urbanretreatist: July 2012

There has been much abuzz about Tulum and Playa Del Carmen over the last ten years or so. Dubbed the "Mayan Riviera" by travel agents, it's the stretch of Caribbean coastline south of Cancun. A bit more effort than flying direct to an island and staying at an all inclusive for a week, but perfect for anyone hoping to avoid monotony and do a bit of light sight seeing (while living at the beach for a week).

TULUM

PLAYA DEL CARMEN

A quick sneeze-and-you're-there flight to Cancun. Hop in a rental car and head south on highway 307. After about 45 mins you will start to see the colossal resorts that line highway 307 (Mayakoba, Mandarin, Occidental). We chose to stay at Gran Porto Real, in the center of Playa del Carmen, where the main drag (Ave de Constituyentes) meets the beach. It allowed us to walk to anywhere in Playa, including the beach bars and shops along 5th ave. But the beach is public. If you prefer the walled-in feel of a private resort, look for one on 307 that offers shuttle service to town.

Gran Porto Real is an all inclusive resort with two restaurants outside the resort, just feet away on the Ave de Constituyentes. There is a beach-adjacent pool with a bar, and lunch is served on the beach daily. We paid slightly less for a room facing the street, but the noise didn't deter us from enjoying in the balcony hammock. PDC has an active nightlife consisting mostly of these semi-outdoor bars that line the beach. 5th ave hosts everything from shops to yoga, and Cozumel is a quick ferry ride away. We only stayed in PDC for one night; Tulum was the main attraction for us.

********************************************************************************

TULUM RUINS

PDC is about halfway between Cancun and Tulum, so another 45 min drive and you will start to see signs for the Tulum Ruins. It took us about an hour to walk the ruins. They were fascinating and surreal, with their Caribbean ocean backdrop. The complex is substantial and totally shadeless, so bring provisions or visit it at night!

DON DIEGO POOL AND DINING ROOM

For no other reason then to cut costs, we stayed in town for the first 3 nights of our trip. Don Diega de la Selva offered a ton more for the money. At $75/night, we had our own palapa (fancy hut) with private bathroom. This included breakfast - which at Don Diego means french coffee and fresh baked bread. They also serve lunch and dinner, and have a small bar - all of which can be enjoyed by the POOL We spent our Don Diego days sight seeing under the blinding Mexican sun, so we took full advantage of the pool in the afternoons. Don diego is a small hotel, with a dozen or less rooms. Our palapa was cooled by a ceiling fan and open windows, but there are also rooms with AC. They are a bit smaller and less private, so consider your preference when booking.

There are plenty of places to eat and shop in town. Standouts for us were El Pequena Buenos Aires (Argentinian) and Urge Taquito. The food at Don diego is also excellent - a french take on local fare, and they make delicious Mojitos and Caprihinas. There was also this smoothie place on the same side of the street as El Pequena, that i was mildly obsessed with. There are a number of booths nearby that sell leather bags and hammock chairs. Everything costs less in town then it does at the beach, so stock up while you're there.

**********************************************************************************

PLAYA ROAD

To get to the beach take Playa Road. After about a mile of total sparseness you will start to see hotels, which continue for miles and miles until they end at the Biosphere. You will see a few small shops early on. Many walk or taxi to them from their hotel, so consider proximity when choosing your accommodations.

MAYA TULUM

Our last 2 nights we stayed at Maya Tulum, situated in the middle of the strip. For $150 a night we had a "garden view" room, which meant we were furthest from the beach but not without a view of it. We had a spacious palapa with a seating area facing the ocean, as well as a lovely private bathroom. Many of the beach hotels have communal bathrooms and use generators at night (candle light), so do your research if you're used to being "pampered". Maya Tulum is known for their yoga retreats and healthy menu, not for their parties. But next door at Zamas the party goes well into the night, and they often have live music. Ana y Jose has a swanky outdoor area, perfect for lunch on the beach. Hemmingway has a romantic beach side dining room, where there is no menu - you chose your meal. Undoubtedly, our favorite meals were dinners at El Tabano, a Spanish restaurant located on the jungle side of Playa Road. The food is fresh and often picked from their garden, the menu changes daily, and the wine is always so good.

*****************************************************
There is quite a bit to see and do while in Tulum. Our sight seeing totally ceased once we checked into Maya Tulum, having crammed so much into the first three days. Here are the highlights!

