LA VELETA, TULUM
Tulum is far from what it once was. When we first visited a dozen years ago, it was on the rise from its sleepy, eco-friendly, idyll-ln-the-jungle status. But even then, you could venture to the beach with little hassle or cost. Today, a cab ride could run you $80 US or more, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a seaside hotel room for less than $250 US (or none at all, for that matter), and the droves of selfie-obsessed visitors will make you mental enough to jump off one of the stunning, Mayan temple-side cliffs.
That said, if you know how to stay out of the fray, you can still enjoy Tulum’s undeniable beauty. As a winter camp for digital nomads, retirees, or sun-starved snow birds, the locale still has much to offer.
During our two-month winter work stay, we found plenty to love in the La Veleta neighborhood, an eight-minute walk from town and twenty-minute bike ride from the coast. Sure, the roads are pot-holey and there is continual construction in parts (it’s Mexico, after all), but you can snag an apartment with all the cushy trimmings (including a private plunge pool) for $65 a night, often less if you commit to a longer term stay. And with the ADO bus station a 10-minute walk away, it also makes a swell jumping-off point for adventures inland—Valladolid, Merida, or ruins like Coba or Ek Balam.
We also ate well, indulging in everything from Thai food, fresh Chaya juice, and $1 tacos to cacao smoothies and Argentinian empanadas, all within a ten-minute walk or less. When we discovered that we could arrange to have a rental scooter delivered to our door for $30 a day, we spent our last two weeks zipping to and from the beach as soon as our rigorous, pool-side work days were done.
You were quieter once, Tulum. You’re less so, now. Instagram may have made you an unslakable thirst trap for the masses, but your sultry sun, tropical breezes, and the ability to enjoy fine dining in flip-flops keeps us coming back.
