Tulum, Mexico
Tulum is just a hop and a skip away from Cancun, about a 2 hour hop. We caught our shuttle at the Cancun airport and started our travels to Tulum, but not before our long awaited drink at Margaritaville. One step into the warm Mexico air and it immediately has vacation mode engaged. Our Tulum adventure was planned to celebrate one of our closest friends 30th birthday and we had the pleasure to make some new friends along the way. Only a short period into the journey did our shuttle overheat and come to a screeching halt in the nearest gas station parking lot. Mexico parking lot party it is… Once our new shuttle came to the rescue we finished the remaining part of our ride with our newly discovered Mexican snacks and seltzers in hand. This snag in our plans set the precedence for the rest of our vacation one snafu following the next, which we are now attributing to Mercury Retrograde. I truly never realized MR existed until one of the gals in our group brought it to our attention and the travel hick-ups we experienced all started to come together.
*Disclaimer; to avoid this blog post being unbearably long I am not going to spell out all the mishaps we ran into during the trip, just keep in mind to not travel during MR.
Thursday
We arrived at our home away from home, Mahayana Tulum. With multiple homes nestled on the property, our own pool and beach front access it felt like our own little community. Once we got settled we had one thing on the mind, tacos + tequila. We walked next door and grabbed some fantastic food at La Zebra, the perfect spot to unwind after a long day of travel. That evening our trip started off with a bang at the dinner + dance club Rosanegra. The atmosphere blends together Latin American cuisine, percussions and a wave of sparklers moving to the music. If you are looking for a party night spot, be sure to hit Rosanegra. With the drinks and the vibes flowing, our group headed home on an all time high and Mahayana was not prepared for what was coming to them. While the majority of the group crashed after a long travel day, a few of the stragglers were out on the property after “curfew” living life to the fullest. To these mischievous guests, clothing was optional while taking part in the Mahayana pool and ocean.
Friday
I woke up free of a hangover and ready to give my pasty white skin a little glow, so down to the beach I went. Only moments after turning to my husband and saying, “this is all I ever wanted in life”, one of the guys in our group turns the corner and says, “we are getting kicked out, our bags have to be packed in a half hour or they are calling the police.” Do you know the last place I want to end up in? Mexican jail. We high-tailed it inside where we came to find management was giving us the boot due to the “clothing optional” commotion the night before. After much begging and contemplation from the owner (and a hefty fine) they agreed to not displace 13 of us to the streets of Mexico with no place to stay and allowed us to ride out the rest of our vacation. Per the NEW contract that had to be signed breaking of any rule would be a $10,000 fine on top of the $3,500 fine that already had to be paid in order for us to be able to stay and the loss of our security deposit. To make it simple, WE BAHAVED.
We decompressed the remaining of the day with our toes in the sand sipping cocktails on the beach. Dinner reservations were at Gitano, a dark jungle vibe dinner + dance club (this will be a trend). Ahead of time we arranged to have the prix fix menu including unlimited skinny margs. I DO recommend the prix fix menu, their food was fantastic and allowed us to try many different dishes we would not have typically ordered. What I DO NOT recommend is including the margaritas. I had about 9 drinks if you include the citrus based shots that kept getting delivered and I was sober as a jay bird. Essentially I consumed 9 glasses of sugary juice and was completely bloated the next day. Order your drinks a la carte and you will be much better off. Guests really started dancing around 1030 pm, overall the vibes here were a lot more chill than Rosanegra.
Saturday
We headed out for an excursion to the Gran Cenote, an underground cavern with crystal clear water. The cenotes charge a small entrance fee and be sure to bring a towel, drinks and snacks with you if you plan on making a day out of it. We had all the intentions of visiting multiple cenotes but we pulled off the road to enjoy some street tacos, and that was the end of us. Running on fumes from partying the two nights prior, the tacos put us in a food coma. The two additional cenotes we wish we would of hit were the Tortuga (has 4 cenotes) and the Casanegra which I am told you can jump into from the top.
