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We have only done day trips to Tulum from Cancun and want to stay there this trip.
We are not sure where to stay.
The hotel Xcaret looks really nice but when I YouTube it it seems like multiple hotels.
Do all of them have full privileges?
We are looking for a real nice place but it also has to be fun.
Not into a place that is too fancy and ritzy to have fun at.
It doesn’t have to be the xcaret but it does need a great calm beach, good dining and close to swimming/snorkeling in the cenotes.
It will be just the wife and I and being around kids doesn’t bother us.
The Hotel Xcaret is a long way from Tulum if that's your intention. Xcaret is more known as the eco-park they have there that is nice but awfully expensive for what it is. Spend a day there and you'll drop $200 per person easily and if you go all out with the activities and some drinks you could spend $500.
I personally am glad I didn't stay in Tulum when I went. The beach part is pretty and should be visited, but all those areas near the beach are just seriously overrun with hawkers and annoying "kids". The Tulum that the expats and high culture people talk about is in the village quite a long walk away. Most people take taxis to get between the beach and the village but locals told us a taxi on a weekend they'll ask for $25 or more for the 3-mile ride saying "traffic is bad". Not that this is any different from any other part of the Riviera Maya, but you are probably better off staying around PDC and just going to Tulum for a day, preferably a weekday to avoid the worst of the crowding and price gouging.
Not to say all places in Tulum are obvious rip offs like this, but yeah it's getting a bit ridiculous. Not to mention crime is still a real issue even if few will publicly report it.
The Mexican government declaring the Yucatan coast to be "the Riviera Maya" and developing it in the same way as they did the resort areas on the Pacific Coast, was the end of "normal" local pricing, of sleepy little villages where visitors could rent a thatched-roof hut with hammocks for a buck or two, or a spacious, basic hotel room with private bath for a couple more bucks, and beaches free of crowds (and scammers). The blogger in the article, after finding a location that had what she considered "fair" pricing, paid $18 for a sausage and eggs breakfast, with a few extras. You can be sure that's not what Mexicans pay for a hearty breakfast like that.
Oh well. "Progress", as they say....
In any case, let us know how you enjoyed your trip, Andy.
There are some absolutely gorgeous and funky places with breathtaking scenery on Highway 15 south of Tulum - boutique type hotels.
But Ruth and Willy have talked about some of the major issues with staying there now. You probably don't want to stay there unless you are a seasoned bicyclist or have a rented car. And you are at the mercy of those places for your meals unless you can find a B&B and stock up on groceries on your way down.
Maybe closer to Sian Ka'an conservation area farther to the south it may be less expensive and closer to a genuine cultural experience. It is very pretty there and offers some interesting historical and biological tours.
If you have any historical interest, by all means take a tour to the Ruins at Tulum and be sure to take a guided one. You'll learn a lot of interesting things. Take your swimsuits. The beach there is often listed among the world's ten most beautiful beaches.
In fact maybe you'd be happy with a stay at the collection of hotels across the road from it - the Hotels Barcelo south of
Playa del Carmen. They are of varying prices and amenities.
The hotel will schedule your tours for you if you don't want to drive but you will save considerable money booking your own tours.
Wish I could be more helpful but I've avoided the area for years now due to the changes.
I visited the area when it was just sleepy fishing villages and ruins tours. My, oh how it has changed - but not for the locals - prices are outta sight now. I went back five years ago on a fishing trip and I wouldn't even go back for a visit now - even if someone paid for it. Maybe to Cozumel - but that's it. The violence has driven a lot of business from the EU away. And for good reason. No one wants their dinner interrupted by cartel gunfire, not after you've spent all that money to get there. No, no
I was in Cancun and Tulum about 10 years ago for a visit, when things were pretty calm for tourists. I rented a bicycle in both places are rode all over the place without a worry in the world. I rode from Tulum down to Sian Kaan a couple of times, and it was great.
From Tulum, I took an ADO bus south for almost 4 hours to Majahual - it is a small fishing and tourist village on the coast, off the main highway that continues south to Chetumal and Belize. If you want a taste of an off the beaten path, not highly commercialized heaven on earth, Majahual is pretty close. I stayed at a small, immaculate, quiet family-run hotel, El Caballo Blanco. There is a cruise ship dock so occasionally a boatload (literally) of tourists disembark and flood the local stores and shops, but if you head just a bit south of town you can still have a beach to almost yourself.
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