Viva La Mexico!

Miles

-        Tulum is a resort town on Mexico’s Caribbean coast, around 80 miles south of Cancún.

-        Tulum is separated into 3 main areas—Tulum Ruins, Tulum town, and Tulum beach strip.

-        The Mexican Peso is the national currency, although US dollars and Euros are widely accepted in most local businesses in Tulum.

-        Tulum's rainiest months are June, September, and October. The three-month stretch from October to December is the best time to visit,

-        Famous dishes to try in Tulum are ceviche, tacos al pastor, sopa de lima, cochinita pibil, and yucatecan antojitos.

The Highline

The Highline is located in Playa del Carmen. The complex is about a 15 minute drive into town and about a 15 minute drive to the beach strip (with plenty of cenotes to explore in between). It is staffed with 24-hour security and friendly concierge. I stayed in an Airbnb studio. The studio was perfect! Modern décor equipped with everything you would need for your stay. The host was great! She knew I was celebrating my birthday and had wine and treats waiting for me upon my arrival. Bike riding is the recommended means of transportation, but I have to say you’ll be riding for a solid 20-30 minutes before reaching your destination from this location. However, it is doable! I rented a car and was very content with my decision. It even allowed for me to cut cost with driving to Chichen Itza and other noteworthy sightseeing destinations. If you’re unable to drive, don’t fret. There are taxis available. The area gets very dark at night and is pretty secluded. I recommend using a taxi for your transportation needs once it gets dark especially if you are a female or solo traveler.

Meals

If you're looking to experience true Mexican cuisine, my advice is to go into the town. You’ll find authentic Mexican restaurants and street food vendors a few blocks over. You must proceed with caution. Pay close attention to how the food is being prepared, especially by the street vendors, and ask if they use purified water to cook their meals.

La Malinche

La Malinche, located on the beach strip, was hands down the best food experience I had in Tulum! I was welcomed with a mezcal and cricket shot. It is a Mexican tradition. Watch as I tried cricket for the first time down below!

Following the shot, I devoured chicken and pork tacos. These are the best tacos I had all trip! They were so good that I had 6! My favorite was the pork taco.

The passion fruit margarita is yet another must. It was the perfect blend of margarita with the passion fruit adding the right amount of pizzazz creating magic!

Dinner was concluded with a fruit popsicle served with a mezcal shot for desert.

I was gifted a bonus desert (because Abel is so sweet) which was a piece of his home-made flan. It is absolutely to die for!

Just when I thought my meal was coming to an end, there was more! This next segment required me to be open minded and extremely adventurous! The cricket was just the warm up. I would later try a worm and scorpion! Mind you, I’m as picky as they come when it comes to food. Catch my unique food experiences below!

This was the worm.

Preview of the scorpion and the mezcal.

The owner and I share birthdays days apart from each other. The first night I was there, she was celebrating her birthday and was ever so kind to included me in her birthday celebration. We ate a scorpion finished with a mezcal shot to commence our celebration.

They also serve breakfast. This is the very tasty breakfast burrito filled with eggs, ham, and peppers.

Oh, and I can’t forget about Abel! Abel was magnificent! His hospitality and cooking are superb. I returned two times after my initial visit. I couldn't get enough! The vibes here are unmatched and the staff are truly good people. I felt like I knew them for years!

Burrito Amor

Burrito Amor is a cute outdoor burrito restaurant. They serve an array of burritos all day including breakfast burritos. The al pastor style pork burrito— a pork burrito with rice and beans topped with pico de gallo was good. The burrito was a bit smaller than I expected but tasty none the less. You have to get an ice coffee from here! It is so good!

 Rosa Negra

Rosa Negra is a sexy restaurant located on the beach strip. The vibe is chic with the décor to match. The menu is mostly seafood and the portions are relatively small. The shrimp tacos were decent. A shrimp lover might have enjoyed them more than I did lol.

The cocktails are very good although they are loaded with ice.

On the weekend, you get more of a club vibe and more chill vibes during the week. Check out some of the festivities below.

