eks6426
Ideal_Rock
- Joined
- Nov 19, 2004
- Messages
- 2,011
Per Mara''s request---
My husband and I took our first anniversary trip to the Tulum area of Mexico at the beginning of July. To get to Tulum, we flew into Cancun, rented a car, and drove about 2 hours south. (Car rental was from EasyWay--And they give you beer when they give you the keys. So strange!) We past all the mega-all-inclusives which are just enormous. We past Playa del Carmen which is a cute town but very busy and filled with tourists. Finally, the traffic thinned out and we got to Tulum. There are 2 parts to Tulum--the pueblo (city) and the playa (beach area). The pueblo was small and not very interesting the but the playa area was really cool. It''s basically one road along the beach rimmed with tropical jungle. There are tons of small beach cabana hotels that have restaurants. The beach cabanas are basically stick huts with thatched roofs. Some of sand floors, others tiles. The whole area does not have pole power so the only electricity is from generators or solar panals. Most places use the electricity they make to run the kitchen a few lights around the place. Some of their cabanas might have a single light that works from 6 to 11pm only. None of the places have air conditioning. Many of the cabanas open right onto the ocean which let''s in really nice breezes. The cabanas set back from the beach in the jungle were very hot to me. We much preferred the beach ones.
The beach cabanas huts are very simple inside. Most of them have a double bed that is hung from the ceiling and covered in mosquito netting (they sway in the breeze--it''s like being a big cradle!) There are usually a couple of chairs and a wardrobe for your clothes. Occassionally we''d get a table. Most of the ones we stayed in had tile floors. Some of the cheap cabanas have hammocks and sand floors. Some have private bathrooms, others have shared facilities. I was pretty hung up on the private bathroom concept at first, but we found the cabanas we liked best were usually the ones without private facilities. The shared toilet/shower areas were really clean and worked just fine. Prices for the cabanas are pretty much under $50 per day...some as low as $15.
The whole Tulum playa area is very laid back and bohemian feeling. It has a very international flavor because most of the tourists are Europeans...many in their 20s backpacking. I not only got to practice my Spanish but my French as well. Wish I knew German and Italian. There was just a definite "vibe" to the whole area that my husband and I liked. It''s hard to explain. Totally different than the large resorts up the road toward Cancun.
The beaches are just beautiful. The water is so clear that it looks like pool water. It''s the perfect turquoise people imagine when thinking about the Caribbean. And it was blissfully warm. I have never been in ocean water that was TOO warm before. It was much warmer than the water I experienced on my honeymoon in the Grenandines. The sand in the Tulum playa area is super soft white powered sugar. There are almost no rocks or coral to cut your feet upon entering the water. The waves were slightly too big for my taste...I like to just bob around or lay on a float. But it was shallow for a long time so I spent a lot of time just sitting about waist high in the water and letting the waves flow around me.
Our favorite beach area was in the Sian Kaan biosphere directly south of the Tulum Playa area. The biosephere is a Mexican park. Development has been prohibited (although it looks like it is growing) so there are very few buildings. The road is basically a bulldozed path through the jungle. We felt like we were speeding if we got to 30 miles per hour. It was very bumpy and potholed. Get the 0 deductible insurance on your rental car if you go here. But the ride was worth it to arrive at beaches that were completely deserted. Miles and miles of perfect white sand & turquoise water with not a sole in sight. It was perfect.
We also went to Tankah Bay and Soliman Bay which are about 5 miles north of Tulum Playa. These bays have barrier reefs protecting them from the waves. They are very shallow--maybe 10 feet max. And filled with coral which was great for snorkeling. We spent a lot of time looking at the fish. We were very grateful for our water shoes on these beaches because the sand wasn''t soft--lots of coral pieces washed up and very sharp. Ouch.
We swam in the cenotes (sink holes) which was very different. The cenotes are fresh water underground rivers that have been exposed. It''s basically like snorkeling in a cave although we could see the sky. It has the same sort of stactites/stalagmites you would see in caves. And the water was cold. Great for cooling off on the really hot days!
The food in the cabana restaurants was outstanding. We ate out at a different place each day. Most of the places only had a few tables under some palapas in the sand. A few were larger but still very small by US standards. Most places served the typical chips and salsa (although it was more like pico de gallo). If you eat and more authentic Mexican restaurants at home, the food is really pretty similar. The alcholic drinks however are very small. I was expecting the margaritas to come in the big glasses like at home...wrong! They come in small tumblers--about the size of an orange juice glass. And were very weak. We quickly decided that ordering alcholic drinks was pointless and expensive. $5 for a weak drink in an orange juice glass didn''t work for us. So, we started ordering the non-alcholic drinks that were different. One day I had one made out of Hibiscus flowers. It was a beautiful shade of red and tasted a lot like cranberry juice. Another day I had one made out of Chaya fruit and lime. Very good.
