Treasures of Tulum

Where to Stay

You can find a hotel in Playa del Carmen, or opt to stay in the neighborhood of the ancient Mayans. Tulum remains a mostly sleepy little town—little different than I imagine Playa del Carmen was a decade ago. But as the area grows in tourist popularity, the number of options for overnight accommodations is growing as well. While most of the hotels are small, boutique-y, bed and breakfast type places, there also are a growing number of “resort and spa” accommodations opening.

Xel-Há Tour Tips

Most tour companies running bus excursions from Playa del Carmen to Tulum include a stop at Xel-Há (shell-ha), a natural aquarium filled with lagoons, wells, ancient caves and a theme park. It makes for a terrific daylong adventure.

Look for a tour that starts the day at Tulum—you want to arrive early to beat the midday heat as well as the busloads of cruisers who chose the Tulum excursion from their port in Cozumel.

• A web of hammocks at Xel-Há ecological park.
• David Grant

After a couple of hours wandering the ruins at Tulum in the hot sun (wear a hat and slather on the sunscreen) and blowing dust, the family can climb back into the air-conditioned bus and head for a dip among the fishes at Xel-Há.

Xel-Há park authorities will ask you to shower off your sunscreen and replace it with the biodegradable stuff the park sells. Plan ahead and buy it in town or elsewhere at a much lower price. On a return trip, we bought ours at a roadside stand for less than half of what they were charging at Xel-Há and had the added benefit of watching Mayan pole dancers perform while we waited in line.

• Visitors can divide their time between exploring the ruins and swimming in the warm Caribbean waters.
• Jo Simon

If the four hours allotted during most tours isn’t enough time for snorkeling in the clear waters, lazing in the hammocks or dining at the restaurants, plan an escape to Xel-Há on your own. Adult all-inclusive entry (includes towels, snorkeling gear, a locker, access to the hammocks, food and drinks at any of the restaurants, taxes and gratuities) is US$75.

If you want to swim with the dolphins, try snuba (think scuba diving without the tanks or the lengthy lessons) or sea trekking (for non-swimmers, this puts you in a deep-sea-type diving helmet so you can walk on the bottom). Expect to spend an additional US$31 to $125 per person.

Or, if you want to get wet for free, bring your suit to Tulum and walk down to the beach for a dip in the Caribbean before returning to your hotel. Just be sure to bring your own towels and plan to suffer in salty silence until you return to your hotel since the only place onsite for changing is the restroom (50 U.S. cents). The beach has neither changing rooms nor showers.