When I was 19, I left the country for the first time. I went to Cancun – not just because it was spring break, but because I was learning Spanish and I wanted a cultural experience. While there, I got a little bit of both – the spring break madness and the local immersion. On the cultural end of the spectrum, I practiced my Spanish, visited the Mayan ruins of Chichén Itzá and experienced the life outside of the hotel zone with one of the locals I befriended — and ultimately fell in love with by the end of the trip. It was also the first time Tulum made it onto my radar.
For 24 years, visions of Tulum lived in my imagination. During that time, I read numerous reports, clipped various articles and heard several first-hand stories about this Tulum – land of beautiful white beaches and sparkling turquoise water. To say I was ready for the wow-factor was an understatement. Finally, I scheduled a stay in Tulum as an add-on to a return visit to Isla Mujeres – Cancun’s island neighbor. On March 1, 2015 – almost 24 years to the day I first stepped on Mexican soil, my husband and I rented a car and drove south for 90 minutes on the highway that led from Cancun to Tulum – the land of enchantment.
Much of what we saw once we arrived wouldn’t make for picture perfect postcard photos. Here’s why:
- The highway turns into Tulum “village.” In my mind, I had pictured Tulum as a small town with beautiful beaches and a quaint center that would be lovely for strolling, enjoying the local food and crafts, yoga classes and meeting up with friends both local and visiting. In fact, the highway bisects Tulum “village.” Although the speed limit is lower through town, the cars still whiz through the main drag so as to continue on their highway journey. Tacky tourist shops and restaurants — as well as a few cheap hotels – line both sides of the street. The din of traffic is a constant making strolling, relaxing or gathering slightly challenging unless there’s space in the lovely back garden of El Capitán restaurant. Here, tucked away from the frantic pace of what amounts to Tulum’s Main Street, amazing guacamole, seafood quesadillas and fish tacos – as well as a visiting cat or two – make you forget what lies around the corner.
The less crowded Cobá ruins
- Most of the “jungle” is dense, overgrown brush. In driving to Casa Pastel, our lovely casita with a garden oasis, open-air kitchen and resident cat, we briefly drove through the “jungle.” When I think of jungles I think of the deep green, lush dense foliage of Costa Rica. This was not that. This was the kind of nature you shy away from, as you don’t want to worry about getting tangled up in the every-which-way overgrown murky, brownish brush. I thought perhaps it just appeared in this one patch of town, however, it lined the highway from Tulum all the way to the Mayan ruins in Cobá – 30 minutes west. However, this isn’t to say that there aren’t opportunities to enjoy nature. Nature exploration is a highlight of the Tulum experience – you just have to know where to find it. One place where nature is the star of the show is the Centro Ecologico Sian Ka’an (CESiaK). A small ecotourism and education center, CESiaK serves as a model for sustainable development in sensitive tropical ecosystems. The revenue generated through tours, fishing and accommodations at the ecotourism and education center is used to fund conservation and education programs within the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve.
Bicycle parking at Tulum beach.
- Public beach access is limited. Most visitors enjoy the seven-mile beach road as it caters to tourists and the scenery (when not navigating around delivery trucks, taxis and pedestrians) is gorgeous. It’s home to lush greenery (the real jungle!), retreat centers, upscale restaurants and shops as well as resorts – lots of resorts. It has so many resorts that public beach access is very limited. This means anyone staying off the beach road, and anyone living in Tulum, must access the beach via restaurants or via public entryways. These entryways require no signage because they are continuously cluttered with parked wheels – cars, bicycles and taxis waiting for fares. Once on the beach it’s easy to forget the work required to get there as the white sand and turquoise water never fails to impress. If you choose but one beach restaurant to enjoy while visiting Tulum, make it Zamas. You can soak in the views while sitting in colorful chairs as your feet sink into the sand. And oh yeah, the food is pretty fantastic too. Our dinner experience even included a live Latin jazz gypsy band.
- Condos are going up in all corners. It’s fascinating to hear stories of Tulum as a once hippie outpost when a self-guided drive will reveal condos under construction in every direction except in the ocean. As more and more Americans are retiring south of the border, more and more condos are taking over once quiet, peaceful small towns and villages. Imagine the public beach access points once the condos fill up. There may not even be space for parking wheels of any kind as the hoards of people vying for spots in the sand may just engulf the beach road. Bottom line? If you haven’t yet visited Tulum, go now. Once the condos, golf resorts and gated communities complete construction and welcome retirees en mass, the Tulum of yesteryear will be a very distant memory.
Welcome to the “carnival” at Tulum ruins.
- The entrance to the Tulum ruins is a carnival. The Tulum ruins are a majestic sight. They stand perched on a hill overlooking the turquoise water, a spit of white sand and a rock outcropping with just enough palm trees to snap that picture perfect postcard image that’s been taking up space in your imagination. However, before you arrive at this almost mythical scene, you must first get through the throngs of scantily clad ladies, selfie-stick toting guys and families with kids who’d rather be back at the entrance, or, as I call it – the carnival. Have a few extra dollars? Great! You can purchase a Subway sandwich and a Haagen Daz ice cream treat. Then you can use your leftover pesos to get a monkey on a leash to sit on your shoulder. Or, maybe you’d like to pet the lion cub and have the moment photographed. Not into inappropriate use of wildlife? That’s fine because there’s plenty of shopping. In fact, you can visit the Mexican outlet and pick up all your favorite stereotypical souvenirs – including large bottles of tequila. OK, so maybe I sound harsh, but when you arrive ready to take in a cultural, architectural and historical marvel, you don’t expect to have a Disney-esque train deliver you after having walked through the fast food chain restaurants and wildlife exploitation booths. One tip to make your visit a little less circus-like – go early to avoid the tour buses from Cancun.
While this may seem like I discourage a visit to Tulum, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Instead, I encourage you to go right away to enjoy what remains of the sleepy days when Tulum was still a hippie outpost. Have no preconceived notions. And, seek out opportunities to immerse yourself in nature. But, hurry up and get there before all the condo construction is complete, making the traffic on the roads, on the beach and in the ruins completely loco.
