Tulum, Riviera Maya, Mexico ... a truly enchanting place to relax

Tulum it is where we can relax and enjoy peace and quiet. It is beautiful and quaint. (of course the Tulum ruins are there too.) We recommend staying in one of the beachfront cabanas...but if you are on more of a budget travel, stay in town and explore the beaches and the ruins during the day. The actual town of Tulum is not situated on the beach but is about 3km, a 50 peso (approx. $5 US) cab ride away. In town offers you more restaurants, handicrafts, grocery, fresh fruit and vegetable markets, Bital bank etc...this is a small town but can provide necessities.  I think we would always recommend making reservations before arriving but maybe if you are more of a free spirit, you could show up, grab anything for the first night then explore the amazing small beach hotels and find what you want. We have personally stayed at Zamas, Azulik, Copal (list of hotels) and would HIGHLY recommend them. Most places have hammocks right outside your room, very addicting. Some of the beach hotels operate with solar power, the nights are lit with candles and oil lamps, the lack of ambient light creates a heavenly feeling. It is a wonderfully romantic place but you do not have to be with a significant other to enjoy it. Many of the beachfront hotels also have a restaurant on their grounds. For example, Zamas hotel & restaurant La Vita e Bella has excellent food...the kind of place we stop even if we are just in Tulum for the day. This restaurant also has a  beautiful view on the beach, day or night. 
  Another "must see", visit Gran Cenote which is  approx 6 km from the beach of Tulum on the road to Coba. 

As far as the ruins go...we do recommend going once, but go early in the morning or late in the afternoon. It gets bus loads of people from about 1030am on. It has been commercialized a bit but can still be a nice historical stop. If interested in the history, we suggest paying a tour guide (most languages) to show you the site. They are available around the entrance of  the Ruins. Could cost a couple to tour the site around $30 US dollars with a guide.

Transportation: You can also book private transportation from the airport to Tulum or  a shared van.

Tulum Tours from Playa del Carmen:

• Tulum & Xel Ha (with Transportation)
• Tulum & Xel-Ha All inclusive (with Transportation)
• Tulum Caribbean Wonders (with Transportation)
• Maya Zip Line + Tulum with transportation

Tulum Ruins

Swelled with pride on a cliff by the turquoise waters of the Mexican Caribbean you can find the amazing vestiges of the most important archeological site of the Quintana Roo. coast. It was built during the Postclassical Period of the Mayan Culture; it was the most important port of these coasts. More than sixty buildings surrounded by three huge walls with five sensational doors protected the city of Tulum.

Inside the Maya forest, two km from the archeological zone, there is a small town called Tulum. Inhabited by local natives of the region, this town has been growing during the last years together with the evolution of the tourist zone. In a totally casual atmosphere you can also find small restaurants, stores and hotels all along the road, which is the town main street too.

Here and there, in the town or at the beach, you can find hotels, restaurants and different alternatives for all kind of budgets. The most incredible and adventured tours by bike, boat, jeep or horse, in the forest, along the deserted beaches or the wonderful natural wells (underground rivers). Diving and snorkeling on the open sea are two unforgettable experiences: the Great Mayan Reef, the second biggest reef in the world, not more than a hundred meters far from the beach. Diving through the caverns, for the ones who like extreme sports, will give them a new vision of this silent world in an underwater flight through a world formed underground during the glacial period. 

Schedule: 7 am to 5 pm
Entrance: $ 45 MXP $ 4 USD
free entry on Sundays
Subject to the currency exchange rate.
Location: Located 80 miles south of Cancun International Airport and 60 km south of Playa del Carmen, entrance located on the left side of the highway the ocean side.