Tulum Vibes

Have you ever been chatting with someone and the topic of travel comes up and you realize they’ve never been out of the country except for a Caribbean cruise or a trip to Cancun? And everyone is different and has different hobbies and interests that make them happy, but I immediately feel a little sad for them because I know their international experience was so commercialized and “Americanized” and I kind of know the rest of the conversation we won’t share as much common ground or we’ll have to find another topic to relate to each other on. (I know this makes me sounds like a travel snob I can’t help it) Well I had been to Cancun maybe 5 times and it’s pretty, but there’s so many more interesting places I’d rather go that’s totally different. So when my boyfriend and I found direct flights to Cancun from Charlotte for less than $300 round trip (shout out to Scott’s Cheap Flights), he was all about but I actually took some convincing. lol I’m much more excited about off the beaten path type places. I normally am not a big resort person as I like to try authentic local cuisine and explore more and be adventurous. He’s very much a resort person and loves Cancun. I had seen pictures of Tulum on Instagram years ago and really wanted to go. He wasn’t sure about it. So we went to Tulum. lol We did compromise actually because we did 3 days in Tulum and 3 days in Cancun at a resort so we both got the experience we wanted. I loved Tulum. I could have stayed there the whole time and will definitely be back. It’s a plant based foodie’s Mecca. There’s elements of burning man, maybe a dash of Bali without a crazy long flight, and all the conveniences Americans love. And I’ve never been anywhere that is so accommodating to dietary restrictions. So much fresh, good food (not resort food for me 😛 )

Ok, so I went to Tulum in March 2019 and I’m only now getting to share this with you. Since then, I’ve lost 10 lbs and changed in a lot of ways. It’s funny these pictures were less than a year ago but it seems like ages ago. We found it cheaper to stay in the jungle near Tulum Town and take taxis (or you can bike) to the beach. Next time, I’d like to stay on the beach but it’s definitely a difference in price and anywhere on the beach is more expensive. We were only a few miles away so it really wasn’t bad to commute every day, but there’s just something about waking up and walking out to the beach that’s really lovely.

My friend /health guru Ingrid went to Tulum recently and her posts made we want to share this draft I started and never published. She hit the nail on the head because a lot of places are over hyped and pretentious and not worth it. Everyone knows that hotel that has tree houses in the restaurant and you go for the photo op. Wellllll I tried to go twice. And now I’m glad they weren’t accommodating and we didn’t dine there because I’ve heard from several people it’s mediocre and incredibly overpriced. They told me I couldn’t dine there unless I was staying at the hotel, but apparently they let you dine if you commit to a certain spend amount. So glad we passed on it because let’s be real, I actually just wanted a cocktail at the bar and to take a quick picture.

There are so many incredible restaurants with the best food. We dined at Rosa Negra twice. Highly recommend. The service, food, presentation, ambiance was so good. And the thing to to do during the day is find a beach club with a minimum spend and lounge and have an aperol spritz and enjoy the music. We went in March, but I’d like to go back around NYE because that’s when it looks like the best parties are happening. We were looking for something upbeat everyday maybe like a dance club but couldn’t find it. Everything was mellow and relaxing and that suited us fine too.

What to bring: don’t even bother with heels. I brought some because I knew we were going to dinner at the resort in Cancun after Tulum, but next time I won’t pack any. You’ll see a mix of people dressed to the nine’s for dinner and people just coming off the beach. I brought some maxi dresses and some transitional outfits from day to night. Next time, I’d like to buy some of the local coverups and dresses there at the little markets by the beach. They’re not cheap, but so beautiful and really nicely made and they look so different from anything you can buy in the U.S.

I wish I knew about Casa Malca, Pablo Escobar’s mansion because apparently, there’s a great beach club there with really good food and it sounds right up my alley.