Tulum Off The Beaten Path

If you’re on a low budget trip… staying in the town of Tulum (not by the beach), anything you need to buy… is cheaper off the main avenue. Just walk two or three blocks down both directions and you’ll find everything much cheaper than around the ADO bus station and anywhere along the highway.

In case you're gonna stay for a while in Tulum... probably the first thing you'll want to see are the Mayan ruins. Once you get there, you'll have to pay like anyone else… and you’ll fall in love with the beach. It’s a unique sensation… you’ll be swimming next to the ruins, in a turquoise water with a lovely white sandy beach right there, waiting for you!

The next day… unless you want to pay the entrance again, you may think about going to the regular beach… which is still lovely, but it doesn’t have the ruins. So what you can do is basically break the law! Just get to the beach and keep walking towards the ruins… you’ll have to walk a little bit through the water in order to pass the cliffs, and after that you’ll be under the ruins in the same beach you loved the day before, without having to pay a penny!

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My first-ever trip with my brand new pasaporte (from my boyfriend/partner) took me to the beaches of Tulum, Mexico, about 500 meters south of the ruins. We stayed @ the Santa Fe, on the beach, in a tent!! What a wonderful awesome time. The beach was just a zipper away. We went in high season (beginning of Jan. '07) so it costs us $100. pesos per night. What a view and what an awesome restaurant they had there hidden in the back away form the beach. If you want good eats and friendly service go there (they don't speak English so be prepared). They did have bathrooms that they kept really clean the first few days and not so frequently cleaned the second week ( I think it was because it was right after the holidays when we first got there). For the 2 weeks we were in Tulum, we ate there for most of our meals.

We went on a short day trip with a tour guide which involved a drive to Sian Ka'an Biosphere just south of Tulum, a walk through the forest to see some ancient Mayan ruins, a climb up to an old lookout point to get a stunning view of the area, a boat trip across the lagoon and down the manmade canal, and then a fantastic trip floating down a natural canal with the use of life-jackets!! Then on the way back to Tulum, we stopped at a cenote to do some jumping off the rocks, and were supposed to do snorkelling as well, but there was a mix up and they didn't have the snorkels with them! So just make sure they do remember them if you go on this tour!!! It also includes lunch.

It was a special and less touristy trip, and would recommend it if you're staying in the area and looking for something to do!

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Playa del Carmen off the beaten track? If you are staying in Tulum it is (normally its the other way round!). Much more developed than Tulum, with a number of bars, clubs, restaurants, it has become something of a holiday playground. As a more commercial centre, it is the best place to do any holiday shopping for those little touristy things required to take back home.

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For 40US my boyfriend and I took a trip to Tulum. The only Mayan Ruins built on the ocean. They were amazing. The guide provided us with a lot of information concerning the history of the culture and their eventual demise. We also purchased a calender which was prepared using the Mayan's symbols for the date of your birthday. Very cool.

It gets hot hot hot - bring sunscreen and a lot of H2O.

Sure, you've seen the ruins at Tulum, but you can't get enough of those whacky Mayans. The sprawling archeological site at Coba is a completely different experience. The ruins are bigger, badder, and deep within the jungle. Your average Mexican tourist probably won't make it here. But that's not you...right?!?

Coba is an easy bus ride away from Tulum. Just buy a ticket at the station (around US$4.00), and the coach bus takes about 45 minutes. You'll be riding side by side with the locals, ripping through rural jungle roads. Don't forget to use the free toilet at the station before you leave!

It's best to visit Coba if you are fit and can dedicate a day to explore. Hiking up the giant pyramid ain't no easy task, but the view is spectacular from the top! Bring lots of water and bug spray, and good luck!

Be sure to visit Virtual Tourist's pages on Coba for more details!

Within the Sian Kaan Biosphere Reserve is a government-affiliated lodge. It is immersed in palm forest between a lake and the sea. The accomodations are tents with shared baths. I went snorkeling off the rugged beach and saw a giant sea turtle (Mid-May).