Tuluminous
13th November 2007, 11:16 AM
Well, I'm back in the real world after spending three nights at Zamas last week, so I thought I'd post a few words about my stay. Sorry if its a bit dull but for anyone who might be going soon it could give you an idea of what a very short (3 day) stay might involve.
We (my girlfriend and I) arrived in Tulum at about 7am on Tuesday morning after an overnight drive from Palenque. It wasn't the best journey to be honest, I'd been pickpocketed moments before getting on the bus in a rather well worked out scam at the bus station (which I think involved the help of an ADO employee so be warned!). Also, we hadn't been able to book the ADO GL bus we'd intended (no idea what the problem was as we had been trying to buy tickets for two days and they just kept telling us to come back the next day right up until we had to get a standard bus instead) so it wasn't as comfortable as we'd hoped. With at least two stops during the night for searches by police/army and a leaking toilet that we were sat right in front of you can imagine how we were feeling when the bus finally rolled into Tulum!
Got a taxi to Zamas and found it bizarre to recognise so much from having read this board. Unfortunately as we were so early there was no room ready for us, so we dumped our bags at reception and went for a little stroll. My first sight of the Caribbean was everything I had dreamed it would be, even feeling like human wreckage and being desperate to shower and get rid of our slept-in clothes we could still marvel at a thousand shades of turquoise sparkling in the morning light.
Que Fresco for breakfast, and sitting on those familiar looking brightly coloured chairs I had one of the nicest Heuvos Rancheros of my trip. From our first meal I knew we'd be in for a treat with the food although it was also clear that Tulum prices would be a bit higher than we'd been paying elsewhere.
Although we had booked a beachfront cabana I had been emailed shortly before we arrived to say that there might be a problem. Arriving at Zamas it looked as if they were putting the finishing touches to two new beachfront cabanas. I suspect that Zamas had thought that these would be ready to use by the time we got there, but perhaps work was put back by Hurricane Dean (I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt here). As it was, Zamas effectively upgraded us and we found ourselves in an ocean view room on the second floor of a building just across the other side of the ocean road. I was initially a little disappointed that we wouldn't be able to live out our romantic images of opening a cabana door straight onto the beach it didn't last for long. The room was huge, with plenty of space for the king size bed, a double bed and sofa/single bed that were in there and there was a bathroom which was pretty much the size of our flat in London (all for US$90 a night). By the time we'd showered and changed and were feeling almost like part of the human race again it was time for spot of lunch, so back across to Que Fresco for guacamole and totopos and some cool beers. Ok, I'll admit it now, we ate at Que Fresco a lot while we were there. One thing I hadn't realised was just how spaced out everything is along that road and we really liked the convenience of eating just a stone's throw from our room, which meant we were back again for the catch of the day in the evening before finally crashing out for some much needed sleep.
Day two and through the gauze of the mosquito net I was woken by the glow of the rising sun hanging just above the horizon. Five minutes later we were on the beach taking photos with not a soul around, the only life being the birds hanging on the breeze before diving into the water to catch their breakfast. It was one of those times I wish I could bottle away, to be brought out and relived when I'm sat in my office and there's nothing but a London drizzle to look at through the window (hey, that describes today...).
After a little more sleep we were back for the usual heuvos rancheros before hiring ourselves a couple of bicycles. Headed first in the direction of Si'an Kaan, but deciding we didn't want to go into the reserve we turned back by the gates, stopping off at La Zebra on the return journey.