We were advised not to drink the water or eat any fresh veggies that couldn''t be sealed. So, we bought bottled water and drank that every day. We also used it to brush our teeth. We got a bit of the Montezuma''s revenge but not too bad. We finally figured out that it was the eggs. Eggs are not refrigerated...they sit on trucks in the 95 degree heat, then are not even refrigerated in the stores. Once we figuered out that we shouldn''t eat anymore hueveos rancheros we were good!
I was really happy with this trip. I did most of my research on locogringo.com. It''s a fantastic forum site for the Rivereria Maya area of Mexico. We booked the first couple of nights before we left then moved around to the places that looked good. I read a lot of reviews from people who booked and paid for certain cabanas and didn''t get them so I didn''t want to get stuck in a prepaid place that was in the jungle. We never had any problems finding great places to stay.
You pretty much have to pay for everything in cash. Almost no place took credit cards which was very weird. We had some money stolen our first day so we decided not to keep much cash on hand. Every day we drove back into Tulum pueblo to go to the ATM machine. The machine dispensed pesos and the fee was low (about $.70 and my bank charged $1.). The funny thing was the local Mexicans took forever in the ATM machine booth. Sometimes 1 guy could be in there 20 minutes. They always looked shocked when were were out in under a minute. I still don''t know what they did in there! Sometimes the machine would run out of money so we tried to go earlier in the day. We found the local people to be very friendly and helpful. The area is definitely poor. Families live in the stick huts...but not as nice as the cabanas where we stayed. We wondered why there were very few frozen foods...then we realized most people didn''t have refigerators. I left torn between wanting to help some of the people and feeling envious because they mostly seemd really happy living a simpler life. We could learn something from them!
This area of Mexico is changing fast. There is an international airport going in near Tulum which will change everything. A lot of properties are up for sale and I bet it won''t be long before it''s just like Playa del Carmen. If I had money, I''d buy one of the beach lots for $50,000 and sit on it for awhile.
If anyone wants more details or has specific questions, just let me know. I''ll try to post some pictures in the next few posts.
My husband and I took our first anniversary trip to the Tulum area of Mexico at the beginning of July. To get to Tulum, we flew into Cancun, rented a car, and drove about 2 hours south. (Car rental was from EasyWay--And they give you beer when they give you the keys. So strange!) We past all the mega-all-inclusives which are just enormous. We past Playa del Carmen which is a cute town but very busy and filled with tourists. Finally, the traffic thinned out and we got to Tulum. There are 2 parts to Tulum--the pueblo (city) and the playa (beach area). The pueblo was small and not very interesting the but the playa area was really cool. It''s basically one road along the beach rimmed with tropical jungle. There are tons of small beach cabana hotels that have restaurants. The beach cabanas are basically stick huts with thatched roofs. Some of sand floors, others tiles. The whole area does not have pole power so the only electricity is from generators or solar panals. Most places use the electricity they make to run the kitchen a few lights around the place. Some of their cabanas might have a single light that works from 6 to 11pm only. None of the places have air conditioning. Many of the cabanas open right onto the ocean which let''s in really nice breezes. The cabanas set back from the beach in the jungle were very hot to me. We much preferred the beach ones.
The beach cabanas huts are very simple inside. Most of them have a double bed that is hung from the ceiling and covered in mosquito netting (they sway in the breeze--it''s like being a big cradle!) There are usually a couple of chairs and a wardrobe for your clothes. Occassionally we''d get a table. Most of the ones we stayed in had tile floors. Some of the cheap cabanas have hammocks and sand floors. Some have private bathrooms, others have shared facilities. I was pretty hung up on the private bathroom concept at first, but we found the cabanas we liked best were usually the ones without private facilities. The shared toilet/shower areas were really clean and worked just fine. Prices for the cabanas are pretty much under $50 per day...some as low as $15.
The whole Tulum playa area is very laid back and bohemian feeling. It has a very international flavor because most of the tourists are Europeans...many in their 20s backpacking. I not only got to practice my Spanish but my French as well. Wish I knew German and Italian. There was just a definite "vibe" to the whole area that my husband and I liked. It''s hard to explain. Totally different than the large resorts up the road toward Cancun.
