Hey guys, it’s been a while….
We’ve been in semi quarantine here in New York City for a good six months now and like everyone else, I was going crazy. Tulum has been on my list of places to travel for about a year, and I finally decided to execute. Covid wasn’t going to stop me.
This is gonna be long, so I added a Table of Contents bar; You can skip through to get to where you need….
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Tulum is located on the Caribbean coast of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. The city boasts great weather, beautiful blue water, amazing beach resorts and numerous cenotes (pronounced ce•note•tay ; A cenote is a deep, water-filled sinkhole in limestone that is created when the roof of an underground cavern collapse. There are thousands in the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico and very highly sought out for swimming and scuba diving)
First things first, I squared away accommodation for my trip. In Tulum, you can choose to stay in two places: Downtown Tulum or the Tulum Beach Strip. The two are about 10-15 minutes away from each other, but hold completely different vibes. Tulum overall is a chill city, but if you’re looking for a Instagram-worthy location, visible tourists and a little turn up, I recommend the strip. If you want a laid back and cheaper area, Downtown Tulum is just as good and only a bike or car ride away from the strip action!
Tulum is famous for it’s luxury hotels and condos, but also the luxury condos and houses available for short term stays. Airbnb is a popular choice in Tulum and their housing choices are immaculate.
This trip I decided to lodge in two places. The first place was this Airbnb , located in the Aldea Zama area. There is also washer and dryer if you’re someone who doesn’t like to take back dirty clothes, like me. Usually, I’m not one to give 5 star ratings but I had nothing bad to say about this place! It was clean, the WiFi worked flawlessly and the hot water (yes, that means something in Tulum) WORKED! The only downside is there isn’t an elevator, if you plan on packing heavy like I did.
Click on the link below for the video tour of the Airbnb
Airbnb Tour
For the other half of my stay, I stayed at Casa Agape Boutique Hotel in the Tulum Centro area. You can access their website here.
Over the years, I’ve become a lover of boutique hotels. They are usually smaller, offer the same amenities as larger chain hotels, offer a unique experience and have a cheaper price tag. What I love about this one, was it’s perfect mix of tranquility and eco-luxury. There are only two room types at Casa Agape: private terrace and garden or balcony. I obviously picked the private garden, because why not have it all? This hotel is the sister hotel to the beach resort Diamante K which you can find here. Guests at Casa Agape get free access to their private beach and resort.
Click on the link below for the video tour of the Airbnb
Casa Agape Room Tour
The primary mode of contact with my Airbnb concierge and hotel was through Whatsapp and I highly recommend downloading the app if coming to Tulum. I use Whatsapp frequently day to day, but it’s a great app to have to communicate with people around the world, or when you are. It works with a data plan or WiFi through your mobile number. Many of the hotels, Airbnb’s, tour guides and even taxi drivers will prefer to contact you this way as service can and WILL be spotty on US carriers. I have Sprint and even with their 3G LTE roaming network, there were numerous instances of zero network around the city. AT&T might have better luck as their service always reigns supreme, but I still recommend Whatsapp just in case. The app is compatible with all Android and Apple products and can even be used on the web. It’s a no brainer.
Transportation
There is no airport in Tulum. The closest airport is Cancun Int’l Airport (CUN). My friend and I rented a car from Turo Car Rental for the week for about $23 a day. The drive from Cancun to Tulum is about 1 hour 45 mins. Taxis, shuttles and your lodging accommodation might all be able to provide transfer services but we wanted the freedom to just get up and go. The highway is pretty much one long straight road until you get into town.
Driving in Tulum is pretty straight forward if you ever drove in the islands. Dirt, concrete, and gravel roads with a lot of pot holes that will stop your heart and try to end your life. If you are roaming on a network like I was, I recommend downloading an offline map of Tulum on Google Maps so if you lose service you’ll be able to keep GPS and directions without needing service.
Parking in downtown Tulum is pretty average but parking on the beach strip is damn near impossible. Parking lots will run you a charge of 100-200 pesos to park inside and street side parking is pretty much reserved for taxi’s only.
After renting a car, my next suggestion would be to taxi it around town. They are always readily available and cheap if you’re traveling in numbers. If you have any recommendations of drivers from friends , taxi prices might be a little cheaper but I believe the taxi’s tend to price gauge slightly if you don’t speak Spanish. The prices aren’t overabundant but I’m trying to save y’all money. I recommend carrying pesos instead of dollars as change might not be available.
Lastly, there are the bike and scooter options. For me, I wasn’t going to Bike the far distances I wanted to go in 90 degree weather. I think the bikes are great ideas for short distances and are REALLY cheap (about $80-100/ $4-$7 pesos a day) but with the heat, I prefer the car. Scooters run from about 300-500 pesos/ $17-$23 a day.
Language
Spanish is the official language of Mexico but most of the residents speak English relatively well. If you are concerned, download Google Translate and add Spanish to your downloaded languages to use offline and brush up on some basic Spanish phrases.
