This year for my birthday I knew I wanted to travel, being that my last birthday was spent at home during the pandemic lock down. As I thought through locations that would meet my desire for relaxation, pleasing aesthetics and a place less traveled (to avoid crowds), Tulum, Mexico came to mind. In this blog post, my hope is to enlighten you before making that trip to Tulum, Mexico! There are definitely a few things I wish I had known prior to traveling there.
Where We Stayed: Copal Tulum Hotel
Finding a nice hotel to stay at in Tulum can be difficult without breaking the bank. Since this is not our only trip for the year, I wanted to be considerate of our next international travel trip. I knew I did not want to stay in an airbnb because I did not want to clean my room on vacation. Sis was trying to be in 100% relaxation mode, okurr?
The staff at Copal Tulum were kind, respectful and helpful. Most of the staff were fluent in English and helped in calling taxis for me and my husband when we wanted to leave the hotel. The hotel is overall aesthetically pleasing. Beautiful rooftop pool as well as one on the ground level, yummy restaurant, quick room service and just an overall chill vibe. The rooms were spacious and this was a huge plus for me. Our room had a kitchenette and this made warming up food 10x easier.
The Hotel was very accommodating for my birthday as they offered birthday packages that could be selected! Mine included balloons, champagne, roses and chocolate covered strawberries.
Things that I feel could be improved are having more food options on the room service menu and working to provide better ventilation in the rooms. My nose is super sensitive and I could not help but pick up on the smell of mould in the room. I could not see it (thank God), but I think it could definitely be problematic. Turning on the A.C helped with the smell and I also realize that Tulum, Mexico is VERY humid, so the smell in the room might have been a result of the weather. Besides these two thoughts , everything else about the hotel was great! We stayed for 5 days and 4 nights and I would give my overall rating of this place as a 7.5/10.
What We Did
I knew I wanted to do something I had never done before, so swimming in a Cenote (seh-NO-tay) was definitely on my bucket list! Did you know that Tulum has the longest underground river in the world? I know, fascinating. We went swimming in the Cenote at Yax Mul and I rode an ATV for the
first time. Some reservations that I had about this particular Cenote was that upon entering, the tour guide ushered us to a person that had to "bless" us in prayer to their gods before entering the Cenote. Understanding that this is their culture and wanting to be respectful, I allowed it, but made sure I prayed to Jesus in my head during this time.
The Cenotes are definitely beautiful and if you can't swim, everyone is given a life vest. I would HIGHLY recommend buying water shoes so that you can walk in the Cenote without getting poked by the rocks.
We visited the Mayan ruins and learned a little about the history surrounding it. It was really cool to look at all of the structures and imagine what life might have been like for the Mayans.
We rented a bicycle and rode to a public beach where we spent some time laying in the sand and running into the water.
Where We Ate
Most of our meals were eaten at the hotel due to the ease and convenience of room service. For my birthday we had dinner at a popular restaurant called BAK by Harrys. The food prices were $$$$ , the service was amazing and the food was tasteful. We ordered the Lobster Risotto and the portions were large.
We often drank fruit smoothies from local cafes in the area on walks or bike rides! If you love smoothies, then you will definitely enjoy the assortment of smoothies available. For my birthday breakfast, we had breakfast at Sin Etiqueta and the food was great!
Some local cost friendly places that we visited were El Camillo jr and Tacos Don honorio. These two places were raved about by locals and the hotel staff. The food was served in large portions and yummy. At El Camillo jr , we ordered this insanely large seafood platter that could have fed a party of 5. Overall, the food in Tulum was tasteful and I love tacos, so I was definitely in food heaven.
Things I Wish I Knew:
You cannot purchase a ticket directly to Tulum, so you will have to take a two hour drive by shuttle that normally costs about $200 extra dollars after your flight to Cancun or a neighboring city. However, there is a bus that can be taken for a cheaper option.
It is HOT and HUMID. If you are in love with heavy makeup, kiss that goodbye. I personally dislike sweating in my makeup because it feels like my pores are being clogged and just feels a bit suffocating. Be mindful of the clothes you pack, as looser clothing will be ideal for your stay due to the weather and warmth.
Pack SUNSCREEN. As an African-American woman, I came back with my shoulders and arms sunburned. My shoulders have since recovered and I have learned a major lesson. I normally add sunscreen to my face and have a blog post with recommendations HERE.
The crime rate is increasing, so travel in pairs and make sure to not ride bicycles at night. You also have to lock your rental bikes up due to them being stolen if unlocked and unattended.
The buildings and locations are much smaller than you would think. All of the infrastructures are smaller than they appear to be online e.g restaurants, hotels, shops etc.
You will need a negative COVID test on your way back to the states. This is dependent on CDC guidelines.
Tulum, Mexico is definitely a place I would recommend visiting at-least once in your life! I hope this blog post was helpful and insightful. Comment below if you have ever been to Tulum, or plan to go.
Until next time,
CrystalO