I went for my birthday dinner here as well. They made it very special!

I Scream Bar

The first thing that drew me to I Scream Bar was its fun décor and beach bum surfer vibes.

I totally recommend the rancheros and chilaquiles. The rancheros was very flavorful and filling. The chilaquiles were tasty but proceed with caution. They are very spicy!

 Origami Gelato

Origami Gelato is a cute little gelato shop on the beach strip. They have a nice variety of gelato to choose from. Each one was delicious but my favorite one was Ferrera Roche.

De Cielo

De Cielo comes highly recommended, but I can’t say I share the same sentiments. The atmosphere is gorgeous but the customer service was lousy. I waited a long time to be seated and served, the waiter never came to check in, and the food wasn’t even all that! The rancheros wasn’t bad. It had a very healthy taste but also a bit bland. However, the smoothie was really good.

Antojito el tio

Antojito el tio is this really small in the cut restaurant located in the town. You could easily walk right past it if you’re not paying attention. Here I was able to try tamales for the first time. The chicken tamale was impressive!

 La Picadi A Jarocha

La Picadi A Jarocha is another authentic restaurant located in the town. Here I had empanadas, sopes, and chicken soup. I fell in love with the sopes.

Below is my review on the sopes.

El Rincon Chiapanece

At El Rincon Chiapanece, I tried the enchiladas de mole and salbutes. The salbutes reminded me of the sopes but I prefer the sopes. I wasn’t a fan of the enchiladas de mole. This restaurant is next door to La Picadi A Jarocha.

Memories

Chichen Itza

Known as one of the wonders of the world, Chichen Itza lives up to the hype. The beautiful Mayan Ruins gives a glimpse of life and architecture from back in what is speculated to be 400s A.D. You can find beautiful souvenirs here for decent prices. There are shops and restaurants as well. The commute is about a 2-hour drive outside of Tulum. There are tours that takes you there and back or, if you’re brave enough, you can go on a road trip. Either way, just make sure you get there!

*Admission is $14

Grand Cenote

A cenote is pit, or sinkhole, resulting from the collapse of limestone bedrock that exposes groundwater underneath. There is a strip with dozens of cenotes. Along this strip, you can find the “Grand Cenote” which I believe is the most popular cenote on this strip.

*Admission is $10

Another cenote recommended to me, that looks absolutely stunning, is the Cenote Ik kil Oficial. This cenote is massive! You can even jump off the cliff into the water! Cenote Ik kil Oficial is located near Chichen Itza. Your best bet is to kill two birds with one stone by visiting them both in one shot.

Zona Archeologica De Dzibilchaltun (National Park/Ruins)

The Zona Archeologica De Dzibilchaltun is about a 15-20 minute drive from the town. It is a natural protected area founded on April 23, 1981. The purpose is to conserve, protect, ecosystems, natural resources, and environmental services and its components. The park is vast with much to see rich in culture and history. There is also a beach on site if you are interested in taking a dip.

*Admission is $6-$7 and an additional $6 if you would like to bring video cameras

Night Life

Casa Jaguar

Casa Jaguar is a club/restaurant on the beach strip. The venue is relatively spacious and popular on Thursday nights throughout the weekend. The music is house/techno.

They celebrated Dia De Los Muertos and I partook in the festivities by getting my face painted.

*Free Admission

Santino

Nearly all of the clubs on the beach strip play house and techno music. In order to get diversity, top 40s, hip-hop, salsa, you have to go to the clubs in the town. Santino caught my eye with it’s fun exterior of colorful lights and the great blend of song choices that filled the street. They have good drink specials also. The crowd is a mix of 20 and 30 somethings both locals and tourist. I would recommend here for a night out.

*Free Admission

Beach

I went to the beach on the beach strip. Apparently, a storm had took the island a few days prior leaving the water a bit murky. I did not go inside of the water but did walk along the beach. There are several restaurants located on the beach allowing you to enjoy your meals with beach front views.

*Free Admission