Currency
Mexico’s currency is the Mexican Peso and the current exchange rate is $1 USD = 21-23 pesos depending on where you go to exchange. If not absolutely necessary DO NOT change money at the airport. The exchange rates are extremely low and you will be jipped for a good 2-3 dollars depending. If you can’t wait, exchange a small amount of money at the airport to get you on your way and exchange the rest at a bank, local ATM or money exchange outlet. You should be able to find these all throughout Tulum. If you do plan to take out from an ATM, make sure it’s either an ATM attached to a bank branch , an ATM owned by a bank or an ATM in a big grocery store, like Chedraui. The others will get you scammed and are said to be run by the mafia. Also, make sure you withdraw a ballpark figure of what you need for your duration. I was charged a Mexican Intl fee twice every time I withdrew. It was only about $2-3 every transaction but it does add up. Some places accept US dollars, but many do not OR do not have change in bigger bills to give you. Cards are accepted as well, but not everywhere. Rule of thumb: Have pesos.
Since my Tulum itinerary was a mix of touristy and local activities, I made sure all my tours were booked in advance. That included zip-lining, cenotes, ATV riding and some restaurants located on the Beach Strip. For any of the big name restaurants or attractions, it’s almost mandatory to make reservations. Trying to do so the day of or day before will have you utterly disappointed. Most, if not all of the popular restaurants use Open Table so search and book dates, if not multiple in advance.
Below is a list of the restaurants I visited and some reviews. (Use that Table Of Contents Bar)
Zipling & More
So as I said earlier, I booked all my excursions ahead of time. My friend and I wanted to zip-line and ATV so I made it happen. The two tour companies I used roped in different activities with their tours which is why I opted for these over the cheaper options.
First was, Selva Maya. From my hotel, the park grounds was about 20 mins away. For $80, we zip lined across 9 lines, rock climbed, rappelled, crossed 5 suspension bridges, swam through two cenotes and were given Mayan style tacos for lunch. Selva Maya’s website was under construction at the time, so I reserved my tour through email at [email protected]. They responded within the hour. The tour times are 9am and 1pm and if you are paying at the park, bring physical cash.
The tour was AMAZING and definitely, bang for your buck. The tour guides were very thorough and humorous and made the overall experience much more enjoyable while safe. As for Covid safety, masks are required at all times except when swimming and eating. There are hand wash stations at the beginning of the tour before safety demonstrations and the tour guides wear masks as well.
I would 100% recommend this tour if you are a thrill seeker or looking to try something new. They start your journey speeding through the jungle in a no door Mercedes Benz Unimog, which is not as glamorous as it sounds. You’ll have to duck out the way for branches and leaves, but this started off the experience at a 10 for me.
MAYAN STYLE TACOS. CHICKEN, PORK OR VEGGIE OPTIONS
ATV + Monkey Sanctuary
Next up was my adventure favorite #2, the ATV’s. I drove an ATV once, in the snow on a glacier in Iceland but I’ve been dying to do the whole on dry land and dirt thing. This tour operated by Akumal Money Sanctuary. From my hotel to these park grounds, the driving distance was 25 minutes. It is located in the beach town of Akumal, so if you have spare time, you can explore and visit some of the attractions there as well.
For $110, you are able to drive a 4×4 through the jungle to a cenote, swim in the cenote, explore and learn about the animals in the animal sanctuary and end it off holding and taking photos with some rescued animals. Packages cost $75 for pictures and videos and the video is a waste of time. The photos are GREAT though. Even though I was on an ATV, I still had more fun zip lining. I wish the riding segment was slightly longer and I think the driving would be a lot more fun (for me) if everyone was zipping down the road instead of driving in a line. We weren’t going slow by any means but I’m an adrenaline junkie. Masks weren’t strictly enforced on the tour itself but in the main welcome center, they were. They offer hair nets to wear under your helmets and a bandanna is strongly recommended while riding, or else you’ll look like the last photo under this section. No food is provided. Although not as fun as the zipling, this was still a great tour.
Black In Tulum
Thanks to Instagram, I was discovered by a fellow Black traveler, Ryan who happened to be in Tulum as well. He invited me to a Black in Tulum mixer, which he runs with a few other dope ass Black people. The event, Tribal Thursdays, was honoring the late Chadwick Boseman and also connecting black entrepreneurs, influencers, travelers and expats. It was held at Elixyr. The lounge/restaurant has a rooftop plunge pool and amazing view of the city. 50% off Mojitos and Margaritas from 5 – 7pm on Thrusdays BTW.
The event was a definite vibe and it’s always great to see a BLACK AF event with a good turn out and good motive. The group is on Facebook if you are interested and is full of people who are traveling, those who live in Tulum or those who are just looking and inquiring. Networking was at an all time high. 
Mistico Lounge
https://www.instagram.com/misticotulum/
I went mainly for the hookah, because I love hookah but the decor and vibe is so calming as well. The lounge has a jungle feel to it and even though it’s small, it’s just right. Drinks and hookah are cheap and though I didn’t try the food, I’m sure it is as well. The pictures of it look nice lol. I don’t have much to say but , GO. And take pictures. And take shots. And ring the bell on the Clase Azul bottle.
Last But Not Least
The overall vibe of the city, is chill but you can definitely have a lot of fun with the right crew. The Strip is practically South Beach and a good time can be had at any of the bar locations. The smaller the bar, the more genuine the atmosphere is from what I experienced, but I will not dim the light on Taboo or any other of the party bars and clubs. House parties and kick backs are pretty common as well. I say do it all if you can. I didn’t get to make it to Papaya Beach Project, Casa Jaguar or the other big names because I was having so much fun, but I would recommend going.
Oh & if you want any of that “stuff”, they got it. EVERYWHERE. Just listen while you walk down the streets and you’ll hear what you need. 2 grams for $32….
That’s all for now.
Choonks ❤️