Your Ultimate Guide for 6 Days in Tulum, Mexico

Your Ultimate Guide for 6 Days in Tulum, Mexico

You can download my complete list of BEACH PACKING LIST.

We flew from Seattle, Washington on Saturday evening and arrived in Cancun airport Sunday morning at 6 a.m. Our flight arrived 20 minutes early and we went through customs and baggage claims in 20 minutes. Talk of a good way to start your vacation.

We spent one day in Playa Del Carmen and six days in Tulum. You can check  my Playa Del Carmen adventure by clicking here!

Monday, Day 1

Woke early to see the Playa Del Carmen sunrise followed by a morning walk on the beach. Had breakfast at the Live Aqua Boutique Resort hotel and stayed till 11 a.m. We checked out but left our luggage.

At noon we took a taxi to Rio Secreto, a 15-minutes’ drive and spent the day till 3:30. At 4 p.m. we rode back to Live Aqua Resort to pick up our luggage and drove to Tulum.

At 5 p.m. we checked into the Hotel Ahau Tulum, located on the beach of the town of Tulum, and sipped our first drink followed by our first evening walk at the beach. Drinks at the Le Zebra were the best drinks in Tulum.
We had dinner at Taqueria Eufemia Tacos and returned to the hotel to relax. #travelwithirine

Tuesday, Day 2

Woke up early to see the Tulum sunrise at the beach. Then took a taxi to the popular Cenotes Casa Tortuga. We ran out of cash and had to exchange money (PS you need your passport). Check out my experience at the Rio Secreto cenote close to Playa Del Carmen

Ate lunch at Raw Tulum which is located at Ahau Tulum.Walked and swam at the beach. Unfortunately, we lost our Maui Jim Glasses. We rented two bikes through our hotel to Tulum town (after eating and drinking that much we needed to exercise). Quick stop at Teetotum for a cool off drink. Well-deserved, plus I hear mescal is great for weight loss, haha!!!

ProTip: I get it, the sun rays in Tulum are bright and it’s tempting to wear sun glasses while swimming at the beach. But don’t! We had to drive all the way to a sunglass hut in Playa Del Carmen to get his Maui Jim.

Wednesday, Day 3

Woke up early, arrived at the Tulum ruins at 8:20 and stayed till 10 a.m. By the time we left, thousands of tourists were walking in. So if you can’t be there before 9 a.m., just plan on going on a different day.
Had a quick brunch at Ahau Tulum, then off to Playa Del Carmen to buy new Maui Jim glasses.

Spent the afternoon at The Palm at Playa, a trendy upscale hotel two minutes’ walk to the beach. The rooftop offers spectacular views and has a cool inviting pool.

Later we walked to the beach.

Mr. Right is a thrill seeker and so we ended up jet skiing and it was so much fun.
Later in the evening we drove back to Tulum. Ready for another drink, we stopped at Casa Jaguar. Still energized, we took a long walk on the main Tulum road. Hungry, we had dinner at Casa Banana then went back to our hotel room.

ProTip: If you spend your afternoon at The Palm at Playa Del Carmen, get the bed cabana at the top roof! It cost the same as getting a chair.
Bonus ProTip: You can find Maui Jim glasses only in Playa Del Carmen, so bring a second pair of glasses just in case!

Thursday, Day 4

Morning walk on the beach and breakfast at Ahau Hotel.
Checked out, and left bags at the hotel for pick up later in the afternoon.
Took a taxi to Coba Ruins. We pre-arranged the travel to Coba with another taxi driver but he never showed up. Thankfully, we ran into our favorite taxi driver named Dean, whom we highly recommend. Check out out my blog here as to why I think he is the best taxi driver in Tulum Mexico.

Dean later suggested we snorkel at Cenote Multum Ha near Coba Ruins, which we think is one of the best. We had the whole place pretty much to ourselves. Later we drove back to Tulum and had lunch at a locally owned restaurant, El Tacoqueto.

We picked our bags from Ahau and checked in at Papaya Playa Project Hotel.
Though the official check in time was 3 p.m., our hotel room wasn’t ready till 4:10. One of the front desk people blamed it on the “culture” and pretty wasn’t apologetic. Rather, he blamed Americans for wanting to have everything to be perfect. So yeah, we didn’t start out well at Papaya Playa Project.

Took a short walk at the beach but since the hotel has a rather small beach, we decided to go for walk on the Tulum main road.
Enjoyed a quick drink at Mateos Sunset Lounge, and took a taxi to Hartwood for dinner. 

Walked Tulum Main road for an hour (so yes, the drinks were necessary!
Quick Drink at Gitano and another drink at Safari.

Bonus ProTip: If you want to eat at Hartwood, either make reservations a month before or come in right when the restaurant opens. We got here at 6 p.m. and were seated in less than 2 minutes. The restaurant opens at 5:30.

Friday, Day 5

Short morning walk and breakfast at Hotel Papaya Playa Project (PPP).
Took a taxi to Xel-Ha Park where we spent the whole day.
At around 5 in the afternoon, we returned to the hotel.

After an evening walk at the beach, quick drinks at Coco Tulum and dinner at Posta Margarita.

ProTip: Bring lots of cash with you. We ran out of cash twice so we had to use-HSBC ATM, where the service fee was $33.

Saturday, Day 6

Breakfast at the Hotel Papaya Project, followed by a drive to Akumal Bay Beach.
Quick walk at Akumal Beach, then snorkel with the Turtle, and drive back to Tulum Mexico.

Drinks at Mi Amor Boutique Hotel in Tulum and drinks at Posta Margarita.
Exhausted, we enjoyed a one hour massage right at the beach and dinner at Casa Jaguar.

Sunday, Day 7

Short walk on the beach followed by breakfast at the Hotel Papaya Playa Project
Packed up our clothes and checked out leaving our luggage at the hotel.
We went to exchange money near Tulum town. This didn’t actually end up happening because I forgot my ATM PIN number! So our driver, Dean, came through for us and gave us 3,000 peso cash and charged my credit card instead. The reason we did this is because most restaurants in Tulum are cash only!

We stopped at a local shop for last minute gift shopping.
Then lunch at a local restaurant. The best tostada ever!
Spent our final 2 hours at the beach swimming.
Sadly, at 2:30 it was time to say goodbye to Tulum. We picked our luggage at the Papaya Playa project hotel and headed to the airport.
We made one more quick stop at the restaurant we ate lunch at, with the best tostada. We figured instead of eating airport food, we would taste this deliciousness again. It rained on our way to the airport but happily we made it to the airport on time,
After a one and a half hour drive from Tulum to Cancun airport.

ProTip: I would highly recommend Dean. He was our driver for most of our excursion and his rates were relatively cheaper! See the post I wrote of my experience with Dean.
We literally arrived at the airport in our swimming suits. Mr. Right had on only his swimming trucks and sandals. Someone at the airport actually stopped him and told him he was his hero for the day! I mean who shows up at an international airport with no shirt? It’s just so beachy. I, on the other hand, threw on my scarf.

This is the one destination we were truly sad to leave. Even after washing my hair six times, I still have Tulum sand in my hair. I figure it’s a sign I need to go back!

I hope this itinerary helps you plan your adventure in Tulum, Mexico. Remember to be flexible and expect to have your plans change. Be sure to ask the locals for the awesome spots and hideaways. Here are some videos of my Tulum travel trip. 

You can check out my Ultimate guide 1 day in Playa Del Carmen guide here.

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