Sitting at the bar with a Margarita and that stunning beach in front of us we couldn't help but be seduced, but while I could see the attaction of the place part of me thought that it was almost a little too polished. It reminded me of places I've been to in Ibiza, which very much want to find themselves featured in the pages of international style magazines. This feeling was emphasised by the conversation going on at the table right next to me. The owner was there along with a couple of people from a design agency, their laptops looking rather incongrous against the background of sea and surf. The talk was all about rebranding, the colour schemes and changes that needed to me made in order to "sell" the Caribbean to the punters. There was a lot of marketing speak and it seemed almost as if the reality was being cheapened as it was being reduced to an image to be packaged and sold. I can see the market they are aiming for, wealthy people in search of eco-chic, wanting to kid themselves that they are experiencing a rustic beach lifestyle whilst still being surrounded by all the mod cons (wi-fi included judging by the number of laptops I saw, including a table across the room which looked as if they had been working on a fashion shoot). I'm sure those people will be pleased to know that La Zebra's new cappucino machine will be arriving shortly, but personally I felt a little sad listening to their plans to erect a tower in gleaming wood and concrete with massage tables at the top giving "360 degree views" of Tulum. It reminded me of Koh Samui in Thailand, a place where I stayed some time ago in a backpackers hostel but which is now full of high-end resorts beyond most traveller's price ranges. There are obviously people at Tulum hoping that they too will get to see land prices rise sky high and attract a few more Cancun dollars their way. I just hope they dont rush into it though, I'd hate to see Tulum lose the charm that sets it apart from the those resorts further north.
Moving to the beach, looking stunning against a deep blue with the odd whipped cream cloud any lingering stresses disappeared. Eventually it was time to move on, so we rode over to the ruins (a longer and tougher ride than I was expecting and one which needed a couple of water breaks along the way!). They looked stunning as far as their location went, but I'm afraid we'd been spoiled by our two days at Palenque, which had been almost deserted and were absolutely magical in their jungle setting against a soundtrack of howler monkeys and butterflys as big as your hand. The Tulum ruins reminded me of a pitch and putt golf course with huge tour groups visiting from Cancun filling the place with Western voices. It felt rather like a Disney version of a Maya ruin so we didn't linger too long, instead heading into town for the rather more mundane task of collecting much needed laundry! No time to linger there either though, the daylight was rapidly fading and neither of us fancied riding in the dark with our washing balanced on the handlebars. Back to the room with cold beers in hand we sat on our balcony watching the ocean, recovering from saddle soreness! Having decided that we shouldn't eat at Zamas every night we walked a little way up the road and ended up at Piedro Escondido. It was nice to sit outside and watch the stars, the food was fine and I was on fish again but having become thoroughly addicted to chile I would rather it had a little more kick to it.
Day three and after a latish breakfast we were off to Dos Ojos cenote, the two of us being the only ones signed up so we were given a personal tour all to ourselves. The cenote was amazing, water so clear it felt like we were flying over the surface of another planet. Seeing someone else crack their head on a stalactite served as a good reminder to keep our heads down as we threaded our way into a cave, finding bats flitting about above our heads. The time flew past but it was an incredible experience I'll never forget.
It was hard to believe it had come to our last night already, but a flight back to Mexico City beckoned. We ate in Que Fresco again and as always it was fresh, tasty and the staff were very sweet (except possibly for the woman in charge of the till who rather grudgingly handed us our 100 pesos when we pointed out that we had not been brought enough change after paying the bill).
Friday morning and it was our last breakfast before heading off. It was very tough leaving Tulum, I loved the place and if time permitted I would have loved it if we could have stayed longer as there was still so much to do and see. I would have loved to try different places to eat and drink, but for such a short stay I'm afraid the convenience of Que Fresco just kept us going back for more. I was a little concerned about Zamas before we went as I'd seen some of the comments here that rated other places much higher. In hindsight I would say that although other beaches were more impressive, we loved being able to eat wonderful food without the need for a taxi or a long torchlit walk and we liked having a little grocery shop and a good quality gift shop on our doorstep. For a longer stay perhaps we would have tried a couple of different places, but I'm glad we went with Zamas (and I loved their towel sculptures as well, the baby one was just priceless).
Seeing Cancun on the way to the airport just filled me with horror. I really hope that wasn't a glimpse of Tulum's future, it is a lovely little place to unwind and I really hope it manages to stay that way. I'll try to post a few pics soon, and if anyone is heading out there I hope you have a wonderful time, it is hard not to!
