Tulum’s spectacular coastline – with all its confectioner-sugar sands, jade-green water and balmy breezes – makes it one of the top beaches in Mexico. Where else can you get all that and a dramatically situated Maya ruin? There’s also excellent cave and cavern diving, fun cenotes, and a variety of lodgings and restaurants to fit every budget.
Some may be put off by the fact that the town center, where the really cheap eats and sleeps are found, sits right on the highway, making the main drag feel more like a truck stop than a tropical paradise. But rest assured that if Tulum Pueblo isn’t to your liking, you can always head to the coast and find that tranquil beachside bungalow.
The Mayan city of Tulum stands 130 km south and 700 years away of Cancun. But the contrast between the two can be measured in more than just distance and time.
Cancun is a string of large resort hotels which did not exist prior to 1974 and which specialize in the expected.
Tulum, on the other hand, was built late in the thirteenth century, during what is known as the Mayan post-classic period.
With a little imagination and knowledge, the ruins become a giant puzzle waiting to be pieced together.
Visiting Tulum is a perfect day trip for those who tire of idly lounging around the pool.
