Tulum is a small beach town in Southern Quintana Roo, Mexico. It’s home to some of Mexico’s most beautiful beaches, resorts, and restaurants. It has become quite a popular destination for tourists in recent years. Its popularity has exploded so much that it is now known as the “new Cabo.” Tulum is only about an hour from Cancun, making it a perfect day trip destination if you’re staying nearby, like Playa del Carmen or Riviera Maya. This article will highlight why Tulum beach is a must-visit if you travel to this part of Mexico.
THE BEAUTY OF TULUM BEACH
When you first arrive in Tulum, your first stop should be to the small, little town of Tulum Pueblo, where all the locals live. Part of what makes this place so special is that it’s not all geared towards tourism and it’s a small and intimate village. Apart from the amazing beaches just outside the town, there are also beautiful cliff-side restaurants and shops. If you want to check out the local markets, that’s a great place to do it. The main avenue in town has a few vendors selling locally made souvenirs and they can get quite aggressive if they don’t like how much you are haggling over prices with them. The town is also home to great restaurants, bars, and cafes. The most popular one seems to be called Cenote Azul (Blue Cenote).
BEST WAY TO GET INTO TULUM BEACH
Tulum is home to many different cenotes, basically flooded sinkholes filled with fresh, crystal-clear water. You can get there a few different ways: by foot, bike, car or taxi. You can check DNC blog’s guide about car rental in Tulum before you start asking everyone about renting cars. If you want to take a taxi there, make sure you do so at an official cab stand like Cabslam because if not, they’ll rip you off. For example, if you take a taxi from Tulum town centre on the main avenue to the Tulum beach area it’s going to cost you around $10 US. Walking it from the town centre should only be about 45 minutes or so (if the heat doesn’t get the better of you).
REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD VISIT TULUM BEACH
1. Colorful Cliffside Restaurants and Shops
You want to see these places if you’re at the beach and want a meal. They look like they’re straight out of a tropical paradise, with wooden tables on the cliffs, sunsets reflected in the water off of them, colourful lanterns hanging from the roofs and enchanting music playing while people eat. The food is also quite good. You can order all sorts of international cuisine (pizza, burgers, spaghetti) along with local dishes like crickets cooked over an open flame grill. There is also a restaurant that serves authentic Mexican tamales wrapped in corn husks.
2. Snorkeling at Roatan
You can find the snorkeling spot at the very end of a small trail next to a road. To get there you have to walk about a quarter mile along a narrow road cut into the side of a cliff. Just before you get to the road you’ll see some stairs that lead down into the water and that’s where you want to go. Along with this beach, there are many other beautiful snorkeling spots, especially if you venture into some of the cenotes in Roatan.
3. Swimming in the Ocean
The main beach along Tulum Beach is called Playa Delfines, Spanish for “Dolphin Beach.” You can get more ideas what to do there through this page. There’s also a restaurant right on the beach called El Fogon and it has a really cool treehouse made out of logs, which can be climbed to get an awesome view of the ocean and all the activities happening along the beach. Since Tulum is a small town, it gets pretty busy at this beach, particularly when the sun goes down. It’s still quite peaceful since only about 20 or so restaurants/shops are located close to it but you can hear some music coming from them and people walking around on the sand.
Conclusion
All in all, Tulum beach is amazing and the town is perfect (except for the vendors who are into their haggling). The restaurants and bars are great, the beaches are nice to swim in and you can find many places to lay out some mats or a beach blanket if you don’t have a lounge chair. One of the best things about this place is that it doesn’t seem as commercialized as other places along Mexico’s coastline. You can just pick a place to eat or drink and chill on the beach or cliff at your leisure without feeling like you need to check off all of the main attractions on some list before heading back home.