Travel Guide: Tulum Recommendations

I just got back from Tulum late Monday evening and already can’t wait to go back! I got tons of messages from people wanting to travel to Tulum or already planning to go in the next couple months, so I’ve organized everything we did here. This is my complete Tulum travel guide with all our Tulum recommendations: where to stay, where to eat, what to do during the day, general travel tips and more.

If your only experience with Mexico has been all-inclusive resorts and spring breaks in Cancun (*raises hand*), get ready for something completely different. Tulum is different is the best possible way. We fell in love!

The following Tulum recommendations are a mix of things Joe and I did and loved, and the recs we got from friends who’ve also been there. We did a Thursday – Monday trip so didn’t have time to get to everything on the list. But we fell in love with Tulum and know we’ll go back eventually, so it just leaves new things for us to get excited about doing next time!

I’m going to include links to the hotel/restaurant websites as well as their pages on TripAdvisor so you can easily read reviews. The TripAdvisor links are affiliate.

Where to Stay in Tulum

I don’t think you can really go wrong as long as you’re staying somewhere along the beach road. If you stay in town, you’ll save a little money, but will probably spend that on cabs to and from the beach strip anyway.

The main beach road is probably a 3.5 mile stretch where all the action happens. It doesn’t really matter where along that road you stay because nothing is too far (cabs are everywhere and you can rent bikes easily). That being said, if you pick a hotel around the middle of that beach stretch, you’ll have the most restaurants within walking distance.

I’d consider the Ahau – Sanara – La Zebra area to be the most convenient if you want a lot within walking distance. That being said, Joe and I stayed a bit north of that at Coco Tulum and thought it was a great location too. Basically just pick a spot on the beach, rent bikes, and you’ll be fine. 🙂

The vibe in Tulum is very laidback—”eco-chic” it’s often called. There aren’t big all-inclusive resorts like you’d find in Cancun, but rather small boutique hotels. All will have a rustic jungle feel to them, but you can choose where on the spectrum you want. Like you could do rustic luxury with private balcony pools and 5-star service or rustic sleep-in-a-tent-on-the-beach.

Some hotels don’t offer air conditioning (you stay in more of an open-air room with mosquito nets), so check for that when you book. Joe can’t sleep unless it’s cold in the room so I made A/C a priority when choosing a hotel.

Also, it’s important to know that even if you aren’t staying at a hotel, you can still eat at their restaurants, chill on their beach cabana area, try their yoga classes, etc. So don’t stress the decision too much. Here are the handful of hotels that came most highly recommended to me:

Azulik

Azulik website // Azulik TripAdvisor reviews

This was by far the most highly recommended hotel in Tulum. And with good reason! It’s like a real-life Swiss Family Robinson tree house and is just absolutely stunning. You’ve never seen any place quite like it.

Ultimately we decided against staying there for two reasons. 1. It’s expensive and 2. It’s towards the northern end of the beach strip so you’ll need to take a cab or ride bikes to get to most of the other restaurants and beach clubs. Now having been to Tulum, the location really isn’t a big deal—like I mentioned, even if you’re towards the northern or southern ends, you’re not far from anything. Next time we go to Tulum, we want to stay here, at least for a couple of the nights.

If you don’t stay at Azulik, you have to go for dinner and/or drinks so you can check out the hotel. Details on their restaurants below.

Coco Tulum

Coco Tulum website // Coco Tulum TripAdvisor reviews

This is where we stayed, and we loved it! It’s one of the more affordable options while still being really nice. The rooms are their own little private beach cabana huts with a deck area and hammock just steps from the ocean.

Our room was simple, but had all we could need—king sized bed, air conditioning, private bathroom, deck. And you’re not a walk from the beach, you’re on the beach. We were so close to the ocean that we could hear the waves lapping against the shore at night as we went to bed—it was magical!

Only downside is that the A/C unit has a really bright interface when it’s running and it lit up the whole room while we were trying to sleep. Didn’t make a difference because we were so tired by the end of each day, but just a heads up to bring an eye mask if you stay here and think that’d bother you. Also, maybe we’re just idiots and there’s a way to keep it dim.

FYI Some of the rooms have shared bathrooms and some don’t offer air conditioning so just double-check when booking.

La Zebra

La Zebra website // La Zebra TripAdvisor reviews

La Zebra is kinda the young, “cool” spot. They have a DJ out on the beach by the cabanas and it would be a fun place to hang out during the day for a few drinks even if you’re not staying there. Everywhere in Tulum is laidback, but I’d say this is less laidback than other places and more of a scene. Like you can tell a lot of the people staying there frequent the Surf Lodge in Montauk every Sunday in the summer if that makes any sense lol.

