Trip Report: Tulum

Hey guys - just got back from a short week in Tulum / Boca Palia. We stayed in Cabanas Retiro Maya. When we first arrived, I was shocked (shocked I tell you...) to learn that even though we had paid 100% for an ocean-front cabana up front, our requested room was not available. When I presented the owner w/ copies of our emails confirming the booking, etc., she told me that I had obviously forgotten to bring the email where she told me that ocean-front was no longer available. For the first time in my life I was glad for my Blackberry - I showed her all of our emails (including one she sent me the day before arrival confirming the ocean-front booking). Her response was simply to say "My, how connected we are these days." We spent the first night in the "jungle view" room, but were transferred to an amazing cabana on the beach the very next day, with many gracious apologies.

Tulum was great, but quite expensive. In a week we managed to spend what we'd normally go through in 2 1/2 weeks or more on another trip. (This is mostly b/c we never made it into town and basically wasted $$ at the pricier albeit less delicious spots right in the Hotel Zone). But the water and beach were so incredible that it was absolutely worth it. I loved Posada Margherita for dinner AND Zamas for the live music (and the food was pretty good as well). Diamante K had the coolest bar at night. We rented a car, and I was very glad that we did - our cabanas were a ways from the hotel "village" and a car permitted us to make quick trips for water or beer or whatever.

I'd go back to Tulum in a second, but next time I will definitely bring clips for the mosquito netting (I kicked ours wide open one night and woke up with a million bites). I'd probably also convince myself to make the 5 minute drive into Tulum town for dinner, just to save some $$ and get a more authentic sence of the place. Sigh...wish I was there now.