Saturday evening my husband and I went on a sushi date to Homu Tulum. The sushi and the ambiance was just what we were looking for. More of a quiet relaxed vibe where we took a break from tequila and enjoyed each others company over a glass of wine. After dinner we stopped at a food court that had a tiki bar, live music and multiple food trucks to choose from (poke, pizza, tacos etc). I know when you hear “food court” you may pass it off as nothing special, but let me tell you this ended up being one of our favorite spots. The food trucks are directly off the road but you feel like you are nestled away in the jungle. *Highly recommend
Sunday Funday…
The celebrations for the birthday girl fully commenced, kicking the day off with a mariachi band on the beach to sing “Feliz Cumplianos” then it was off to lunch at Tantra. A luxury bohemian beach club with bamboo and shell elements, soul moving music, artisan cocktails and delicious dishes, this spot will have you captured in the vibes. After lunch we headed right next door to Taboo Beach Club, we reserved a table in the heart of the club elevated over the pool and directly behind the DJ. I am still unsure how many bottles of tequila we ordered, but what I do know is that the drinks were flowing. Taboo had the entertainment on point with a live saxophone player and a body paint artist. The vibes were served until late in the afternoon, where on our walk back along the beach we strolled into Vagalume for a few cocktails. Vagalume had an event that evening and somehow we negotiated our way in paying no cover charge at all. Major win since you pretty much pay cover at any place you want to party at in the evening.
Monday
ended up being the ultimate rest, recovery and bronzing day on the beach. With a trip full of adventure I am glad we had this day to recuperate before heading home, otherwise I would of felt like I needed a vacation from our vacation. That evening we headed to BAK Steakhouse & Raw Bar, which is claimed to be dinner with a show. Now, I am not sure if we are an outlier with a bad experience but I would never go back to this restaurant. Upon being seated it took a lengthy amount of time for us to even get a drink order in and once the drinks arrived they were incorrect. It took us two hours to get our food, with them bringing food to the table no one ordered (but we were charged for). I ordered fish, only to figure out a few bits in that my fish was completely raw in the middle. The manager replaced my dinner, now at this point the whole table is done eating. Not one thing was comped on our bill despite multiple complaints/delays. Our table never saw this show that they claimed to have and the icing on the cake is we are pretty sure the majority of the group got food poisoning from this restaurant, just in time for our flight home the following day. So, proceed at your own risk. You got my feedback on this spot. On a positive note, I left my phone at this restaurant and my husband and I went back for it shortly after and they had it for me!
Tuesday
After an action packed trip once Tuesday rolled around we were ready to head home. Now truly, I could live on the beach so I never actually want to leave but I did feel like we got to do a lot of what we had planned minus a few things, so I was ready to go. Our shuttle picked us up 4 hours prior to our flight. Between traffic getting out of Tulum and waiting in line for customs we used just about all of the 4 hours with just enough time to spare to grab some food at the airport, so I highly recommend leaving 4 hours in advance.
Overall thoughts on Tulum
I thought it was an incredibly unique travel spot especially for Mexico. Being immersed in the jungle like you are with hot dinner and dance spots all around you it makes it the perfect get away if you are looking for some fun. This trip did not fall short on cost though, so get ready to shell out the money if you want the full Tulum experience. We are estimating we spent $3,000 per person and a lot more for the clothing optional members of the group… with that being said I would still travel to Tulum again. The hot spots in Tulum are endless, regardless of what you choose to do you will have a memorable experience!
Clothing Recommendations:
*Overall vibes are very bohemian, linen, flowy skirts, dresses or two piece sets
*Color scheme neutral, tans, burnt orange and neon’s
*Bring fashionable but comfortable walking shoes for the evening, depending on where you stay most restaurants are within walking distance
*We traveled mid January and I never once felt like I needed a jacket and I tend to be cold all the time
*The humidity is unlike anything I have ever experienced, if you have curly/wavy hair that tends to get frizzy, prepare for it to be WILD. Be sure to bring anti-frizz products or plan on pulling your hair back. Some of the girls in the group had naturally straight hair and their hair was perfect all night long … rude.
Other recommendations:
*Bring bug spray (you are hanging out in the jungle) and suncreen with a high SPF. The Mexico sun just hits different.
*Make reservations in advance
*Always be aware of your surroundings, do not forget you are in a foreign country and there a predators waiting on women to get to drunk and not be paying attention
*Brush up on your Spanish, surprisingly with Tulum being such a heavy tourist area there were quite a few instances where we needed Spanish to communicate
Feel free to message me with any additional questions!
Unit next time, xo