The Beach Tulum

The Beach Tulum website // The Beach Tulum TripAdvisor reviews

The Beach Tulum is on the high-end side. It’s in a great location close to the middle of the beach road and came highly recommended by my friend who stayed there!

Be Tulum

Be Tulum website // Be Tulum TripAdvisor reviews

Be Tulum is also one of the more high end options. It’s towards the end of the beach road.

Nomade

Nomade website // Nomade TripAdvisor reviews

Nomade is next to Be Tulum and a bit less expensive.

Coral

Coral website // Coral TripAdvisor reviews

Coral is a new hotel (as of this publish date) with great rooms and is pretty quiet. Our friends stayed here and said it was perfect for their minimoon. Each room has its own private dipping pool which is a cool touch.

Hip Hotel

Hip Hotel website // Hip Hotel TripAdvisor reviews

Hip Hotel is owned by the same people who own Coral (they also own Ana y Jose’s, which we saw signs for everywhere but never checked out). Their beach club looked like a great, laidback place to lounge during the day and it’s located right next to Eufemia, which was our go-to happy hour spot.

Papaya Playa Project

Papaya Playa Project website // Papaya Playa Project TripAdvisor reviews

Papaya Playa Project is next to Azulik, so northern end of the beach road, a little bit removed from the restaurants and bars. Super cool spot though, and even if you don’t stay here, you should have breakfast there one morning or hit up their Saturday night beach party if you’re looking for a fun night out.

Sanara

Sanara website // Sanara TripAdvisor reviews

While I don’t know much about the rooms, we found ourselves at Sanara a lot for breakfast at The Real Coconut and yoga.

Where to Eat in Tulum

Breakfast

We paired our breakfast decisions each morning with where we were going to practice yoga. More on yoga later in this post, but I highly recommend a class followed by breakfast there to start your days!

The Real Coconut @ Sanara

Sanara website // The Real Coconut TripAdvisor reviews

This place is a must! Vegetarian/vegan food with a drink menu of wellness shots, juices, smoothies, etc. The deck overlooks the ocean. We ate here two mornings we loved it so much. They have a lunch menu, too, which we didn’t check out, but I’m sure it’s equally as delicious.

The Real Coconut is located at the hotel Sanara, which also has a great yoga studio. Pair the two to start your day!

Papaya Playa Project

Papaya Playa Project website // Papaya Playa Project TripAdvisor reviews

The tables here are sort of carved into a small rock face/wall in stadium-style seating overlooking the beach. Awesome view and great breakfast menu.

Matcha Mama

Matcha Mama instagram // Matcha Mama TripAdvisor reviews

This is a cute little roadside spot for acai bowls, juices and smoothies. They have swings surrounding their counter that you can sit and sway on while you eat. You know I love me a good acai bowl so this spot was my jam!

Casa Banana

Casa Banana website // Casa Banana TripAdvisor reviews

This place was recommended for dinner, but it also looked like a really popular breakfast spot.

Lunch

Most days, Joe and I didn’t really eat a traditional lunch. We’d just sort of periodically order apps at whatever beach club we were lounging at—chips and guac here, ceviche there. We loved the apps at our hotel, Coco Tulum, and then would do a second later lunch of tacos at Eufemia.

Taqueria La Eufemia

Taqueria La Eufemia TripAdvisor reviews

Our favorite spot on the beach for a late taco lunch! It’s good any time, but if you go from around 3:30 – 5:30pm they have live music (at least they did on Saturday and Sunday). It’s a laidback, hippy vibe with seating out on the beach as well as inside.

It’s a bit disorganized (adds to the fun)—so the seats are sort of every (wo)man for (her)himself. Also, when you order the tacos, they’ll come out with just the tortilla and whatever meat/veggie you requested as a filling. You then take them upstairs to a toppings station and can add whatever sauces, salsas, etc. you want.

If you grab a spot down in the sand on the beach, there will be people walking by selling jewelry, snacks and weed brownies. I wasn’t using the descriptor “hippy” loosely lol.

The Real Coconut

I mentioned this place as a great breakfast spot. We never came here for lunch, but it came recommended.

Beach Clubs with Good Lunches

• Coco Tulum – Pictured above. Joe loved the ceviche!
• La Zebra – As I mentioned above, this is the sceney day party beach club spot. You can go for that and have lunch there as well. We didn’t, but our friends recommended the quesadillas.
• Hip Tulum – Close to La Zebra.
• Ziggy Beach – If you go to this beach, bring towel and call to reserve a bed.