YAL KU LAGOON

Akumal and Yal ku Lagoon... Heading north on 307. Take a right at the traffic light for Akumal and you will enter a surprisingly modern village, with restaurants and shops. Follow the road through Akumal, as it bears left, and look for signs for Yal ku Lagoon. Yal ku is a piercingly blue freshwater lagoon that you can snorkel and explore (equipment rentals available). Traveling back through Akumal, we stopped for lunch at Turtle Bay Cafe and Bakery, then for a drink and sunworship at beautiful beachfront Lol-Ha.

Aktun Chen.... Heading south on 307, back towards Tulum. Take a right at the sign for Aktun Chen and follow the never ending dirt road to the parking lot. Aktun chen has a zip line, swimming in the cenotes (not diving) and the cave. A guided tour of the cave takes about 40 minutes. Expect to see an unspoiled, underground city of stalactites/stalagmites. There is a small zoo at Aktun, which when we were there included a monkey named Chiapsy, who loved to be held.

COBA

Coba: There are a number of ruins in Tulum to choose from, we landed on Coba. It's a 40 min drive through some "authentic" Mexican villages, one of which has a mango stand that we still talk about to this day (mostly regret, "why didnt we get 10??"). There are no gas stations between Tulum and Coba, so gas up ahead of time. Coba is like a state park with no signs or kiosks (this is because they want you to hire a guide). My beau had printed a map and basic info back in NY (nerd), so we had a self guided experience. I recommend either renting bicycles upon entering or utilizing the pedicabs, especially for those long stretches between ruins. Wear shoes (not flip flops), preferably ones with rubber soles. Go either in the morning or the late afternoon - midday temperatures are brutal. Don't climb the first pyramids you see, these are puny compared to the grand finale. You will pass them all on your way out, so should you feel like you didn't climb enough... knock yourself out.

Xel-ha: Xel-ha is like a Mexican Sea World, only minimally man-made. They offer snorkeling, scuba, swimming with Dolphins, tubing, biking... i could go on. If you are car-less, they have buses. If you are care-less, they have a spa. We preferred the quietness of Yal ku, but had we been traveling with kids or a big group, Xel-ha would have made the itinerary and is therefore worth a mention.

Xcaret - is another Mexican water park, this one more proximal to Playa del Carmen.

Biosphere - at the end of Playa Road you will find the Sian Kaan Biosphere. We tried on several occasions to fit it into the trip, but it is a bit of a time suck and also expensive. For anyone staying at the beach, this would be an easy adventure.

Cenotes - these underground fresh water caverns are a huge attraction, especially with those who have experience scuba diving. I don't breathe underwater, so we skipped it. But we did get to stand next to one at Aktun Chen, deep into the cave. The Hidden Worlds Adventure Park has cenotes, as well as this zip line that you peddle your way through.

Windsurfing/Kiteboarding - Playa Azul, another hotel on the beach, offers windsurfing/kiteboarding lessons. We sat and watched in amazement, while enjoying a few beers.

********************************************************

What to expect:
Cancun reminds me of Ft Lauderdale...
Playa del Carmen reminds me of South beach...
Tulum is unlike any other. I often wonder what it would have been like had we gone straight to Maya Tulum and stayed there the whole trip. I think it would have been extremely relaxing and peaceful, but a totally different experience from the one we had, and also quite a bit more money to just sit on our keisters for a week. Eating three meals a day at the beach can be costly, add to that drinking. Town is a mixed bag, but i never felt unsafe or uncomfortable and doing all the site seeing made those last three days on the beach all the more enjoyable and deserved. Choose your own adventure!!

Logistics:
I recommend you exchange your US dollars for pesos at the Scotiabank in town. You can pay with US everywhere, but they will give you change in pesos and at a lower exchange rate than the bank. Bring travelers checks, you can pay your hotel with these and it's safer then carrying a wad of cash. Store your passports in your hotel's safe and only carry a small amount of cash and your ID, whenever driving anywhere. The cops in Mexico wont hesitate to take everything, should you get pulled over.
Be aware of the fact that you can get sick in Mexico. Frozen drinks are a gamble, as is salad or anything rinsed and raw. We ate a lot of bananas and things with skin. We also brought antibiotics, pepto, etc. and were grateful we did since one of us got sick.