We (my girlfriend and I) arrived in Tulum at about 7am on Tuesday morning after an overnight drive from Palenque. It wasn't the best journey to be honest, I'd been pickpocketed moments before getting on the bus in a rather well worked out scam at the bus station (which I think involved the help of an ADO employee so be warned!). Also, we hadn't been able to book the ADO GL bus we'd intended (no idea what the problem was as we had been trying to buy tickets for two days and they just kept telling us to come back the next day right up until we had to get a standard bus instead) so it wasn't as comfortable as we'd hoped. With at least two stops during the night for searches by police/army and a leaking toilet that we were sat right in front of you can imagine how we were feeling when the bus finally rolled into Tulum!
Got a taxi to Zamas and found it bizarre to recognise so much from having read this board. Unfortunately as we were so early there was no room ready for us, so we dumped our bags at reception and went for a little stroll. My first sight of the Caribbean was everything I had dreamed it would be, even feeling like human wreckage and being desperate to shower and get rid of our slept-in clothes we could still marvel at a thousand shades of turquoise sparkling in the morning light.
Que Fresco for breakfast, and sitting on those familiar looking brightly coloured chairs I had one of the nicest Heuvos Rancheros of my trip. From our first meal I knew we'd be in for a treat with the food although it was also clear that Tulum prices would be a bit higher than we'd been paying elsewhere.
Although we had booked a beachfront cabana I had been emailed shortly before we arrived to say that there might be a problem. Arriving at Zamas it looked as if they were putting the finishing touches to two new beachfront cabanas. I suspect that Zamas had thought that these would be ready to use by the time we got there, but perhaps work was put back by Hurricane Dean (I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt here). As it was, Zamas effectively upgraded us and we found ourselves in an ocean view room on the second floor of a building just across the other side of the ocean road. I was initially a little disappointed that we wouldn't be able to live out our romantic images of opening a cabana door straight onto the beach it didn't last for long. The room was huge, with plenty of space for the king size bed, a double bed and sofa/single bed that were in there and there was a bathroom which was pretty much the size of our flat in London (all for US$90 a night). By the time we'd showered and changed and were feeling almost like part of the human race again it was time for spot of lunch, so back across to Que Fresco for guacamole and totopos and some cool beers. Ok, I'll admit it now, we ate at Que Fresco a lot while we were there. One thing I hadn't realised was just how spaced out everything is along that road and we really liked the convenience of eating just a stone's throw from our room, which meant we were back again for the catch of the day in the evening before finally crashing out for some much needed sleep.
Day two and through the gauze of the mosquito net I was woken by the glow of the rising sun hanging just above the horizon. Five minutes later we were on the beach taking photos with not a soul around, the only life being the birds hanging on the breeze before diving into the water to catch their breakfast. It was one of those times I wish I could bottle away, to be brought out and relived when I'm sat in my office and there's nothing but a London drizzle to look at through the window (hey, that describes today...).
After a little more sleep we were back for the usual heuvos rancheros before hiring ourselves a couple of bicycles. Headed first in the direction of Si'an Kaan, but deciding we didn't want to go into the reserve we turned back by the gates, stopping off at La Zebra on the return journey.
