| Day Tripping in Tulum Mexico |
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By Sara "The Editor" Moen Tulum, a great reprieve from the daily grind. Most of us would agree that living in Playa del Carmen is pretty cool. Amazing beaches, the Caribbean Sea right out your back door, people from all parts of the globe, and in general, a laid back lifestyle. However, even in paradise we have to work, go grocery shopping, go to the bank, pay bills, do laundry; life stuff is inevitable no matter where you live. So once you get into a daily routine, occasionally you lose perspective on where you are, and then one day you realize that it has been days, and maybe even weeks, since you have seen the beautiful beaches. This is why we have always tried to take Sundays for day trips and local exploration. We go to new cenotes, remote beaches; to reinforce why we are here struggling for a better life.
I have always loved Tulum. It seems when you go to Tulum the pace drops dramatically compared to Playa del Carmen. There is less traffic, less people, extraordinary beaches, and some great little restaurants, and bars to check out. Also Tulum is home to an incredible ruin site which I will never ever tire of visiting. It also has Gran Cenote , a cenote that is a beautiful spot to wile away an afternoon. Although it is only an hour away it seems like I never get there enough, so when our friend’s Heather and Marco, from Extreme Control, invited us down for an overnight we did not hesitate to take them up on it.
Heather and Marco have lived in Tulum for about a year and run a kiteboarding school and also manage a small hotel where we got to stay. When we arrived we got to spend part of the afternoon lounging on Playa Tulum, just south of Playa Paraiso. Their shop is associated with La Vita e Bella, an Italian owned cabana hotel that has killer pizza. So not only can you enjoy one of the most amazing beaches but also a yummy slice of pizza. Being the American cliché that we are, we like American football, so once we left the beach sufficiently sunburned we headed into town in search of a televised football game. We found Don Cafeto, a restaurant/bar that has been around Tulum for years. They were great! We were the only Americans in the joint and they indulged our request and turned on the television. We spent the next couple of hour’s quaffing cold beers, eating club sandwiches, and rooting for our team.
After we were thoroughly waterlogged we trekked back out to the car, thanked the security guy, and continued through the arches to check out the future home of Extreme Control Kite Camp. The beach is absolutely amazing, and pristine, with sky blue waters. There are 8 screened in rooms with bathroom facilities, and a common kitchen area, that will be sure to be a hit among kite boarders wanting to fly on one of the most amazing beaches in the world. After we oohed and ahhed for a bit, it was finally time to pull ourselves away, and climb back into the van to come back home to Playa del Carmen. For a trip that wasn’t much more then 24 hours we packed it in, and came back to our home in El Ejido, both exhausted and rejuvenated! I am looking forward to our next adventure without a doubt……
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After the game we headed back to the beach to have dinner and drinks at Mezzanine . If you have yet to visit Mezzanine it is heaven on earth, and a must do. It is a small boutique hotel, a trendy upscale bar and serves great Thai food; stay tuned for my restaurant review coming your way soon! After we were finished with our meal, we rolled on out of there and headed to the hotel. Marco and Heather manage, Uolis Nah , a small hotel just up the road towards Coba. Each room has a full kitchen, bathroom, day bed, and patio with a hammock that you can kick back in, at a price that will not break the bank. Not only are the rooms great, but Marco and Heather are gracious hosts! The following morning we woke up rested and ready for some more exploring. Heather recommended breakfast at Azafran.
Azafran (Spanish for Saffron) is a small new restaurant just around the corner from Don Cafeto, on the southeast corner of Orion and Andromeda Streets. Although they just opened 8 months ago, German owner Michaela, has been in the restaurant business and community of Tulum for the past 6 years. They offer a selection of homemade bagels, rich dark coffee, fresh juices, and delicious fruit crepes. I had a bagel with homemade herbed cream cheese and crispy veggies and Web Guy had the fresh fruit crepe. Everything was delicious, service was impeccable, and breakfast for 2 was only 100 pesos, beverages included. Azafran is open Monday through Sunday 8:00 AM until 2:00 PM, but they are closed on Wednesdays. They offer fine dining on both Saturday and Sunday evenings starting at 6:00 PM, where you can choose from such dishes as seafood lasagna, lobster cappuccino, or gorgonzola stuffed beef filet. Reservations are recommended so call ahead at: 984-129-6130. If you do decide to go and check it out tell them Playa Maya News sent you, and let us know how it goes.
Once we were fueled up on bagels and coffee we hooked up with Heather and headed to Sian Kaan Biosphere Reserve Marco and Heather are leasing a private beach, and Palapa compound for their kiteboarding camp, so we had to go check it out, but first we stopped by a new cenote! Beh Ha Cenote is located just inside the arches of Sian Kaan. We got stopped by the security guy and asked him if we could go check it out, and it was no problem. He did not charge us an entrance fee, however he knew Heather was a Sian Kaan resident, so that may be why. We tripped our way down the jungle trail checking out all the crab holes along the way, and hopped along tree stumps that kept us above the jungle muck. After about a 10 minute walk or so you emerge from the jungle to see an amazing lagoon surrounded by Mangroves and lush jungle. We ran off the dock, and into the fresh sweet water, and oh man it was refreshing! I only wish I had remembered my snorkel mask, but definitely next time.
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