Tulum, Mexico
When I visited Mexico I stayed in Tulum for 2 weeks. After much research, I decided Tulum had everything I wanted and it appeared to be the best place to stay. It had so many different things to offer, whether you were looking for beaches, restaurants, sightseeing etc. And if you love history, you’ll find lots of it here. Over the years Tulum has become increasingly more popular and thousands of tourists choose to visit every year. And I think this is mainly down to its white sandy beaches and incredible sightseeing attractions.
Mayan Ruins
The Mayan ruins are definitely Tulums most popular tourist attraction. The history of Mayan culture has been preserved in these ruins so tourists can now visit. There is so much information around the ruins written on boards and sites and views are spectacular. I manage to visit 7 Mayan Ruins during my stay in Tulum. Including, Tulum Ruins, Chichen Itza (one of the 6 wonders of the world), Coba, Xel-Ha, Muyil and Ek Balam. You can hire a guided tour at any of these Mayan Ruins. I strongly recommend doing this! Not only will you get a great amount of information on the history of the Mayans. But you will often gain personal insights and get answers to any of the questions you may have.
Cenotes
The beautiful freshwater Cenotes were my favourite thing to visit. A Cenote is a freshwater natural pool that is created by the collapse of limestone bedrock. It felt like a whole secret world of hidden pools and the sparkling light blue gave a magical feel. There are many Cenotes to visit in Tulum. But I’d strongly recommend Gran Cenote, Zacil-Ha, Dos Ojos, Sac Actun, El Pit and Nicte-Ha. I’ve chosen these because they were the most natural and breathtaking. All of these Cenotes were surrounded by hanging plants which made them even more aesthetically pleasing. There’s only one rule- shower before! This is to protect the small fishes and sea plants.
The main bit of advice I must give though is to avoid the tours. The Cenotes that the tours will take you to are no way near as magnificent as the ones I’ve named. Also, often tours rush you and you only get a certain time limit (usually not long) before the coach leaves for the next destination. So if you want to see the most popular, natural and breathtaking Cenotes I’d suggest arranging transport and planning to go by yourself. Trust me, once you get there you’ll want the time to relax and take the beauty and tranquillity all in.
Beaches
There are so many beaches to explore in Tulum. I visited 10 beaches in total and each and everyone was beautiful. My top 5 (in order) was Playa Paraíso, Playa Ruinas, Akumal Beach, Las Palmas Public Beach and Secret Beach. So take your pick out of these beautiful beaches where you can relax and unwind. And spend a day soaking up the sun and enjoy a dip into the Caribbean sea. There are so many activities on offer at all of these beaches I visited. Such as banana boats, jet skiing, windsurfing, scuba diving and more. And if you fancy a cocktail, don’t worry! You will find many cocktail makers walking around offering mojitos, Pina Coladas, Long Island Iced Teas, Margaritas, you name it.