How we spent three days in Tulum

After two nights in a beach hut in Xcalak, a remote village 13 km north of the Belize border, we drove to Tulum. Here we spent three days at Casa Agape in the town’s central zone. We rented bikes to explore the town, beach, and beach clubs. And the main areas are connected by a cycle track makes it easy to stay clear of cars on the road.

Here was where we ate and drank, and what we did in Tulum.

The best places to eat and drink in Tulum

Ola Taco!

Right opposite our hotel was Ola Taco. We ate a lot of tacos during this trip but these were some of the best. Served with homemade dips and salsas, each fresh ingredient is plated separately. So you can build your own tacos just as you like them. The fish tacos are especially delicious. This was also where we rented our bikes for getting to and from the beach.

Batey

This cocktail bar has live music all night. And unlike some Tulum night spots, it brings in a great crowd that’s both laid-back and lively in the best way. We stayed at Batey for a couple of drinks on our first night in Tulum, and got chatting to another couple from London. It was busy – we queued for about 10 minutes to get in and we were sat quite far back. But closer to the front there's more of a party vibe.

DT Rooftop

On the top of the Downtown Tulum hotel is the DT Rooftop bar. Recommended as a great spot for cocktail and chilled music, we spent an evening here rather than heading to the beach clubs.

The cocktails were good, the vibe was relaxed, and there was a great view of the sunset across the town. It's also the only place we ever got offered drugs. We didn’t do Tulum in the same way that many people do. Even though we party a lot at home, we only visited one low-key Tulum beach club during the day. But for good drinks and food at far more reasonable prices, we preferred downtown over the hotel zone.

Casa Agape

We ate at the vegan Mayan restaurant on the rooftop of Casa Agape because we were staying at the hotel. From healthy breakfasts to fresh tacos and other Mexican cuisine, it serves great food all day. We also enjoyed their cocktails by the pool – an experience reserved for guests – but they’d taste just as great on the stunning terrace bar too!

Things to do in Tulum

Cenote Cristal and Escondido

We cycled about 15 minutes from our hotel in downtown Tulum to these two cenotes. It was slightly terrifying along a very busy road, but plenty of people seem to do it! Cristal and Escondido are across the main road from each other and you can buy tickets for access to one or both at the entrance to Escondido on the right side of the road.

We went for both, and cycled down the sun-dappled dirt track to Cenote Cristal first. Though fairly busy it still felt very peaceful and the clear blue water was inviting despite being quite cold! This was my favourite of all the cenotes we visited as it felt the most untouched.

We then cycled across the street to the much larger Cenote Escondido. This felt more like a lake as it was surrounded by reeds and the water wasn’t as clear. However, it did have diving boards and plenty of spaces for picnics around the edge.

If you’re considering visiting these two cenotes, it’s worth going to both. But it might be better to start with Escondido and finish at the relaxing Cristal. Not only because Cristal is more relaxing, but it also puts you on the right side of the road for getting back to Tulum.

Beach clubs

Tulum is famous for its beach clubs, which bring in a lot of British and American tourists to the area. Staying at Casa Agape meant we had access to Beach Club Casa María located inside Hotel Diamante K. We visited one afternoon, and it was prett much what you’d expect from a Tulum beach club. Deep house music, expensive food, and tables full of rich white people (yeah okay… but you know what I mean!) So we opted for a standard sunbed-and-bottled-beer beach experience after that. However, since access was included in the price of our stay, it was worth checking out.

Tulum Beach

Every year, the beaches in Yucatan and Quintana Roo experience sargassum season. Tonnes of brown, grass-like seaweed washes into the shore at the end of March and start of April. Of course, this was right when we arrived, and the shoreline in some areas was thick with sargassum.

When it's been left for too long, sargassum smells unpleasant. But in Tulum they’re aware of the recurring issue and have teams that rake it up in an attempt to clear it each day.

Tulum also has issues with drug cartels and soldiers with machine guns can often be seen walking up and down the beach. It's meant to be a protection for tourists. But coming from the UK and being unused to seeing guns everywhere, it was a bit off-putting. However, that wasn't going to dull our experience.

From the warm, crystal clear sea and white sand to the beach bar serving ice cold beers and the vendors selling fresh mango covered in spicy tajin seasoning, Tulum beach is pretty idyllic. We relaxed on sun loungers at one of the stations offering massages. Here we got two beds for half the price that other spots were asking for. So it’s worth wandering among a few to check for prices.

We cycled to Tulum beach from downtown. The route follows a cycle lane next to the main road and down the track past the beach clubs. We were able to lock our bikes safely at a heavily used cycle park for free. It’s a huge stretch of beach that you could explore different areas of each day. But since our time was limited we stayed in the Playa Las Palmas area.

Coba Ruins

We drove from Tulum to the Coba Ruins, which took about 50 minutes and was a straight-forward drive along the 109. Bus tours and public buses are also available for this route and take about 1 hour. Once at the ruins, we hired bikes from the entrance. They’re not in great condition, but they’re fine and cheap. Plus, being able to cycle around the large forest site made things much quicker and easier.

The Coba Ruins are some of the most popular ancient ruins in Mexico and one of the best day trips from Tulum. Rather than joining a walking tour, we took about 1.5 hours exploring each section of the ancient Mayan city by ourselves.

Planning which ruins to visit in Mexico can be overwhelming. There are just so many, it can feel like they're much of a muchness. But we’d definitely recommend Coba as one of the most fascinating historical sites.

Cenote Multum Ha

After our trip to the Coba Ruins, we went to Cenote Multum Ha. Cenotes are natural pits that occur when bedrock sinks under the water. Multum Ha, however, is still a cave where you swim within the cavern with crystal clear water. You enter via a 100-step wooden spiral staircase. So it’s not the one for claustrophobic people. But it’s a unique cenote experience.

We had Multum Ha to ourselves right up until we were about to leave, which is pretty rare considering how popular cenotes are. But since this one is about a 10 minute drive down a gravel track from the main road, it’s not as busy as some of the others.

Want to explore more of Mexico? Here's how we spent ten days in the Yucatan Peninsula.