New to Tulum Forum

[PinksMom]

Hello everyone! I'm new to your forum. My husband and I vacationed in Playa del Carmen for nine years and went to Isla Mujeres the past two years. Both locations are getting too busy for us. I've joined this forum to learn more about Tulum. We typically vacation the last two weeks of February, flying out of Minneapolis. Our first few years in Playa del Carmen were spent at The Pelicano, we then moved to the Shangri La Caribe when it was considered the edge of town. If we could find in Tulum a beachfront palapa/cottage like Shangri La Caribe, we would think we've once again found THE perfect spot. So.....thank you in advance for your input and advice. I look forward to hearing from you. :palmtree:

[DougSR]

Howdy and welcome PinksMom. I bet if you give the forum some details on what Shangri La Caribe was like, the members could point you in the right direction. Was is rustic or more like a regular hotel with A/C and electricity 24/7? That sometimes can narrow you down really quick because very few places in Tulum have 24/7 A/C.

[beachreader]

Shangri-La Caribe is a nice place, and yes, you'll find many cabana/palapa places in Tulum. They won't have a/c (for the most part), and they won't have swimming pools (for the most part), you can't use hairdryers, they won't all have breakfast and very few require you to stay for dinner, but other than that... :)

Seriously, if it's the cabana/palapa aesthetic you're looking for but don't need a whole lot of other amenities, Tulum will be perfect for you. As you know, late February is high season, but it's a great time to get away from the frigid north country, so I'm sure it's worth it for you guys.

What's your budget range, and what amenities do you really need?

[PinksMom]

The cost at Shangri-La Caribe was $255/night for the beachfront palapas, including breakfast and dinner. We'd prefer non-inclusive, so a rate under or near $150/night with no meals would be nice. Ceiling fan a must, AC would be nice to have but not a must, clean and secure very important. Don't care about a pool as we'd prefer the ocean. Shangri-La palapas have a front porch that open up right on the beach. Walking distance or short cab ride to a few good restaurants desireable.

I heard the Shangri-La Caribe is being torn down in April and replaced with a large condo complex. Can anyone verify that?

[Mn Mex]

Hi! I'm PinksMom's hubby. Looking forward to exploring the Tulum area for a possible new destination.

First question: What's with the mosquito nets. Being a Minnesotan I am a little sensitive about destinations with carnivorous insects. Is this a problem in the Tulum area??:ant:

LeZebra looks very similar to where we stayed in Playa.:)

[AdGuy]

First question: What's with the mosquito nets. Being a Minnesotan I am a little sensitive about destinations with carnivorous insects. Is this a problem in the Tulum area??:ant:

Yep...and they can get bad if the breeze drops or if you're inland in jungle area...
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i317/FloridaAdGuy/December2006TulumPictureson16MB286.jpg

[Lynnette]

Hi Pinksmom........I've also heard that SLC is being demolished for development of condos. I didn't hear when, though. The Playa Board http://www.playa.info/playa-del-carmen-forum (http://www.playa.info/playa-del-carmen-forum/)would know for sure.

[marlene]

Welcome PinksMom I feel the same way you do Playa is way to busy. My husband and I started Going to Tulum 5 years ago and we love it. We have stayed at the Copal cabanas they were nice but pretty rustic.We are going in October and are going to stay at the pariso, It has the most beautiful beach. :):palmtree::palmtree::palmtree::)

[beachreader]

It's pretty breezy in February (at least, it has been for the past three years), so if you're full-on beachfront you probably won't even need the ceiling fans (might even need a blanket!), but it's a good place to start. Problem is, it's getting harder and harder to find $150/nt. for a nice place with full beachfront (and ceiling fans).

I hardly ever use the mosquito netting because the sea breeze is strong enough to keep them at bay (and some places have screening on their windows), but if the wind shifts, out they come and you'll be glad for the net. Some of the newer places have nets that are hung from a platform above the bed so the "walls" of the netting hang sort of straight down. I get a bit claustrophobic in the nets that just hang, teepee-style, from a central hanging point.

I'd also strongly recommend renting a car if you're going to be there for two weeks, but there are a few beach "neighborhoods" that allow you to walk to at least a couple of places for meals.

First, I think you need a map that covers all the hotels on the beach road so you can see where things are in relation to one another. www.sac-be.com (http://www.sac-be.com) has one, as does TodoTulum and probably other places. Sac-Be prints out pretty decently so you can have it on your desk as you search.

Hotelstulum.com is a good place to start as it has a decent selection of places, ditto LocoGringo, though their selection is far smaller.

If you can bump up to $200/nt., I think you'll be rewarded in the quality and position of your room. It definitely sucks, but Tulum has gotten really expensive just in the past year or two.

Look around at those sites a bit and let us know what catches your eye. La Zebra is definitely a fancy, Playa-style place, but I don't think you'll get one of their better rooms for $150 in February.