Tulum, Mexico
This trip was perfect. A little adventure and a lot of relaxation. My mom and I spent 6 days in this amazing paradise. The weather was perfect, the food is amazing and the sights were breath taking.
For those of you who don’t know, Tulum is located in Mexico. It’s part of the Yucatán Peninsula and it’s about an hour and a half drive from Cancún. Tulum is best known for its beaches and Mayan Ruins. It also has an abundance of cenotes which are natural limestone sink holes.
We flew into Cancún International Airport on a Thursday evening and had to drive down too Tulum Centro. Our first hotel was Elements Tulum Boutique Hotel. With only 18 rooms, this hotel is super quiet and located perfectly from many attractions. The service here was excellent. Before we even arrived, I was able to comfortably arrange transportation from the airport to the hotel and book an excursion to Coba. Elements offers a continental breakfast buffet on the top terrace: a quiet little corner with the perfect amount of morning sun peaking through. They also had a lovely pool in the centre of the hotel but we didn’t have enough time to enough it. We stayed here for 2 nights and then we were off to the next hotel.
While staying at Elements Tulum Boutique Hotel, we were able to walk around downtown Tulum and experience the culture and food around us. The first night in we went to a restaurant called El Capitan - a short walk from our hotel and recommended by the front desk. I had the Pirate Tacos and my mom had a Quesadilla. So much food yet still light enough that we were able to finish most of it. There offer many different levels of hot sauces and garlic sauces. I of course drizzled that garlic sauce all over my tacos.
The second night we had Italian food. We went to a place called La Nave Pizzeria. Home made pasta options and pizza! You know how I love my pastas. My mom and I shared a Hawaiian pizza and a 4 cheese home made ravioli pasta.
Cenotes are a must. They are natural lime stone sink holes that are all different and beautiful in every way. There’s formations in them that take thousands of years to create. The water is so clear and it just feels like your in a natural paradise (which you kinda are). To get to one of the cenotes we had to ride ATV’s! I’ve never driven one before in my life and of course it had to have been raining the days before so there were puddles EVERYWHERE! We got messy but it was so much fun and so worth it.
Cobá is a major tourist attraction to visit the ancient Mayan ruins. It’s a dream of mine to visit anything ancient and I’m so happy I got to see a small part of it while staying in Tulum. Cobaá does not have the largest of the pyramids but it still has a great selection of history and a pyramid you can climb! Imagine climbing something that’s over 1000 years old! Walking through the ruins you can just think that so many years ago, these people walked that very jungle. Built these pyramids and carved these stones. Amazing.
We had 2 days of fun and adventure. We wanted to do a little bit of both on this trip. With that being said, we chose to stay at 2 different hotels while in Tulum. Our second hotel was a short 20 minute drive down the street to NEST Tulum. This street could not be more rustic, small and busy. Shops, restaurants, hotels and more! We spent the remainder of our trip at the beach and vibing it out around the jungles of Tulum.
The food at NEST was amazing. Every guest was offered a complimentary breakfast the consisted of yogurt, fruit mix, granola and bread with jams & butter.
The food is Mexican Fusion. We enjoyed lots of tacos, guacamole, sweet potato wedges, Eggs Benedict and so much more! If you really wanted to, you didn’t have to leave the hotel for anything LOL.
My 2 favourites were the guacamole and the chicken tacos.
NEST Tulum is an amazing boutique hotel. Without question, we would return in a heart beat. It’s private, quiet, small, rustic yet modern, beach front and overall beautiful. You have a sandy path leading you to the beach while walking along side the jungle. The restaurant/bar area is small and quiet. The beach has large beds with light grey sheet, pillow and beanie bag chairs. You can order food and drinks right to your bed! You literally don’t have to leave your beach bed all day.
Like most of Tulum, NEST is powered by solar and wind. They strive to be the most eco-friendly possible. They accomplish this in many different ways and their aesthetics accompany that feel.
The rooms were a vibe. Our room was named Tulik 2. Concrete build. Stone sink. Wooden accents. crystal water jugs (filled daily). Shampoo, conditioner, body wash & lotion are provided in abundance. No TV! Which we actually didn’t mind! It was quiet at night and not loud party noises (considering our room was close to the road).
The beach was perfect. A small amount of beds fo the guests. Clean sand. Clear water. Ample sun exposure to get your tan on. As mentioned above, you were able to order food and drinks to your beach bed without worry. They also provided sunscreen and bug repellent! How handy.
With only 12 rooms and some villas, NEST is super quiet. You’re truly in paradise.
The beach was perfect. Clean and simple. I loved the fact they offered beach beds instead of lounge chair. Much more comfy!
There were so many restaurants and shops around NEST. I even got a tattoo! There were about 5 shops right beside NEST that were so cute and and rustic. Filled with clothes and jewellery - of course we bought things. We couldn’t resist.
We went to 2 restaurants while staying at NEST. One was NÜ. Just a 6 minute walk from NEST. The same chef that works on the food at NEST also does NÜ. Service was excellent, food was amazing and the experience was memorable ⇣
The other restaurant was Rosa Negra. Super expensive. So much food and such great service and experience. We did grab pics while eating but it was super dark and the pics aren’t the greatest.
We used the app Open Table to book our reservations for these restaurants.