TULUM, MEXICO

I had a big list of To-Do’s for the second part of our trip to Tulum, but once we checked into our hotel… that all went out the window. After 3 days of all-inclusive wedding drinking we were ready to relax, and I was actually okay with that. We stayed at the Hotel Mezzanine which was near the Tulum ruins, and on the opposite end from where a lot of the hotels and restaurants are. We walked through the little entryway to an intimate area that seemed totally closed off from the rest of the world. There was music playing, a few people enjoying the 2 for 1 margarita happy hour, lots of places to sit and chill, and pretty plants everywhere. We checked in at the front desk and were immediately handed margaritas. Off to a good start.

The Mezzanine has 9 rooms so there is always room for you to relax in the hammocks, lounge chairs or beds on the property. The staff is also very friendly, and delivers a little basket of coffee with a treat to your door at 7:00am every morning.  There is a Thai restaurant in the hotel with an excellent breakfast, fresh juice and smoothies, and great Thai for dinner. I think our hotel being so lovely resulted in us not venturing out very far, and this feeling like a post about our hotel more than Tulum itself!

Directly in front of the hotel it was a bit rocky, but this made for a nice view of the ocean. To the left was an empty beach with just a few chairs, and very few people. I watched the sunrise every morning (that does not go down back home) and I watched guys shovel seaweed into wheel barrels, push it through the sand, and bury it up towards the dunes. I read in the paper that there is more seaweed than usual washing up, and the look and odor isn’t loved by the service industry.

We DID manage to leave our hotel area and explore. Coqui Coqui is instagram worthy photo heaven. It was cute as all hell inside, and smelled so good. I bought a perfume and a dress from the shop, but if we ever go back I definitely want to visit the spa, and maybe stay here.

When you walk out to the beach from Coqui Coqui and take a right, you’ll see La Eufemia located behind the Parayso Hotel. Stop here for tasty tacos and cocktails on the beach. We had the fried fish taco, fried shrimp taco, and the mixed ceviche. My favorite part is the little window where you can pile on sauces and toppings. It’s extremely chill and laid back —-> Today relax and eat some F**king Tacos.

We walked the Tulum ruins, but went a little late in the day. I would suggest hitting this first thing in the AM because it was pretty hot. I would also suggest dressing for swimming in the beach area, and grabbing fresh fruit and a coconut on the way out. Lots of Iguanas hanging out here. Notice the guy posing in my pic on the edge of the rock wall.

There are shops, restaurants and lots of places for cocktails along the jungle side. The restaurants seemed to be pretty dead during the day, which is to be expected I guess when there is a breezy beach on the other side. I feel like we didn’t see many people at all. Even the beaches weren’t crowded. Maybe people are off doing the Cenotes and Eco Parks. Those things that got scratched from my big To-Do list when all the hammocks, and lounge areas appeared. We didn’t stress about missing out, instead we said… next time.

We had dinner at Gitano which was super cute and delicious (mushroom truffle tacos), and once the sun went down Tulum seemed pretty happening. My big plan was dinner at Hartwood, but they were only open 1 of the 3 nights that we were in Tulum. APPARENTLY you can go and put your name on a list starting at 3pm. I was under the impression that it was no reservations, but I guess I didn’t do my research. When we stopped by at 4pm to feel the place out, we were out of luck. I was sad, but only for a minute… next time.

This was my favorite spot at the hotel, and for once we just laid around, did nothing, and I actually read a book – Bossypants and it was Hilarious. It seems laying in hammocks and looking at the ocean was plenty of adventure for me, but I do hope we get to go back, and check off a few more things on my To-Do list. The Cenotes are supposed to be amazing and the Eco Parks look like a lot of fun. 

A few more Places of Interest gathered from friends and google: