Tulum is an instagramers dream. From the unique hotel zone to beach clubs to the cliffs of the ruins you can find the perfect photo. We decided to take one day off from work and explore the area. We hired a local driver, Caesar, for the day and gave him a few ideas of what we wanted to do for the day. He came up with an itinerary and made sure we stayed on track to see everything on our list. Here is what we discovered:

Tulum Ruins

This was our first stop of the day. We got a late start due to a prior work commitment, but wished we would have arrived before the heat of the day. Caesar was was able to get us into the ruins quickly without having to stand in the long lines.

Caesar had a wealth of knowledge and was open to sharing all of the things he does know plus the stories that others share about about the ruins. He takes his job as a tour guide seriously and wants tourists to enjoy the sites while also following the rules of the historic landmarks. Always be mindful to follow the rules when visiting anther countries sacred grounds.

Tulum Beach Clubs

After a few hours in the sun, we were ready for a lunch break. One of our requests was to visit a beach club. In Tulum, most of the beach is occupied by beach clubs or very small boutique resorts. If you want to spend the day at eh beach you will need to visit one of these beach clubs.

You will want to arrive early and reserve a beach chairs, table, or Bali bed. This will ensure you have your own area all day. Usually reserving these spots are reasonably priced (a few $$), but some come with a required spending for food and drinks from the beach club. But you will most likely want drinks and lunch, so it isn’t a big deal if you have a group of friends.

We headed to El Paraiso Beach Club for lunch. When we arrived around 2pm, most of the beach chairs were already reserved for the day. This beach club was family friendly and because it was holy week, there were a number of local families enjoying the holiday. We grabbed lunch at the restaurant and I had some of the best al pastor tacos I have ever had.

Tulum Hotel Zone

The town of Tulum isn’t on the water, but the Tulum hotel zone is. After our day at the ruins we asked our drive to show us the hotel zone and stop at a rooftop bar for a drink.

Mateo’s Mexican Grill had 3 levels of fun. Most of the bar was outdoors. The first floor was more of a grill, the second story had a dance floor patio, and the third floor was a small bar and a band setting up for the night. We grabbed some seats at the bar and had a 2 for 1 mojitos and enjoyed the view.

Most hotels in this area are small boutique hotels that have a limited number of rooms. Most will have an artsy, tropical feel with unique architecture. Most of the town is sand covered. The shops and restaurants are sometimes huts or even shipping containers.

Our top picks:

Kore Tulum Retreat and Spa- has a pool and ocean views
La Valise Tulum- private beach and plunge pool rooms
TAGO Tulum- Private beach club and wellness center
Casa Malca- Artsy beachfront hotel
Azulik- Treehouse hotel with ocean views. If you can’t stay here, at least reserve one of their “birds nests” for drinks or dinner.

This is probably one of the most instagramable places in the Tulum hotel zone. Both times we drove by there was at least 20+ people standing in line waiting to take their picture. This wooden sculpture is the entrance of vegetarian restaurant Raw Love. Their most popular items are acai bowls and smoothies.

This area is so unique and different from the Cancun hotel zone.

Want to see what the hotel zone looks like? Check out a small portion as we drive through the area.

Things to consider before booking your trip to Tulum:

Tulum is about a two hour drive from the Cancun airport, without traffic.
Book a transfer as parking is very limited. Plus you don’t need a car when you can rent bikes or take a taxi.
Most of the resorts are not all-inclusive. You will need to factor food and drinks into your budget.
A lot of Tulum is ran off generators. You may have limited power during the day and night.
When booking a resort, check the location. It may have a Tulum address but not be anywhere near where you want to be.