my honest thoughts about tulum (for better or for worse)
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okay i have to start this post with a few disclaimers.
first of all, it is covid. i am so lucky/grateful to be ANYWHERE. but this is the life i have built for myself and i still have to pursue my life/dreams/passion/career, so here i am. just tryina stay safe, sane, and inspired, people.
second, i believe every place you travel is mostly what you make it. i honestly have loved 80% of the places i’ve travelled because i love travelling and i chose to go there, so why wouldn’t i like it? so much of your experience depends on your attitude and choices you make while you’re there. also the people you meet and the weather have a lot to do with it. so i believe anyone can go to tulum and have a perfect experience, even if i did not.
third, i find that when a place has been hyped up to me by a lot of people, my expectations are set very high. so the issues i have are mostly coming from me being extremely picky.
also, when i have a preconceived idea of a place, that’s usually what i experience — and i expected tulum to be a big instagram scene and so of course that’s what i experienced. coming from me, a blogger and instagram enthusiast, i know. but i do my best not to let instagram dictate my experience and if you know me you know i travel for adventure and not for instagram.
finally, let’s be real, cape town has my heart and i just always compare everywhere to there and nothing could ever measure up.
okay let’s get into the better and the worse!
things i love about tulum:
the hotel zone on the beach is so so stunning. so much creativity and dreams have gone into the architecture and it is next level boho bouj. it is dreamy. the cafes and boutique shops are so cute and i love how the jungle goes right up to the beach. a palm tree paradise. a couple recos are raw love on the beach, quesadilla at mina, drinks at papaya playa. habitas is such an oasis and the food is stupid good.
the town is vibey and authentic with mostly locals, a ton of cute cafes and amazing restaurants and fun bars. i will defs be posting a thorough list on this lata but a few faves are del cielo cafe, veg burger at the food burger, batey mojito bar, raw love, liefs vegan food truck, and i love me a ladies night at che.
some of the people i met are awesome. overall there is a vibe of free spirited, fun, friendly, chill people. i love the people that care about nature and escaping the rat race and living in paradise. i just like when people choose to be happy.
there’s a thriving expat community and a lot of people are just working remotely here which is cool. again, happy for them lol. they are living their dream.
cenote diving is epic. it’s unlike anything else i’ve experienced. crazy vivid colours, magical underwater light beams, massive caves. you never could imagine it from the surface. i dove with @tulum.breathtaking and Angel is the best. calavera was awesome for chillin’ (it’s the one with the rope swing and ladder) and i went diving in dos ojos, casa, and carwash, each was so unique and cool.
there is so much else i loved about tulum. i had some amazing conversations and fun nights of bar hopping. people were drumming and dancing on the street and it was the best. there are so many amazing hostels and airbnbs and hotels obv. it’s so fun to bike down the street. there really are some great insta opps (go figure lol). i loved gypsea market. the list goes on.
things i do not love about tulum:.
i did not love the part when there was a hurricane and you have to leave town or there’s a tropical storm that leaves you with a flooded room and no power for the day. although i did make the most of those by getting drunk with strangers in a taco line and popping down to bacalar for a couple days!
it is SO HOT AND HUMID i am just sweating 24/7. i mean it’s not like i would rather be in canada but i wouldn’t say the temp is exactly comfortable.
the town and beach are far apart, like a 10-15 minute taxi ride (or a sweaty collectivo or bike ride). i am all about location so it sucks there is no perfect location here.
it is so fricken expensive. the beach is all high-end vacationer prices, like I didn’t come to mexico to spend $18 on a glass of wine, and even some spots in the town are quite pricey. i’m comparing this to living in cape town, let alone cental america or southeast asia. it’s not the best budget traveller spot.
some of the people suck. just not my vibe. would love to give some examples here but i dont wanna be rude 😁..
there is a level of pretentiousness, talking about money, and doing-it-for-the-gram here. also i prefer destinations that attract adventurers, not vacationers. i am totally generalizing here but that’s just been my experience.
it is SO annoying how pay-to-play it is at the beach. the hotels are so stunning but you can’t just walk through and admire without a staff member swooping in and telling you it’s private property. also places have minimum spend so you have to pay for a beach chair, or at least $35 usd ($46 cad), for breakfast, etc. even if you walk in to look they’ll pounce on you and be like WHATS YOUR ROOM NUMBER. even the public beach side has minimum spends. it is just so exclusive and annoying.
i do not love techno music and there is a lot of that scene here. i feel like a lot of places don’t know how to read the room and will just pump some loud music. like can i get some chill raggaeton please.
wifi overall is not great anywhere i’ve been. it’s either sketch or power cuts out altogether.
hokay those are my thoughts but honestly tulum is a special place and i recommend everyone comes here and has their own experience! stay tuned for my recos on where to eat, drink, dive, stay, etc. :)
