Your Guide to Tulum Mexico
Two nights in Tulum featuring the Tulum beach palm tree
A quick go-to guide for Mexico's ever-so-popular town of Tulum.
featuring cenote tips, vegan eats and how to keep it cheap.
When Ryan and I decided to make the trip to Mexico for our friends' wedding, we knew we had to explore more of Mexico's renowned Yucatan Peninsula. After three incredible nights celebrating with all of our friends (cue LCD Soundsystem, All My Friends), Ry and I grabbed a rental car and drove down to Tulum for two days of cenote-hopping and taco-devouring.
Here's a quick glimpse at how you can spend two nights in Tulum:
Where to stay
There are basically two options in Tulum: stay in the city or on the beach (it's pretty obvious which one is pricier). We chose to stay in the city in a simple, but perfect for us Airbnb (linked) for just NZ$50/night. It was just a block over from the lively tourist streets, allowing us to be close to the savory street stalls, yet far enough away from the bars pumping music.
The city offers an eclectic mix of accommodation providers including boutique hotels, backpackers and tucked away AirBnBs. I loved getting up at dawn to see the slow morning commute happen for so many locals, splashing through monsoon pools hoping to reach their destination before the gods let it rain again.
Where to eat
Although my adventure heart was squealing for cenotes, my stomach was screaming for freshly-made, extra spicy comida de Mexico. Tulum is incredible for plant-based eats, matcha maniacs and tantalizing cocktails.
Tamale time at Suculenta
Here are our favorite vegan spots in town:
Aguacate Limon - Taco stand located in front of Amorcito Corazón hostel
El Bajón - Taco spot in the middle of a hip, little food truck park
Suculenta - Vegan tamales, need I say more?
Charley's Vegan Tacos - Sadly this was closed while we were in town, but we heard incredible things, plus it's near the beach.
La Hoja Verde - Roadside restaurant with a massive selection of veg & vegan food. Don't skip the guac and definitely enjoy a Mexicano cocktail or two.
And if you have access to a car or near the supermarket, I highly recommend checking out the snacks. We had spicy nopales (cactus) chips that I'm still dreaming about...
Where to beach
Sunrise is a must on Tulum Beach. If you want to climb a cute palm tree that looks as if the wind blew it sideways, pop down Maya beach to locate it.
Because we only had two nights in Tulum, we spent more time hunting cenotes than beach bumming, but I believe more local beaches stretch beyond the hotel zone. If you want beers and a bite with your toes in the sand, there are plenty of spots along the main beach.
Where to adventure
Cenotes. Cenotes. Cenotes. Need I say more?
Cenote Suytun
Ok, there is more to Mexico than just 6,000 cenotes, like their ancient Mayan ruins, however, Ry and I spent our time finding the most magical cenotes in the region.
If you have a car:
Cenote Suytun - see above, 90-minute drive from Tulum, but worth it.
Cenote Oxman - see below, nearby Suytun, (cenote guide here)
Swinging at Cenote Oxman
Near Tulum (bike, walk, taxi or take a colectivo):
Cenote Calavera - dare you jump through one of the holes?
Gran Cenote - we ended up not going here due to the crowds, plus they saw our camera and said we weren't able to bring it yet -- only GoPros allowed. More on this on my cenote blog.
Other honorable mentions, we'd love to go back to: Dos Ojos, Ik Kil, Sac Actun.
El fin.
Thanks for checking out my guide for two nights in Tulum. If you have any questions feel free to reach out! Hasta luego!
x, Viktoria
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