3 Perfect Days in Tulum, Mexico

Our morning started early and we were at LAX by 10am, on the plane by 12:30. Pretty much your typical travel day, crowded planes, excitement and a bit of impatience. I always use a face-mask during flight defending to keep my skin and eyes hydrated and under control. This flight I used Bliss triple oxygen instant energizing eye mask. Tulum is about an hour and a half drive from Cancun airport so we didn't arrive to Zamas Hotel until late at night. The sounds of the ocean teased us as we walked to our room. I could not wait to get to sleep so that I could wake up and SEE what was out there. Our room was beautiful and minimal with a palm thatched roof, a balcony with 2 hammocks, and 2 king beds. You bet Ian and I took advantage of that and slept on both. One king each :-)

After having an amazing sleep we woke up bright and early to check out our surroundings. Zamas is right on the beach, so it was so relaxing walking along the coast for a bit. We took a taxi to Mezzanine which we were recommended by the receptionist for a great breakfast ocean view.  P.s you’re probably going to hear 'amazing' and 'food' a lot in the same sentence in this post because all the food in Tulum was SO good. I ordered coconut french toast with fresh mango puree and papaya sauce..probably going to have to try and recreate that soon. It was DELISH. On the menu too was a "typical Mexican breakfast" - coffee, cigarette, and a shot of tequila. I thought that was pretty funny.

Tulum is known for their cenotes (a natural well/sinkhole formed from small collapses of limestone filled with nature's filtered water). We asked the locals which cenote they recommend most if they had to choose one, and they all said Sac Actun. We spent around $50 dollars on a taxi to get there and take us back. After about a 45 minute drive, we got to the location and it was around $15 each person for the tour. The tour was much much MORE than I expected. The water was a bright turquoise, beautiful and calm and we snorkeled our way through the caves deep into the cenote. There was one point where we were zig zagging through the cave with about 5” of air between the top of the water and the limestone. It could be scary for someone that is claustrophobic but it was such an adventure for us. We saw bats, openings to the earth from below, tree roots dangling into the cave, and where the water flows to the ocean. It was stunning. Floating there on my back with the sun warming my face was serene, a moment I definitely won’t forget.

After our cenote experience, our taxi driver took us to Chamicos Tulum his favorite seafood spot. It’s a restaurant run with no electricity or gas - so all cooked dishes were made over a fire which was so neat! They are also known to have the freshest ceviche and it did not disappoint. It was one of the best I’ve ever had. I highly recommend visiting this spot if you go to Tulum! It's not touristy like some of the other places too.

When we got back to Zamas, we spent some time relaxing by the pool and on the hammock.

For dinner we went to Hartwood where we got lucky enough to sit right away (usually you have to wait for hours). We even got to sit right next to the open kitchen and watch all the food being prepared. Hands down the best jicama salad I've ever had in my life. Slices of jicama, hazelnuts and this citrus dressing that is so hard for me to describe, because it was just a flavor explosion. Man..I’m still thinking about it!!

The outdoor vibes in Hartwood were awesome too- I would definitely recommend it to other travellers who want to enjoy a nice dinner.

We ended the evening with a two mile walk in the warm dark air back to our hotel room instead of getting a cab.

*clicks light off*

The next day we had breakfast at our hotel, I had a mango quinoa porridge with milk and a coffee while over looking the ocean.

Afterward we rented bikes down the street from Punta Piedra (it was $4 to rent a bike for the day) and biked to the ruins. It was so hot and humid both of us were drenched in sweat by the end. Thank god for cold coconuts! We walked around the ruins for a bit and saw so many iguanas that were hanging out too. The ruins were impressive but it was a little underwhelming (not gonna lie) we def had way more of an eye opening experience at the cenotes.

On our way back we parked our bikes and jumped into the ocean to cool down a bit. Ahh~that was fun.

For lunch, we went to a happening taco spot on the beach called La Euphemia. They literally had the BEST carne asada tacos I've ever had!! It comes plain and you dress it up your self at the bar with salsas, onion, etc. The vibes were sooo chill and they were playing really good music back to back. Definitely recommend this place!

We were exhausted by the time we got back to our hotel, so we took a well deserved shower and chilled in our bungalow until dinner. Our last spot we wanted to tick off the list was Kitchen Table. It’s literally a restaurant with a kitchen table in the middle of the jungle with tables all around. I love the concept of open kitchens and Tulum had so many! We ordered the octopus, mushroom quesadilla, and steak since those were what they were known for and it did not disappoint!

We packed our bags and got ready to leave Tulum  to head to Cuba! I loved everything about Tulum, how accessible it was (the city runs all along one road adjacent to the beach), the food, the people, the chill vibes, the bluest and warmest ocean water, biking to get around, coming home to our cozy bungalow every night and truly getting to relax. It was the perfect way to spend my birthday weekend with Ian :)