We flew into Cancun and rented a car for the drive down to Tulum, which is about a 1.5 hour drive. If you’re thinking about going to Tulum I would definitely suggest renting a car. The locals were saying it’s about $100USD cab ride one way, so renting a car was definitely the more affordable option and we had a vehicle to explore the city!
The staff at the MangleX were so friendly, welcoming us with fresh coconuts and offering so many helpful recommendations during our stay. It’s a bed and breakfast hotel which we would receive every morning on our private porch- they definitely spoiled us. As I mentioned before, it is an eco-hotel so there was no tv in our room which was actually so refreshing to disconnect! Luckily, our room did have a fan to keep us cool during the humid nights and our bed had a bug net to keep all the critters out (side note-definitely pack some bug spray!). We did see the odd gecko crawling on the wall but hey, it’s Mexico, you kind of expect those little visitors from time to time.
One of the best parts of Tulum was the food! Typically when we’ve vacationed in Mexico it’s been at various all-inclusive where the food has been pretty lacklustre- but not Tulum! I probably had the best bowl of fresh pasta in my life, and I’ve even been to Italy! And of course, the tacos were to die for- my mouth is literally watering just thinking about them.
Ok, instead of rambling and making myself hungry in the process I figured listing off our favourites would be the easiest way to share our recommendations…
Hotel Nomade “The Beach” Restaurant
We ate here on one of our first nights and it was an experience Josh and I will never forget. I can’t remember the name of it but if you go to the hotel Nomade and ask for “the beach” restaurant they’ll know exactly what you mean. Guys, this restaurant is literally on the beach! The set up was so fun with moroccan rugs and pillows everywhere for you to cozy up on the beach looking out at the ocean.
This is a seafood restaurant, which we probably should have guessed with it being waterfront, but Josh actually doesn’t like seafood (I know, he’s loco) but he ordered a steak which ended up being out of this world! I had the prawns which literally tasted like they had been caught that day, so fresh!
Hungry yet?
This meal was a bit of a splurge but SO worth it. However, if it’s a little out of your price range I would still suggest going there for a drink to at least enjoy the beach vibes.
Posada Margherita
If Italian food is your thing (and why wouldn’t it be??) you seriously have to check out Posada Margherita because it’s no joke! This was probably one of my favourite meals of the whole trip in Mexico and it was Italian! How crazy is that!? Not going to lie, I was a little sceptical at first but after the first bite Josh and I were completely shocked and immediately hooked. They serve seafood as well but I would highly suggest ordering their pasta, which is made fresh daily and mind blowing to put it mildly.
The only thing is I wish we went while it was still light out as the walkway up to the restaurant is so dreamy and filled with plants and cute decorations. Definitely an instagram worthy spot if you’re into that kind of thing
Matcha Mama
If you love a good morning smoothly and more specifically matcha, then you definitely need to check this place out. Not only is it cute but the smoothies are so fresh! We spent one morning here just hanging out on the swings and sipping our smoothies, it was a great way to start the day!
Rent Bikes
Tulum beach is about a 10km stretch of pure bliss and the main spot where all the tourists stay and hang out. The main road isn’t very wide so you can imagine how busy it can get with all the taxis, maintenance crews, and tourists! Luckily they offer a handful of bike rentals in the area which I would definitely suggest doing to get around. Plus, its a great way to sightsee and makes for the cutest photo op along the way 😉
Vist A Cenote
We were lucky enough to have a cenote on the property that we took full advantage of, but if you’re not staying at the MangleX there are plenty of other cenotes in the Tulum area to enjoy. I think the Grand Cenote would be the most popular one, and it’s free to the public. We didn’t visit it but heard that you should go early in the day to beat the rush.
Tulum Ruins
We visited the ruins on our first day which was a lot of fun and super convenient to get to which made things easy. I’ll admit if you’ve visited Chichen Itza, then these might not be the most impressive ruins, but they’re still fun to go to and experience a bit of the Mayan history. The one cool thing about the Tulum ruins is that there is also a little beach there. Just a heads up when we were there the beach was packed so we ended up going back to the main beach to spend the rest of the day.
