Ummmmmmm....Tulum

We had passed right through Tulum town several times as we've traveled to other places, but never made Tulum our destination. In fact, it wasn't even our first choice on this getaway, but plans changed before we ever left home.
Tulum it was to be!
We're back and can say we loved the beaches of Tulum and the little posada where we stayed....would highly recommend Las Palmas Maya. Owners Frank and Cheryl, along with onsite manager Tomas, are the best.

When reading up on Tulum everything is separated between staying in town or staying out on the beach. If you stay in town there are plenty of places to stay, many fairly inexpensive, and plenty of places to eat. To get out to the beach you either need a car, bicycle with bicycle savvy, or catch a taxi. We chose the beach. If you stay out on the beach it is going to be rustic beauty. The beach hotels and posadas are off the electrical grid so....no A/C and in some cases limited power and water pressure. Just know before you go. I suppose your other choice is to go the resort route - don't know about those.

No A/C was not a problem with the fresh breezes from the beach. The beach road and the paths to the beach are jungly and tropical. The Caribbean water is the deepest emerald I've ever seen. And, we saw some really beautiful people on the beach. I suppose with Tulum being a mecca for yoga worshipers it draws a health-concious, multi-cultural set. One does have to be careful taking pictures since you have to work around the topless sunbathers.
We ate good, drank good, and met some really great people while staying at Las Palmas Maya. We loved the communal kitchen at Las Palmas Maya where everybody gathered in the morning for the best coffee ever made promptly at 7am by Tomas, followed by a little chat about each day's lack of plans, and being able to buy cheap beer directly from Tomas.

We caught a taxi to the nearby Chedraui and bought supplies to make our own breakfasts each morning. We took long walks on the beach each morning, lounged on the beach most of the day and got intelligent, ate small lunches, then went out for dinner.  One night the gang from Las Palmas Maya walked the beach down to a place called Las Lunes something or other and listened to Tomas' friend Nick sing and play the guitar. We had a beach buffet of freshly grilled seafood, chicken and beef with all the goodies. Another night we had a fried mixto of vegetables/seafood and seafood risotto with surprisingly expensive wine. One night we had Argentinian black beans and rice and black bean/rice burritos for a whopping $125 pesos.

 

When it was time to leave we couldn't bear to go through with it. Luckily we were able to squeeze in one more night by moving to "the treehouse" room. We sat on the balcony after dinner and had nightcaps and watched the goings on down below us. We never learned the end of the story of the girl that got out of the car with the guy where he tossed her mattress into the shrubs down below us and drove off. Nor did we ever find out if they located the car that ran through the fence, narrowly missed a parked car, and hit the concrete building next door at the OM parking lot. The one thing we knew for sure is that whoever left the gas tanque by the street was taking a BIG risk with the bomberos. Oh  the memories!!!


Gas Tanque 101...don't leave your gas tanque beside he road unsecured....unless you want the bomberos to take it away!!!

The last day in Tulum, we were sitting on the beach when we realized if we were going to leave at all we probably should head to the bus station. We got up, dusted off the sand, went back to pick up our backpacks and say our "thank yous" and "see you laters". Since it was after check-out and before check-in Tomas had made a trip into town. We spoke with the Argentinian cleaner and made our exit. We never say "adios" anyway, just "hasta luego. We were spared saying either...which means we will certainly go back again.

Ummmmmm......Tulum. We will be back.