DinnerH

Hartwood

Hartwood website // Hartwood TripAdvisor reviews

This is *the* place to eat dinner in Tulum. It started the whole foodie movement in Tulum and all the food is cooked in a wood-burning oven, no electricity. You need to make reservations a month or two in advance. Yes, you read that right. Book your flights and then pretty much immediately book your dinner reservation at Hartwood.

If you want to attempt to go without a reservation, you can walk in at 3pm and they give a couple tables away for that night in a sort of raffle system. Or you could try to go right when it opens at 5:30pm or after 9pm and see if they could sneak you in (don’t even both if you have a large party, but could work if it’s just two).

Joe and I didn’t know about the demand of this place so we missed the boat on making a reservation and didn’t feel like waiting in line at 3pm so we actually didn’t eat here this trip. We’ll know better next time we visit and will make a res in advance!

Kin Toh

Kin Toh website // Kin Toh TripAdvisor reviews

This is one of the two treehouse restaurants at Azulik and I’d say it’s a must! Go earlier in the night around 6pm so that it’s still light out and you can really take the whole space in—it’s SO COOL. After sun sets and you finish dinner, hang out in the canopy hammocks they have (they’ll serve you drinks on them).

Atmosphere aside, the food here was amazing. They had vegan options, too! It’s not a cheap meal, but worth the price. If you don’t go for dinner, at least check out the little bar area for a couple drinks to see the space and hang out in the nets.

Tseen Ja

Tseen Ja website // Tseen Ja TripAdvisor

This is the other treehouse restaurant at Azulik. You actually walk across a suspension bridge over the jungle to get there. Has a really cool bird’s nest at the top of the trees to watch the sunset. It’s a sushi restaurant and honestly Joe and I had no idea what we were ordering (lol) but everything was delicious. If you’re going to just do one dinner at Azulik, I’d say go with Kin Toh over Tseen Ja.

Cenzontle

Cenzontle website // Cenzontle TripAdvisor reviews

We ate here our first night in Tulum and everything was so good! Definitely get a cocktail with dinner (or two or three)—they’re amazing.

Casa Jaguar

Casa Jaguar website // Casa Jaguar TripAdvisor reviews

Casa Jaguar is an open-air restaurant with a jungle vibe. The food is cooked in a wood oven out in the open. It’s also the spot to go out on Thursday nights so Joe and I did a couple late appetizers here before the DJ came on and we got some drinks.

Posada Margherita

Posada Margherita website // Posada Margherita TripAdvisor reviews

We didn’t go here but their fresh Italian pasta came highly recommended. You walk through a jungle garden to get to the restaurant. Ask for a table on the beach. This is also a good spot in the late afternoon for a late lunch and a few glasses of rose. They also have fresh juices in the morning.

ARCA

ARCA website // ARCA TripAdvisor reviews

This place was recommended for its crazy meat options. I don’t eat meat so we skipped it, but apparently the atmosphere is excellent. It’s small plates and you should go around to the back bar after dinner.

Casa Banana

Casa Banana website // Casa Banana TripAdvisor reviews

This is the Argentinian place I mentioned was also supposedly great for breakfast. Read meat is their specialty; fish is good, too. We didn’t eat here, but multiple friends recommended it.

Kitchen Table

Kitchen Table website // Kitchen Table TripAdvisor reviews

Kitchen Table is located beyond Azulik and Papaya Playa Project as you go towards the Mayan ruins.

Mateo’s

Mateo’s website // Mateo’s TripAdvisor reviews

Mateo’s is reportedly great for sunset. They have a sunset deck that overlooks the jungle and they’ll serve you drinks on it.

Tulum Excursions/Daytime Activities

Explore the Cenotes

You can’t go to Tulum without exploring at least a couple of the cenotes! Cenotes are basically freshwater caves, part of an underground river system. Some have cliffs you can jump off, some are great for snorkeling, some are enclosed caves, and others look more like lakes.

You don’t have to go through a guided tour, but I’m glad we did because they supplied us with snorkel gear and our guide knew all the cool nooks and crannies and secret cave areas that I never would have ventured into had I been on my own. He also had a waterproof flashlight with him so that we could really see just how expansive and deep the cave system went under the water.

Lots of the hotels along the beach road will organize cenotes excursions for you that’ll pick you up and drop you off right at the hotel. I’d check with your hotel about this, as that’d probably be the most convenient option.

