We typically try to take a kid-free trip each Spring and this year that meant 5 days in Tulum. Sand, surf, sun, some Mayan ruins and lots and lots of good food. We stayed at the Papaya Playa Project which was the perfect mix of rustic luxury, hip clientele, and home to a kick-ass Saturday night beach party. I had been wanting to go to Tulum for a couple of years. Known for it’s burgeoning restaurant scene, yoga and wellness retreats, not to mention the sun and beautiful water it seemed like the perfect place to chill out and get away from it all for a few days.
The peace van at PPP:
We had front row dining seats on a daily basis (order the fish tacos) and an oceanfront casita with beautiful views of the beach.
I spent my days dressed as such:
We kicked off our vacation eating at Posada Margherita which is an adorable Italian spot making homemade pastas and using the most fresh ingredients imaginable. I probably could have eaten there every night we were in Tulum.
I had heard of Hartwood from a number of friends and attempted, to no avail, to make a reservation three weeks in advance. There are no phones, only email, which I came to find out they only sparingly respond to. Forget about a hotel concierge. The only way in is to know someone or plan months and months in advance! It looked awesome though!
So what to do when Hartwood won’t take walk-ins? Eat at arguably the two other restaurants in town that rival, if not surpass the well known…Casa Banana and Cenzontle. Margaritas, gin drinks, great wine. Oh and lots of amazing food. We sampled a lot of plates at Cenzontle including a grilled avocado dish. It sounded strange but it couldn’t have been more amazing.
The best lunch in town? Absolutely Charly’s Vegan Tacos. A taco truck parked in the middle of the palm trees, off the side of the road and some of the best tacos in the world.
The shopping, and outdoor recreation scenes, in Tulum are pretty great. The boutiques trend toward high-end but are fun to wander through on a lazy afternoon. While we are divers (mostly in the years preceding kiddos) we were all too happy to spend our time at the beach reading and relaxing but the Cenotes are on the agenda for our next trip to Tulum!
The evenings at Papaya Playa, and pretty much throughout all of Tulum, were the most magical. These basket pendants light up the entire beachfront of Tulum. Very Serena & Lilly-esque but locally made.
Until next time, Tulum…perhaps we will bring the kids. Or not.