Sitting at the bar with a Margarita and that stunning beach in front of us we couldn't help but be seduced, but while I could see the attaction of the place part of me thought that it was almost a little too polished. It reminded me of places I've been to in Ibiza, which very much want to find themselves featured in the pages of international style magazines. This feeling was emphasised by the conversation going on at the table right next to me. The owner was there along with a couple of people from a design agency, their laptops looking rather incongrous against the background of sea and surf. The talk was all about rebranding, the colour schemes and changes that needed to me made in order to "sell" the Caribbean to the punters. There was a lot of marketing speak and it seemed almost as if the reality was being cheapened as it was being reduced to an image to be packaged and sold. I can see the market they are aiming for, wealthy people in search of eco-chic, wanting to kid themselves that they are experiencing a rustic beach lifestyle whilst still being surrounded by all the mod cons (wi-fi included judging by the number of laptops I saw, including a table across the room which looked as if they had been working on a fashion shoot). I'm sure those people will be pleased to know that La Zebra's new cappucino machine will be arriving shortly, but personally I felt a little sad listening to their plans to erect a tower in gleaming wood and concrete with massage tables at the top giving "360 degree views" of Tulum. It reminded me of Koh Samui in Thailand, a place where I stayed some time ago in a backpackers hostel but which is now full of high-end resorts beyond most traveller's price ranges. There are obviously people at Tulum hoping that they too will get to see land prices rise sky high and attract a few more Cancun dollars their way. I just hope they dont rush into it though, I'd hate to see Tulum lose the charm that sets it apart from the those resorts further north.
Moving to the beach, looking stunning against a deep blue with the odd whipped cream cloud any lingering stresses disappeared. Eventually it was time to move on, so we rode over to the ruins (a longer and tougher ride than I was expecting and one which needed a couple of water breaks along the way!). They looked stunning as far as their location went, but I'm afraid we'd been spoiled by our two days at Palenque, which had been almost deserted and were absolutely magical in their jungle setting against a soundtrack of howler monkeys and butterflys as big as your hand. The Tulum ruins reminded me of a pitch and putt golf course with huge tour groups visiting from Cancun filling the place with Western voices. It felt rather like a Disney version of a Maya ruin so we didn't linger too long, instead heading into town for the rather more mundane task of collecting much needed laundry! No time to linger there either though, the daylight was rapidly fading and neither of us fancied riding in the dark with our washing balanced on the handlebars. Back to the room with cold beers in hand we sat on our balcony watching the ocean, recovering from saddle soreness! Having decided that we shouldn't eat at Zamas every night we walked a little way up the road and ended up at Piedro Escondido. It was nice to sit outside and watch the stars, the food was fine and I was on fish again but having become thoroughly addicted to chile I would rather it had a little more kick to it.
Day three and after a latish breakfast we were off to Dos Ojos cenote, the two of us being the only ones signed up so we were given a personal tour all to ourselves. The cenote was amazing, water so clear it felt like we were flying over the surface of another planet. Seeing someone else crack their head on a stalactite served as a good reminder to keep our heads down as we threaded our way into a cave, finding bats flitting about above our heads. The time flew past but it was an incredible experience I'll never forget.
It was hard to believe it had come to our last night already, but a flight back to Mexico City beckoned. We ate in Que Fresco again and as always it was fresh, tasty and the staff were very sweet (except possibly for the woman in charge of the till who rather grudgingly handed us our 100 pesos when we pointed out that we had not been brought enough change after paying the bill).
Friday morning and it was our last breakfast before heading off. It was very tough leaving Tulum, I loved the place and if time permitted I would have loved it if we could have stayed longer as there was still so much to do and see. I would have loved to try different places to eat and drink, but for such a short stay I'm afraid the convenience of Que Fresco just kept us going back for more. I was a little concerned about Zamas before we went as I'd seen some of the comments here that rated other places much higher. In hindsight I would say that although other beaches were more impressive, we loved being able to eat wonderful food without the need for a taxi or a long torchlit walk and we liked having a little grocery shop and a good quality gift shop on our doorstep. For a longer stay perhaps we would have tried a couple of different places, but I'm glad we went with Zamas (and I loved their towel sculptures as well, the baby one was just priceless).
Seeing Cancun on the way to the airport just filled me with horror. I really hope that wasn't a glimpse of Tulum's future, it is a lovely little place to unwind and I really hope it manages to stay that way. I'll try to post a few pics soon, and if anyone is heading out there I hope you have a wonderful time, it is hard not to!