We went through Adventure Tour Center which is located in town. I’m glad we did because it allowed us the chance to see the “real” Tulum—otherwise we probably wouldn’t have left the beach strip (more on that below). We did their Cenote Adventure Tour which brings you to three cenotes:

• Casa Cenote – This is an open cenote, and was like swimming through the jungle and mangroves. Bring snorkeling gear so you can see all the fish! We went early and were the only ones there—it was so peaceful! If you’re only going to visit one cenote though, I’d go for one with caves.
• Grand Cenote – This was our favorite of the three! It’s half open, half enclosed with all these cool rock formations along the cave walls. Also lots of little turtles swimming around. Go early to avoid the crowds.
• Zacil-Ha – This small cenote has a zipline you can ride over it and jump down into the water. A fun activity but because it’s small, you’re sorta in and out in like 15 minutes. Not a must-see, but a fun stop if you’re seeing multiple cenotes.

Adventure Tour Center also has a Cave Experience that brings you to the Sac Actun Cenote which looks amazing (I kinda wish we had done this one!). Their Afternoon Cenote Experience brings you to Casa Tortuga.

Friends of ours used Adventure Tour Center as well and really liked their Muyil River Float, which they said was super zen and relaxing.

Next time we visit Tulum, we’re going to check out Dos Ojos, which was the most highly recommended cenote by our friends. It’s about 15 minutes way from the beach road and massive. Also Maya Cabana Cenote, which is close to the hotels and apparently has a cool structure you can jump off and kayaks you can use.

Go into Town (The “Real” Tulum)

Our tour guide compared the beach strip of Tulum to Las Vegas—it’s fantasyland, not the real Tulum the locals know and love. It’s a good analogy, but literally speaking: don’t worry, Tulum is *nothing* like Vegas lol.

A couple food options in town:

• Batey – A really cool Mojito bar with great food. They crank the sugar cane for each drink in a vintage VW Bug.
• Estancia Jujena – Good any time of day, snack, lunch, coffee.

Visit the Tulum Mayan Ruins

The Mayan ruins in Tulum are really close to the main beach strip—just a bike ride away! Joe and I rode bikes to Papaya Playa Project for a yoga class and breakfast and then continued our bike ride on to the ruins (it’s probably 15 minutes from PPP via bike). The entry fee is 75 pesos (like $5 USD).

We decided to explore on our own without a guide. There are informational plaques around the ruins explaining what everything is and we just sort of eavesdropped whenever a guided group would walk by. That being said, you can pay extra for a guide. There are also lots of third-party tour companies you can go through that do combo tours of the ruins and cenotes, ruins and snorkeling, ruins and Akumal, etc. You can compare all the options here via TripAdvisor.

It gets hot at the ruins so I’d either save it for a cloudy day or go early. There’s also a really cool beach below the ruins so you can end your tour by walking down the cliff steps and going for a dip. Bring a towel to the ruins if you plan to do this!

Swim with Turtles at Akumal Bay

This isn’t technically in Tulum (close though), but multiple people recommended snorkeling with the turtles at Akumal Bay. It’s on our list for next time!

Start the Day with a Yoga Class

Almost every hotel along the beach offers some sort of yoga class in the morning. At some they’re free for guests of the hotel, at others you have to pay regardless of if you’re a guest or not ($15-20). We based our class selection on where we wanted to eat breakfast.

These are the only two we checked out while we were there, but we loved both! Most, if not all, the yoga classes provide you with mats.

Sanara

Sanara website // Sanara TripAdvisor reviews

Sanara has a dedicated yoga studio and holds three classes a day, two in the morning and one in the early evening. Check their schedule because depending on the day and time, the type of yoga class will vary. It’s $20 and you just pay at the reception desk (there was no need to sign up in advance). After class eat breakfast at The Real Coconut!

Papaya Playa Project

Papaya Playa Project website // Papaya Playa Project TripAdvisor reviews

Papaya Playa Project has a 90-minute yoga class daily at 9am. It’s free for guests of the hotel and $15 otherwise, which you pay at reception. The yoga teacher will then lead you from reception through the winding jungle paths of the hotel to the yoga deck. It’s nestled under a teepee-like structure up high on a ledge overlooking the ocean—it was pretty magical!

Yaan Wellness

Yaan Wellness website // Yaan Wellness TripAdvisor reviews

We didn’t practice here, but friends of ours suggested their treetop yoga class ($20).

Tulum Beach Clubs/Where to Lounge

Everyone I asked had a different favorite spot to chill on the beach. I’d recommend walking the beach and checking out the cabana/lounge set ups as you go, and just picking one that looks like your scene. You can use any hotel’s beach setup even if you’re not a guest there. Typically there’s a minimum you have to spend on drinks and/or food while you’re there if you’re not a guest, but it’s low ($25-ish).

