Clear blue water, powdered sand, palm trees, fresh local food, and yoga all pretty much sum up Tulum in a nutshell. I was in Tulum for a week leading a yoga retreat at Aqua Viva and took the time to travel a few days beforehand to soak it all in myself. I stayed at an AirBNB in the city (about 15 minute taxi ride or 40 minute bike ride to the beach). It was lovely and walking distance to some of my favorite food spots in Tulum.
De Cielo is a wonderful breakfast spot with delicious smoothies and breakfast. I highly recommend going here before 2pm for breakfast or brunch.
Batey is a wonderful cocktail bar with live music at night that makes killer Mojitos with fresh squeezed Sugar Cane Juice-A must try!
El Bacaro and Unico were two amazing dinner places in Tulum. The former is an Italian spot with fresh made pizza's. The burrata was to die for and the pastas are all hand made. Unico is a modern French restaurant with really interesting paintings by this girl Emma who combines human body's with animal faces. Quite intriguing! My Ahi Tuna was extremely fresh and delicious!
A restaurant on the beach that was my absolute favorite is called Simple. All fresh seafood and delicious drinks. The ambiance of the restaurant is super cute and swanky. For my Vegan friends out there Raw Love connected to the beach resort Ahau has the most fresh Acai/smoothie bowls. Really refreshing after a long day in the sun!
Some of my favorite beach resorts in Tulum are Be Tulum, Nomade, Amansala, and Sanara. What I love most about Tulum is how un-commercialized it is. Every resort has it's own architecture and character, which sets it apart from the next resort. Tulum is a Yoga Mecca and almost all resorts offer yoga classes 1-2 times a day.
Enough Food talk! Some must-do activities in Tulum are the Mayan Ruins, Gran Cenotes, Temazcal (Mayan Sweat Lodge) and a Sound Bath. Tulum is rich in Mayan culture and learning about it with a guided tour at the Ruins is educational and quite fascinating. Did you know most of Tulum sits over water? YES! Centotes run underneath the city of Tulum which makes it extremely powerful energetically. You have to be there to experience the magic!
If you are looking for a relaxing vacation getaway with beautiful beaches and good food/drinks then Tulum is the place to be. It doesn't have a huge club scene, which I was totally fine with. If you want more of a going out scene I recommend Playa Del Carmen or Cancun. Overall, I highly recommend Tulum to anyone interested in vacationing to unplug and soak in natures beauty!