What is Tulum?
Tulum is pretty much Heaven! It is this beautiful boho town with turquoise water, white sand beaches, ancient ruins and an amazing hippie vibe. It’s also just a few hours south of Texas. Jordan and I spent seven days here over the Christmas holiday and fell in love with it! There was plenty to do and it was a wonderful space to relax.
Can you travel there during the pandemic?
Absolutely! All you need is a passport and to fill out Mexico’s online questionnaire. Right now, there is not even a test requirement to enter Mexico or upon return to the U.S. (as long as you haven’t traveled to other countries as well) Now there are things you have to consider, such as Mexico not requiring COVID tests means that people may have it… The good news is that most of the things to do are outdoors as well as most of the restaurants have outdoor seating. The only place that we had a hard time socially distancing was in the customs line. There are several places that Mexico travel is restricted to only essential travel, but the customs agent didn’t even ask why we were visiting, and their tourism was thriving.
Update 24 JAN: The United States is now requiring a COVID test with negative results prior to boarding a flight into the U.S. What this means is that if you travel to Mexico, you will have to get a negative test there prior to returning to the states.
How to get there: We flew into Cancun and rented a car to drive to Tulum. We highly recommend a rental as there is so much to see within an hour or two and the cost is about the same as arranging transportation. It takes about two hours. The highway to Tulum is in great condition. If you want to book with a travel credit card and use that as your insurance, you will need to get a letter from your bank stating your coverage prior to arriving to pick up your rental. Otherwise, you will need to purchase liability insurance which should not be more than $20 a day. If you want to book transportation from the Cancun airport to Tulum and just ride bikes around staying local, that is an option too!
Where to stay: Tulum city vs Tulum beach side
There is Tulum city and Tulum beach front. Depending on the vibe you want and your budget, both are great. Tulum city is about 3-5 KM from the beach. It offers cheaper boutique hotels and hostels. Bike rentals are everywhere, and it is about a 10-minute bike ride to the beach. There is a vibrant night life, vegan restaurants (regular restaurants too), and yoga everywhere. The downside is that you will have to ride your bike or take a taxi to the beach and all of the restaurants, shops, and fun on the beach side (which you will absolutely have to do). Bike rentals are $8-10 a day and taxis are about $10. We spent three nights in town at The Orchid house and Zenses. I would recommend staying on the south side of 307 ( the biggest road running through the town) for ease of access to the beach.
Tulum Beach side is a long narrow road where most of the iconic Tulum hotels and restaurants are. Staying here, you will pay higher prices and get way less for your money; however, it is where everything is! I would suggest splurging and getting at least one night one the beach. There is nothing like the Tulum sunrise. **There can be some crazy traffic if your driving around 3-6 PM.** We spent 3 nights along the beautiful beach road and loved it. Our hotels were Mi Amor, Maria Del Mar, and Piedra Escondida. New post with a review of these coming soon!
You can also stay at one of the hotels north of the ruins. We spent one night at Alea, and it was absolutely gorgeous! The hotels are beautiful, on the beach, and cheaper; however, the water off the beach is mostly rocky and shallow leading up to the reef. It’s a pretty serious bike ride to the main part of both Tulum town and the main beach strip. You will likely want a car if you go in this direction.
Travel Hacks:
Water: The water is NOT drinkable here. Some of the hotels provide water; however, we just bought a couple gallons, left them in our car and used that throughout our trip instead of buying small waters at the hotel.
Bring Cash- Preferably Mexican Pesos: We ran out of cash a few days in thinking that Tulum is a pretty big place and finding an ATM should be super easy. While staying on the beach, we tried five ATMs before finding one that worked. US dollars are accepted; however, you will get a better exchange rate for goods if using pesos. Changing US dollars into pesos and ensuring you are getting the right change back in pesos can be a pain.
Mosquitos: In town the mosquitos are aggressive. A good bug spray and some peppermint oil to sooth the bites will be a game changer.
Small backpack: Especially if you are planning on staying in town, a small backpack can make a huge difference. I forgot mine this time thinking all of the bicycles had baskets. Some of them don’t and it’s impossible to ride a bike with water, wine, and a beach towel:)
Light jacket or sweater: (if you are traveling in the winter)Mexico is always hot right? Well, we’re from Texas and it got down to 59 F at night which is a bit chilly for us.
Until next time,
Dez
