Lots of vacationers have either heard of Tulum or have been visiting this Riviera Maya gem for many years. It is an iconic travel destination in itself featuring Mayan ruins, yoga retreats, beach clubs for day trippers, some really great boutique hotels with 5* amenities, and has become a haven for artists from around the world. In terms of all-inclusive resorts, however, it remains uncommercialized in this respect–the only true all-inclusive resort I know about which is actually located in Tulum is the adults-only Kore Retreat and Spa, or Kore Tulum as it is commonly called. While this boutique resort boasts luxury amenities and a great spa, guests are shuttled to another beach since the on-site beach cannot be safely accessed (kind of like staying at TRS Yucatan where you have to go to another resort’s beach to get into the water). The nearest all-inclusive resort to Tulum that has beach access is Dreams Tulum which is just north of the Tulum ruins.
If you plan to stay elsewhere outside of Tulum proper, there is no need to take an expensive excursion. I took an ADO bus from Playa del Carmen several years ago and got off at the Tulum ruins, toured it myself, enjoyed the beautiful turquoise waters via the ruins’ stairs, and took a cheap colectivo back to Playa del Carmen. If you are not close to Playa del Carmen to take the ADO bus, just flag down a colectivo on the side of the road going south to reach the ruins or Tulum proper.
I’m headed in the general direction of Tulum in a couple of weeks and plan to spend some time visiting cenotes in the southern part of the Riviera Maya. There are other sights to see and things to do while in Tulum–the video below highlights some of them. Have a look and comment below–do these “things to do” sound interesting? FYI: Due to excessive heat and the terrible influx of sargassum during the summer, I would recommend touring the Tulum ruins in the late fall or winter since the beautiful beach below the ruins (hopefully) won’t be so filled with sargassum.
What do you think?