Tulum Travel Guide
Last month I got back from Tulum, Mexico and it was such a dreamy location! This was my first time out of the country and I can’t wait to share all of my tips for traveling to Tulum!
Before You Go
If you don’t live in Mexico, you’re going to need a passport before entering the country. Since this was my first time out of the states I had to go through the process to get a passport to travel. I decided to go to The New Orleans Passport Center to get my passport in just a couple of hours. If you decide to do this, make sure you have all of your documents and copies ready, it makes this process so much easier! Although I wouldn't recommend going the day before your flight leaves (like we did), you can imagine the stress of potentially not getting it on time! Knowing Spanish before you go will also be very helpful! I always love learning about different cultures and language, so this is something I wish I spent more time on before flying.
Where We Stayed
The stairs spiraled up to the front door of our treehouse.
We stayed at the gorgeous Hotel Nômade Tulum and it was absolutely breathtaking. It was a little bit pricey, but this place was definitely worth the splurge. We got complimentary breakfast sent up to our room every morning, beautiful sights, comfy beach beds, food/drink service on the beach, and they had many different wellness/yoga classes. Will and I stayed in their Treehouse and it was like a movie! We woke up every morning to beautiful greenery surrounding us. Don’t be fooled though, the stairs to get up and down were no joke. We def got out workout every day! Sheridan and Parker stayed in a room that was a little bit closer to the beach side of the resort and loved their room. There are tons of different options at Hotel Nômade Tulum to fit anyone's needs and what they’re looking for in their stay.
What We Did
One of the first cenotes we visited on our excursion.
When it comes to tropical vacations, I love relaxing on the beach! We decided to have one day that we did an excursion while there. We booked this through our hotel so I don’t have a link to the company, but I highly suggest you book through someone. The locals know the best spots and you’d much rather have a guide than do it by yourselves. Our guide took us to the cenotes that weren’t as populated so we were able to have a more intimate experience. According to our guide, there are over 6,000 cenotes in Mexico and there are three different types; open, semi-open, and closed. We were able to experience all of these while there! It was the world’s largest underground river and the beauty made it seem like it was unreal. Our guide also made us lunch (some of the best hummus I’ve ever had) and brought us to see monkeys afterward! Our guide was amazing, he taught us so much about Tulum and even was our photographer for the evening!
Sheridan and Parker decided to book a spa day and they loved their time at Yaan Healing Sanctuary. They came back refreshed and relaxed afterward. That is a perfect thing to book if you are going on a honeymoon or couples trip. Will and I were very tempted to book their couple’s massage! This was another booking that our hotel helped with. Before booking out your schedule, I would look into what your hotel suggests for activities specifically for your group! Will and I would have been content staying on the beach just relaxing all day, don’t overlook yourself where you don’t have time to relax and enjoy the beautiful sights of Tulum.
Parker, Sheridan, Will and me in the cenote.
Where We Ate
I would go back to Tulum for the fresh food alone! Everywhere we went was so delicious. Every day for lunch we would usually take advantage of the food/drink service on the beach from our hotel. Will loved their tartar de atún (tuna tartar) and ordered one if not two every day! I loved drinking fresh coconut every day before starting my day. I have never been a fan of coconut water until this trip, but now I’m hooked!
As for restaurants, our favorites were Mamazzita (order shots and get a party at your table!), Gitano (order the cucumber marg, it’s delish), and Arca. We splurged every night on dinners (which was worth it in my opinion). I would look up potential restaurants for your stay and see what price range you want to stay in. We also had a reservation for every night (shout out to Sheridan for this one!), I recommend you do this so you don’t risk not getting a seat.
Our Overall Experience
We had such an amazing time in Tulum. To me, it is the perfect spot for couples trips, honeymoons, and bachelorette trips. We went in December and I would highly recommend going during the end of the year. For us, it was the perfect tropical getaway before heading back to gloomy winter weather. The weather was in the high 80’s and the ocean was still great weather to swim in. Everywhere you went in Tulum was photo perfect. For all of my Instagram photos I stayed right around our hotel! I was worried that we would need to walk all over for different content but this was very convenient for me! I was able to set aside one afternoon and shoot all the content I needed to. Overall, this is a spot I would definitely go back to for a relaxing tropical getaway.
To dive deeper into our Tulum trip, watch our travel vlog here to see all of the beautiful sights and scenery! It’s thirty minutes of pure joy and love enjoying everything Mexico has to offer.
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