all my tulum recos: where to eat, drink, work, dive, stay, and play

okay so i’ve already shared with you my honest thoughts about tulum (for better or for worse), but enough about me!!! here are all my top recos in tulum.

where to stay

if you have money: the beach
if you don’t: the town

lawl okay there’s a little more to it than that. let me explain.

the town and beach are like a 10-15 min/200 peso ($12 cad) taxi ride away from each other.

the hotel zone on the beach is beautiful and boujee. the hotels are works of boho mayan art. they look like giant fancy birds nests or treehouses or at least beach bungalows. the clientele who stays here are, well, what you’d expect, but mostly vacationers vs. travellers if you knowwhatimean. the beach is so so beautiful with powder-white sand, turquoise water, and palm trees tucked in everywhere. the cheapest place and only “hostel” on the beach is Selina, which has dorm beds at like $50 a pop. pricey, but beautiful. there are so many amazing hotels but my top reco, if you’re looking to splurge, is habitas and it’s like a tranquil jungle beach retreat. definitely worth at least checking out and eating at if you wanna pay the $35 usd minimum.

town has more of an authentic, local feel, a totally different vibe. so many cute cafes and restaurants and bars and shops, and more affordable accom. i collabed and stayed at oostel hostel, and i loved how it was central in town, right beside the bus station, had a beautiful pool and lounge area, and was the cheapest private room i found (they are little cabins so not a ton of head room but still your own space!)

i loved all the staff (it’s run by argentinians, go figure) and partying at Che hostel but just keep in mind it’s a party hostel. i also stayed at mamas home and mayan monkey, and each had their own pros and cons!

there are also so many amazing airbnbs for like $50 a night (or maybe a lil less), i toyed with this idea a lot but ultimately wanted to be in a hostel to meet people, and to be RIGHT on the strip instead of a 10-min walk (it was hot and humid af). if i loved tulum and wanted to stay longer an airbnb would’ve been a perfect option.

eating/ drinking:

in town:

best mojitos and live music at bateys
the bar with swings right next to it, i think it’s called el milagrito?
best cafes for working: delcielo (prob my fave), ki’bok, raw love (all veg food and they chop coconuts on the patio), cara feliz (avo toast), and tropicalove (get the mango ginger smoothie mmm)
had the beyond veg burger at the good burger after diving each time and it was SSOOO GOOODD
the liefs vegan food truck by mayan monkey, pulled perk burger was so good
cheap drinks at chapultapec
ladies night/happy hour at che
burrito amor is so cute
go shopping at gypsea market, most soothing grocery experience and it’s fresh, local, organic

on the beach:

lovvvedd raw love, got an acai bowl and then later a proseccco, live music beach vibes
habitas food is unbelievable food
the best quesadilla of life at mina
drinks at papaya playa, day or night
mezzanine for thai food on the public beach side
get your insta at matcha mama
tacos at la euphemia (this is a public beach entrance on the hotel zone side)

honestly anywhere on the beach will have delish but $$ food. keep in mind many are beach clubs with minimum spend.

shopping

i got 3 swimsuits at sandmade swimwear, obsessed. all colours, basic, good fit, not crazy expens
la bikineria is adorable boho tulum style but pricey

to do

rent a bike (there are rental shops all over town) for like 100 pesos and cruise to the beach, through town, to the ruins (they’re past the public beach and the only ruins right along the water, 80 pesos, but SO HOT)
rent a car and do a trip to bacalar (2.5 hrs away, the “lagoon of 7 colours) - hostel there is Yak, go paddleboarding along the lake, eat/drink at la playita or in the main square, check out the rapids
also stop at mahahual, it’s paradiiisseee, beach town with calm turquoise waters, hammocks and swings in the water, toes-in-the-sand beach bars, a nice promenade. defs coulda spent a few nights there
rent a car and go to chicken itza, one of the 7 wonders of the world. like 2.5 hrs from tulum
in tulum, can go left to the public beach or right to hotel zone
visit Azulik, a gorgeous piece of mayan architecture and the museum is free! they also have a jungle location i wanted to go to but didnt
get your pic at the raw love statue, “Ven a la Luz” (it’s by a south african artist!! yayy) but expect a lineup of instagrammers waiting their turn
in tulum town, it’s so nice to just chill in the cute cafes (listed above), there’s lots of expats working remotely here and just a v liveable vibe.
CENOTES!! details below.

“Ven a la Luz” statue at Raw Love, which means “come into the light”

cenotes

these are freshwater sinkholes with insane cave system (there’s all connected!) all over the yucatan peninsula. there are like 5000 and you defs have to visit at least a few for chillin or diving.
go early to beat the crowds, and each has cover (it varies, but around $10-15 cad)
i chilled at zacil-ha and calavera. loved calavera, it has a rope swing and ladder and holes to jump through
i went diving with @tulum.breathtaking and it was so epic, an otherworldly experience. defs contact Angel when you come and he will take you to the best cenotes!! this was my fave part of tulum.
first dove dos ojos, it’s such a beautiful jungley spot, soo peaceful if you get there early. we did 2 dives: barbie line and batcave, was so crazy diving through the deep caves with flashlights past giant stalactites and stalagmites, and the light openings looked so magic. i was obsessed with the light beams in the cenotes.
casa cenote was awesome, it’s by the ocean so there is a blurry gradient where saltwater meets fresh, crazy light beams as you’re diving through mangroves, and a real life alligator that lives there!!
car wash cenote blew my mind, the gradient of blurry to clear vis as you descend is wild. the water was red near the top because of the rainfall and mangroves, and then yellow/vivid green as you go down. it literally felt like space.
theres tons of others to explore, ask me or Angel for more info!!

ok amigos i think that’s it, don’t hesitate to ask me if you have any questions and if this is still overwhelming, hire me to plan your trip for you with my business Adventurelust! ❤️