. We were picked up at our hotel in Tulum but I think they might even pick up as far away as Playa. We were driven about 25 km south of Tulum and we walked into the forest and saw a few Mayan ruins. One in particular was dedicated to Ixchel the same goddess of fertility that that the San Grevacio ruins in Cozumel were dedicated to.
It's not the largest temple I've ever seen but it really was one of the prettiest. Then they walked us through the jungle and we came out on a large lake. They put us into pangas and as we approached the other side of the lake, it looked like we were going to ground the boat but at the last second, a small canal appeared. Then it opened up onto another lake. Same routine with a slightly larger canal at the other side. But then they gave us life jackets and told people to lay on them or wear them like a diaper and we floated down the canal for about half an hour. That was really fun (but we got a little sunburn.) Then they served lunch and stopped by a cenote for a swim on the way back to Tulum.
Centro Ecologico Sian Ka'an (CESiaK)is another company that has accommodations within the park and offers similar tours.
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ATMs and banks are easy to find in Tulum. There are several right on Highway 307 in the middle of the village.
Credit cards are accepted at larger hotels and a few of the restaurants and stores in town but don’t be surprised if they add on a 5% bank charge to your purchase.
There is a large San Francisco Asis supermarket on the corner of 307 and the Boca Paila road. It's on the Coba side of the highway.
There are several nice cenotes close enough to town to ride a bicycle to. There will be a small admission charge but swimming or snorkeling in a cenote is a pretty cool experience.
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