The beaches are just beautiful. The water is so clear that it looks like pool water. It''s the perfect turquoise people imagine when thinking about the Caribbean. And it was blissfully warm. I have never been in ocean water that was TOO warm before. It was much warmer than the water I experienced on my honeymoon in the Grenandines. The sand in the Tulum playa area is super soft white powered sugar. There are almost no rocks or coral to cut your feet upon entering the water. The waves were slightly too big for my taste...I like to just bob around or lay on a float. But it was shallow for a long time so I spent a lot of time just sitting about waist high in the water and letting the waves flow around me.
Our favorite beach area was in the Sian Kaan biosphere directly south of the Tulum Playa area. The biosephere is a Mexican park. Development has been prohibited (although it looks like it is growing) so there are very few buildings. The road is basically a bulldozed path through the jungle. We felt like we were speeding if we got to 30 miles per hour. It was very bumpy and potholed. Get the 0 deductible insurance on your rental car if you go here. But the ride was worth it to arrive at beaches that were completely deserted. Miles and miles of perfect white sand & turquoise water with not a sole in sight. It was perfect.
We also went to Tankah Bay and Soliman Bay which are about 5 miles north of Tulum Playa. These bays have barrier reefs protecting them from the waves. They are very shallow--maybe 10 feet max. And filled with coral which was great for snorkeling. We spent a lot of time looking at the fish. We were very grateful for our water shoes on these beaches because the sand wasn''t soft--lots of coral pieces washed up and very sharp. Ouch.
We swam in the cenotes (sink holes) which was very different. The cenotes are fresh water underground rivers that have been exposed. It''s basically like snorkeling in a cave although we could see the sky. It has the same sort of stactites/stalagmites you would see in caves. And the water was cold. Great for cooling off on the really hot days!
The food in the cabana restaurants was outstanding. We ate out at a different place each day. Most of the places only had a few tables under some palapas in the sand. A few were larger but still very small by US standards. Most places served the typical chips and salsa (although it was more like pico de gallo). If you eat and more authentic Mexican restaurants at home, the food is really pretty similar. The alcholic drinks however are very small. I was expecting the margaritas to come in the big glasses like at home...wrong! They come in small tumblers--about the size of an orange juice glass. And were very weak. We quickly decided that ordering alcholic drinks was pointless and expensive. $5 for a weak drink in an orange juice glass didn''t work for us. So, we started ordering the non-alcholic drinks that were different. One day I had one made out of Hibiscus flowers. It was a beautiful shade of red and tasted a lot like cranberry juice. Another day I had one made out of Chaya fruit and lime. Very good.
We were advised not to drink the water or eat any fresh veggies that couldn''t be sealed. So, we bought bottled water and drank that every day. We also used it to brush our teeth. We got a bit of the Montezuma''s revenge but not too bad. We finally figured out that it was the eggs. Eggs are not refrigerated...they sit on trucks in the 95 degree heat, then are not even refrigerated in the stores. Once we figuered out that we shouldn''t eat anymore hueveos rancheros we were good!
I was really happy with this trip. I did most of my research on locogringo.com. It''s a fantastic forum site for the Rivereria Maya area of Mexico. We booked the first couple of nights before we left then moved around to the places that looked good. I read a lot of reviews from people who booked and paid for certain cabanas and didn''t get them so I didn''t want to get stuck in a prepaid place that was in the jungle. We never had any problems finding great places to stay.
You pretty much have to pay for everything in cash. Almost no place took credit cards which was very weird. We had some money stolen our first day so we decided not to keep much cash on hand. Every day we drove back into Tulum pueblo to go to the ATM machine. The machine dispensed pesos and the fee was low (about $.70 and my bank charged $1.). The funny thing was the local Mexicans took forever in the ATM machine booth. Sometimes 1 guy could be in there 20 minutes. They always looked shocked when were were out in under a minute. I still don''t know what they did in there! Sometimes the machine would run out of money so we tried to go earlier in the day. We found the local people to be very friendly and helpful. The area is definitely poor. Families live in the stick huts...but not as nice as the cabanas where we stayed. We wondered why there were very few frozen foods...then we realized most people didn''t have refigerators. I left torn between wanting to help some of the people and feeling envious because they mostly seemd really happy living a simpler life. We could learn something from them!
This area of Mexico is changing fast. There is an international airport going in near Tulum which will change everything. A lot of properties are up for sale and I bet it won''t be long before it''s just like Playa del Carmen. If I had money, I''d buy one of the beach lots for $50,000 and sit on it for awhile.
If anyone wants more details or has specific questions, just let me know. I''ll try to post some pictures in the next few posts.
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