Accommodations

I chose Rosa Del Viento at the very southern end of Tulum beach and its row of seaside boutique hotels for our 5 day trip to Tulum. I stayed in a private beach hut with a view of the sea and conveniently near the resorts restaurant so getting to breakfast was easy in the morning. The room was very spacious, had AC and even a hammock on the porch. Here’s a video of our view of the sea from my porch.

I also walked along the beach a few steps north to Be Tulum hotel for drinks, dinner and breakfast. I really enjoyed their restaurant Maresias. It has a great menu, friendly staff, live music in the afternoon and a cool beachy lounge vibe at night. I’d stay here next time as I loved the restaurant and the modern look of the hotel rooms.

Restaurants

Besides Maresias, I also ate at Gitano, Mateo’s, Zamas, El Pez, Casa Banana and El Camello Jr. Many of the night time meals were so dark and candle lit it was hard to take pictures of the food but I ate well and there are many more rsetaurants to try on my next visit.

My first night in Tulum I had dinner at Gitano. It’s both a bar with a great cocktail menu, albeit with NY prices, and a restaurant. The setting is very romantic with candlelight, chill loungy music and chandeliers hanging from the trees. They have several taco options, three entrees and starters and salads. I had a beet salad, ceviche and tacos and had the perfect first meal in Tulum. Here’s just a peak of what I saw. Again very dark and intimate.

The next day I took a taxi to downtown Tulum where the main street was further away from the beach and featured more restaurants and souvenir shops. I had fish tacos, chips and fresh pico de gallo at El Camello Jr.. It  was very busy with both locals and tourists.

For dinner that evening I checked out Mateo’s Mexican Grill for dinner and Zamas for dessert and live music. Mateo’s is massive and has a deck for watching the sunset. The frozen Margarita was one of the best I’ve ever had. What I loved even more than my food and drinks was the band. Again it was very dark so no food pictures and the pictures I did take inside came out very… red.

Zamas was just across the street a few steps down the road. It’s known for its huevos rancheros, but I went for the live music I saw advertised earlier that day. I stumbled upon a very cool three piece band that specialized in Django Reinhardt. It was the perfect music for sitting by the sea and enjoying a cappuccino and beignets.

The next day I spent at the all inclusive water adventure park, Xel-Ha. It’s a fun day trip from Tulum and can be described as a nature inspired water park both adults and families can enjoy.

For dinner that evening I ate at Casa Banana in Tulum. Its an Argentine restaurant that seemed to have a wait no matter what time of night we walked by.  I  didn’t have to wait too long. Just enough time to have a drink by the spookily light bar then our table was ready.

The next morning I rented a bike and road north to El Pez for brunch. From the outside I wasn’t expecting much but inside the high ceiling beach restaurant over look the beach and all of the details and extra nice touches made brunch very relaxing and enjoyable. Bonus points for the live band, and great menu and service. The avocado toast with poached egg was my favorite.