Tulum

Flying into Tulum, Mexico, was a first for me! The airport opened in December 2023 and is a nice-sized airport that is very easy to navigate. Once you retrieve your luggage from baggage claim, little to no people will hound you about transportation to your accommodation like they were when I landed in Puerto Vallarta. I brought a carry-on to disembark and get through customs in less than 10 minutes. I used TRANSFER TULUM ISID, and their communication has been excellent since I inquired. TRANSFER TULUM ISID’s WhatsApp number is +52 984 449 7333. Upon arrival, I was sent the name of my driver, Pablo, and pictures of the taxi. Pablo messaged me shortly after with photos of himself, as well as the interior and exterior of the airport, to show where he would be located. 

The one-way taxi to my Airbnb @altertulum was $115 USD, and it was about 35 minutes from the airport. I could check into my Airbnb earlier than three, which was great. The Airbnb exceeded my expectations, and I could not wait to get into the pool since it was very hot and humid in Tulum in the middle of July. 

Tulum Food

Unfortunately, the food in Tulum wasn’t my favorite part of my trip. The food was more expensive than my experience in Puerto Vallarta. In the daytime, I would pop into a restaurant, but at night, I would have my food delivered using tomato.mx as I didn’t want to walk the streets alone at night. I tried dishes from the following restaurants: La Taqueria, El Agavero, Il Bacaro La Veleta, Pizzeria Manglar (my favorite), and Ziggy’s(a beach restaurant). I used tomato.mx to try other restaurants when I was hungry after dawn.

Tulum AirBnb Experience

Talk about an early riser! At 7:15 a.m., I stepped outside of my Airbnb to check the temperature. Hot and humid already! I was picked up in a van similar to the taxi I took from the airport. The Airbnb Experience I chose included visiting Chichen Itza, a community-run cenote, and the city of Valladolid to have lunch. After lunch, we were given about half an hour to walk the streets, purchase souvenirs, or participate in tequila tasting. I chose the tequila tasting and roamed for a few minutes before returning to head towards the cenote. A cenote is a natural sinkhole or water-filled pit formed when limestone bedrock collapses. 

Last Day

On my last day full day, I rented a bicycle from *insert name* for 50 Pesos($2.55 USD) for the day. I wish I rented a bike on day one of my trip because walking was a lot, considering Tulum’s hot and humid in July. There are other places you can rent a scooter or ATV for transportation during your trip. I recommend a bicycle or scooter for easier parking/access at your final destinations or a car if you plan to explore outside Tulum. The bicycle ride to Tulum Beach takes about 15-20 minutes. No bike lanes exist, so you share the road with cars. However, bicycles have the right of way and they are very good about giving you space to ride when they are passing. 

The main road where you can shop and dine is very bumpy, with many potholes. It rained before I arrived, so the holes in the street were filled with water, making it difficult to navigate around to avoid splashing while cars passed simultaneously. I hopped off the bike and locked it up to walk around. I found a beach restaurant, Ziggy’s, with a fantastic view of the beach and the beautiful blue ocean. After eating and hydrating, I returned to my Airbnb and parked the bicycle inside the apartment. The following morning, I dropped the bike off and returned in enough time to finish packing, check out, and catch my taxi to the airport.