Our Essential Guide To Organize The Best Vacation In Tulum

We love Tulum! And who doesn’t? Mexico is full of beautiful beach cities, but Tulum has definitely something more. From beautiful hotels to incredible restaurants, from dreamy beaches to magic cenotes, we are sure your trip to Tulum will be great. But, as with every vacation, it has to be organized. So, what’s better than a complete guide to organize your trip and just enjoy your planning when you will be on site?

In this ultimate guide we include every information you will need to organize a great vacation in Tulum: from the best hotels to book to the best things to do, from the most popular and yummy restaurants to the most ancient Mayan ruins, start organizing your vacation now. And for the fashion lovers out there: keep reading until the end to find a surprise for you!

*Still have to book the best hotel in Tulum?* – we really want to share with you how our friend Virginia made our stay in Tulum unforgettable. She made us stay in incredible locations throughout the town and we can’t recommend her enough. Take advantage of her free service below!

From where to start? Of course from booking a beautiful hotel or an inclusive resort. We made a list of the best hotels in Tulum beach here or another guide of the best boutique hotels and villas located all around Tulum: you should definitely check them out to have a better idea of the offer of accommodation you will find in Tulum. If you stay in the center area of Tulum town, you will for sure be more connected to locals, bars, boutiques and restaurants. Moreover, the streets get really crowded at night: so if you are searching for peace, maybe it’s not the right option. In fact, here’s where the majority of hostels are located. If you choose to stay in a hotel or resort in the beach area, you will for sure be in a fancier environment, but be prepared to see the price per night rising.  

Second thing to do is for sure planning the free time of your vacation. Swimming, diving or just chilling in cenotes around Tulum and Yucatan are our favorite activities to do to disconnect from everything and breathe. Cenotes are a must during your travel to Mexico, especially in Yucatan, and you can’t for sure miss them! We made a list of the best cenotes around Tulum and Riviera Maya you should definitely include in the things to do during your trip. Moreover, some of them are also free! In the list you will also find out which is our favorite cenote: ready to take a look? 

A day trip from Tulum during your vacation is always a great idea! Mexico is full of beautiful destinations for day trips and especially around Tulum you will be able to visit the other two biggest cities on the beach of Riviera Maya: Cancun and Playa del Carmen. Full of great restaurants and things to do, you will also be able to book a hotel there for a night or so to enjoy these cities to their fullest. Moreover, from Playa del Carmen you will be able to reach Cozumel for incredible snorkeling and from Cancun you will be able to reach Holbox or Isla Mujeres. Cancun is also a great idea to catch your flight at the airport to come back home.  

Tulum is a place full of beautiful beaches. Moreover, right on the beach, you will find amazing hotels, inclusive resorts, bars and beach clubs that will upgrade your vacation experience. For sure, the price for restaurants and cocktails will be higher than in the center, but in this way you will really be able to live crazy and surreal things during your vacation that you wouldn’t be able to live in the town. In fact, it’s in Tulum beach that the parties are held. Check out our reviews of every beach in Tulum here, and for the yummies out there here’s the list of the best restaurants on the beach.    

Tulum is full of great restaurants, both in the center and at the beach. We really advise you to try Mexican food as well as international one because chefs in Tulum are really good. We recommend you to book a table in advance if you want to go to a fancy place. Instead, if you are going to a more informal place or for some street food, you wouldn’t have to worry about anything. Don’t forget to check out where you can get the best breakfast to start your day in a good mood! 

Tulum is full of activities and things to do, so for sure you will never get bored. If you socialize with expats, you will find out that there are many WhatsApp groups where you will be able to attend new events every week. From parties to the jungle to great museums, you will have plenty of choice! We wrote an article about our favorite activities and things to do in Tulum: check it out!

One of our favorite activities to do in Tulum, as well as in Yucatan, is to visit incredible Mayan ruins. It’s crazy how they are so well conserved after all these years. This activity will give you a hint of Mexican history and will make you visit one of the New Seven Wonders Of The World: what’s better than this? Tulum ruins are right above the main beach, while Chichen Itza is inland close to the city of Valladolid. Coba is also another beautiful Mayan site inland. If you want to know more about Mayan ruins and how to reach them from Tulum, check out our article.

Renting a car is definitely a must thing to do before your vacation. We know the idea of driving in Mexico can be scary, but roads are pretty safe and if you respect the rules you shouldn’t get into trouble. We made a guide on how to rent a car in Tulum, Cancun and Playa del Carmen and how not to get scammed, so check it out if you want to have a better idea about car rentals in Mexico. In the article we also tell you our experience with different car rentals and which ones are the best. Having a car during your vacations will be life changing: it will permit you to go everywhere, at the time you want without any pressure. So, yes, this is definitely something you have to organize before the vacation. 

That’s something I personally enjoy: preparing a luggage of clothes to bring with you to an exotic destination! In Tulum many people are following the “Tuluminati” style, which is a mix between tribe and bohemian style: large clothes, hats, plumes, tunics, long skirts and ethnic jewelry. Tulum is also full of beautiful pop up stores and boutiques, so if you forgot something at home, you will be able to buy it there. A small piece of advice: leave an empty place in your luggage because you will want to bring something home from Tulum! If you are a shopping lover too, check out our sustainable and made in Mexico list of boutiques in Tulum to upgrade your shopping experience. 

We hope your vacation in Tulum will be amazing and that our guide helps you to organize it. If you have any questions, or you want to share your experience with us, leave us a comment below: we will be happy to reply to you!