Coco Tulum

Coco Tulum website // Coco Tulum TripAdvisor reviews

We loved the beach setup at our hotel! Coco Tulum has a restaurant/bar deck on the beach with swings, hammocks, lounge chairs and tables. They have music playing, and sometimes even have body painters and other fun novelties.

The swings are very Instagrammable so it’s also pretty entertaining to watch one girl after another force her boyfriend to take 3,000 pictures of her posing in them lollol. And it goes without saying that I’m laughing with them, not at them—you KNOW I did that exact same shit every day. 😉

Ziggy Beach

Ziggy Beach website // Ziggy Beach TripAdvisor reviews

This is a big spot with good drinks and a pretty solid menu. They have great service, amazing ceviche, cheap, and you can get your drinks in a coconut with a face on it. <– via our friends, we never made it here.

Ahau

Ahau website // Ahau TripAdvisor reviews

We walked by this place most days (we loved the long beach walk from our hotel to The Real Coconut or Eufemia or where ever we were going for breakfast or lunch). It looked awesome and came recommended by friends. Hippy vibe with beach hammocks.

Hip Hotel

Hip Hotel website // Hip Hotel TripAdvisor reviews

Great cabanas, good service. It is also right next to Eufemia, so easy walk for amazing tacos (basically our days revolved around getting to Eufemia at 3:30 lol).

La Zebra

La Zebra website // La Zebra TripAdvisor reviews

As I mentioned, this is the place that has more of a party vibe. During the day they have live music and a DJ on the beach. They also have a Mulberry Project, where you pick an alcohol and some different ingredients and they create a custom cocktail based on what you like.

Nomade

Nomade website // Nomade TripAdvisor reviews

We never ended up lounging here, but it was our friends’ favorite spot along the beach.

Casa Malca

Casa Malca website // Casa Malca TripAdvisor reviews

This spot is popular because it was Pablo Escobar’s hotel. We regretfully didn’t make it here, but it looks really cool and funky. They have an underground pool and couch swings. Our friends said it’s a great spot for afternoon drinks.

Tulum Nightlife

Almost all the restaurants have a bar area if you’re just looking to get a few after-dinner drinks. But if you’re looking for a big night out or some dancing and music, these are the spots:

• THURSDAY NIGHTS – Casa Jaguar is the place to go on Thursday nights. Gitano is also good on Thursdays. Keep in mind both these places are also restaurants, so dinner service will gradually blend into a DJ setting up and the nighttime scene picking up.
• FRIDAY NIGHTS – Gitano. I had a little *too* much fun Friday night at Gitano (no tequila for me the next day haha). As the night goes on, there’ll be a line so I’d try to go by 11pm.
• SATURDAY NIGHTS – Papaya Playa Project throws a massive beach party on Saturday nights. You have to pay a cover and then they give you wrist bands that you have to load with money to pay for drinks (Joe and I were like WTF are we at Fyre Fest?! lol). The party doesn’t start filling in until 11:30pm, so it’s not worth the cover if you just want a couple drinks. If you’re looking to dance the night away on the beach though, this is the spot on Saturdays! Super cool set up.

I was surprised at how New York-y the nightlife scene in Tulum is. Don’t get me wrong, super fun and not everyone is like this … but you’ll see a lot of people taking themselves way too seriously and clearly there to “see and be seen,” — you know the types I’m talking about. 😉

Final Tulum Travel Tips

Rent Bikes

Our hotel offered bike rentals for $12/day and I bet a lot of the others do too. There are also designated bike rental shops along the beach road and there are bike racks everywhere. Cabs are easy to come by, but biking makes getting around so easy! The beach road is a little dicey to ride on in certain areas and at busy times, but no one drives very fast so it’s really fine. Once you get towards the northern end and beyond, there’s even a bike path.

Bring Cash!

The newer hotels and restaurants will take credit cards, but many places are cash-only. We exchanged our dollars for pesos at the Cancun airport when we landed, but the exchange rates seemed to be better in Tulum so you might want to hold off until you get there.

There are ATMs in town and along the beach road, but the fees are pretty steep, so I’d recommend taking cash out in the States and then exchanging it when you first get to Tulum.

Pack Bug Spray

Remember, Tulum is in the jungle! As the sun starts to set, the mosquitos will come out to feast. The one night I forgot to spray myself before we went out, my ankles got eaten alive.

Tulum is a Zika virus area according to the CDC’s website, so that’s something to consider if you are pregnant or are wanting to be pregnant in the near future.

Ok that’s all I’ve got for you! Have you been to Tulum? Any Tulum recommendations I missed? Share yours in the comments!