Tulum: The Sexiest Weekend Getaway of All Time

Bikes are the very best way to get around the beach in Tulum. (Photo: Nick Aster)

The Hartwood is currently the most talked about restaurant in Tulum. They only accept cash (dollars or pesos), meals are cooked over an open flame, all ingredients are locally sourced and they only take reservations the day of between the hours of three and six pm in person with the hostess. Is it worth it? The food is certainly delicious, but this isn’t the kind of town where you should stand in a queue. If you happen to be walking by between the designated hours and they happen to have a table, stop by, but don’t bend over backwards for a table. That’s not what Tulum is all about.

Even the street signs give good advice in Tulum. (Photo: Jo Piazza)

What to do:

Spend at least one day of your trip getting out of town. Car rentals are cheap in this part of Mexico (as low as $30 a day) and for the cost of a single group tour to the ruins, you can easily rent a car for the whole weekend, which more than makes up for your $100 airport transfers alone.

Related: This Couple Took a 365-Day Honeymoon Around the World

I am partial to the ruins of Coba over the crowded structures on the beach cliffs of Tulum. About an hour’s drive from the beach, into a dense jungle these ancient Mayan structures aren’t just less populated, they’re more laid back, allowing visitors to get up close and personal with the pyramids.

Make sure to rent a bike at the ruins at Coba. It will run you about $6 and it is worth the cost. The dirt jungle paths are long and on a hot day the hike will drain you. Plus the furthest of the Coba ruins, the great pyramid, is the best of them all.

The stone temples climb high above the tops of the jungle trees. (Photo: Nick Aster)

Mix with the locals at a lunch stop in Valladolid. Strolling through the city’s central square will transport you to a small European town. This colonial city has retained a distinctly Spanish feel, but the restaurants lining the square are uniquely Mayan. Make sure to stop into the Chocolate Shop for a wide selection of chocolates from around the world and specifically from Mexico. Their dark chocolate bar mixed with corn chips may sound bizarre, but you will end up buying three of them to bring home.

The city’s Isabelline-Gothic church and convent were constructed in the 15th C. (Photo: Jo Piazza)

Diving into a cenote, a fresh water underground cavern, is a must-do in this part of the Yucatan peninsula, but you need to be picky about where you go. All of the tourists head to Dos Ojos, which is lovely, but packed with families of screaming children. A cenote is best enjoyed in relative isolation. Right in the center of Valladolid is a rare urban cenote, Zaci, a tropical swimming hole in the midst of a bustling city.

In the middle of a week day you may have Cenote Zaci all to yourselves. (Photo: Jo Piazza)

On your way back to Tulum make sure to visit the Agua Dulce Cenote in Yalcoba. 

There are hardly any markings for the the property, which is simply a hole in the ground on a farm, but if you buy a proper map it will be easy for you to find. Upon arrival you’ll be greeted by a small group of farm workers lounging on the front porch of an empty event space. Pay just 100 pesos for admission to the cenote and follow one of the workers down a long dirt path to an innocuous hole in the ground amidst a field of dusty tan sheep. Descending the spiral staircase to the water is like visiting another world. The best part? You’ll likely have this natural wonder all to yourselves.

How to relax:

There are dozens of places to get a massage or Mayan Clay facial in Tulum. If you want a truly inexpensive couples massage, just stroll down the beach where locals offer massages for $30 a piece on tables set up in the sand.

If you truly want to indulge in a full day of relaxation in one of the most chic spas you will ever visit, make a stop at the Yaan Wellness Center and book one of their couples packages. 

Your treatment will begin with the copal smoke therapy ritual to cleanse and purify energetic fields, a sweet honey and almond scrub followed by a nurturing chocolate wrap with and intention based massage incorporating rose quartz to attract love, wealth and happiness for the couple. End your day with an intuitive session with founder Bobby Klein. It is one of the best things you will ever do for yourself and your partner.

Be sure to check the Yaan calendar for dates of their Open Moon and Zodiac Temazcal Ceremonies hosted by a Mayan healer. The property also offers private Temazcales ceremonies for $75 USD per person.

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Check out our original adventure travel series A Broad Abroad.