Hola! General Tulum questions...

[rockgeek]

Hi everyone!
My wife and I will be in the Yucatan next spring (Feb 2009) and would love to spend a bunch of time in the ruins and on the beaches around Tulum if we can (budget!)... so some questions:
1. what are food/drink costs in the pueblo? on the beach?
2. clean budget (<100USD/night) accommodations on the beach?
3. any way to get great deals at some of the cabanas etc? any advantage to booking way ahead?
4. if we want to spend ALOT of our stay reading/swimming at the beach does it make any sense to stay in town?

I'm sure I'll have more Qs... thanks for any info, seems like a cool community here.

thanks
adam

[beachreader]

Hola Adam, and welcome!

I think the best budget accomodation on the beach is Cabanas Tulum. They're $70/nt. in high season, comfortable beds, big patios, right on the beach. No style to speak of, but there you are. I've heard they're going to raise their rates, so I don't know if they'll be $70 next February, but perhaps you can ask. Outside of CT, prices shoot skyward for beachfront.

To save money and get the best "authentic" experience for your food dollar, the pueblo is the place to go for sure. CT has a restaurant on site, and it's pretty good food for reasonable prices, so that's nice to have as a choice, but you can run into town and pick up supplies for lunches (I kept meaning to go to Bronco Pollo but never did) and eat on your patio, your own beachfront restaurant for like $5!

For this reason, among others, I strongly recommend renting a car. It's pretty expensive with all the insurances that I also recommend you get, but it will free you up for all kinds of adventures. Taking taxis around is a hassle and not particularly cheap.

[rockgeek]

thanks for the quick reply beachreader! Is there anything on the beach in the ~100USD range that time of year? Rather that shooting all sorts of specifics at you, is there a good site that has most of the lodging for me to look at or are there some places about which info is hard to get?

[beachreader]

I think I said Cabanas Tulum (on the beach) fits your budget, but for other places, you might check out hotelstulum.com. They give a decent overview of places, but they don't cover everyone.

[Gale in KY]

Cabanas Tulum is the best value on the beachroad. Another choice would be
Cabanas Arrifices. I think room 10 would be the best seaview. They are close enough to the water to catch the good breezes. Great stretch of beach here.

[rockgeek]

thanks Gale!
sounds like Cabanas Tulum is cheap enough that might be able to split our time between there and somewhere more romantic...
Are beaches in Mexico private? Are you limited to where you are staying?

[beachreader]

Technically, the beach is all public up to a certain point somewhere past the high tide mark (I've heard a few different measurements). It's the individual hotels' chairs and shade palapas and such that are private. Generally, they're OK with non-guests using chairs if they buy some food or drink, but there are beach clubs now that actually charge for the use of the chair itself.

[heenan]

For beach time and reading, which is our primary Tulum activity I confess, only the beach hotels make sense. There are many options, and the south end of the beach can feel very private. Even in front of the hotels, it does not feel crowded. Enjoy! Heenan

[kimba]

You haven't said if you've visited other areas of Mexico before, but if you have, be ready for a little sticker shock when you get to Tulum. Tulum has American prices for just about everything. Mexican prices go into effect once you get inland. Meals are definitely less expensive in the pueblo than out at the beach. But the beach area is where you want to stay.

[rockgeek]

Thanks Kimba. After spending more time on the board I've been able to get more of an idea of the cost of meals etc (especially from all the great trip reports). Alas we realize that this won't be the cheapest vacation around, but we are going to Tulum for the peace on the beach. Even if its not cheap, there's not too many places that are this easy to get to and sleep practically on a beach this beautiful in comfort. That said, we will be spending enough on accommodations (Cabanas Tulum then La Luna) that we won't be eating on the beach every night. So what are the good deals on the beach foodwise? Can you get a great meal for two and drinks for $30USD? $40USD? $50USD? Thanks for all your help!!:)

[kimba]

Well, I'm probably really not the one to ask. I can live for weeks on 75cent tacos - which I got at one of the taco shops in the pueblo. There are others on this board who are more knowledgeable about the food situation on the playa. My thinking is that you will spend on one meal what you would if you went to a comparable restaurant at home.

[minniemex]

Thanks Kimba. After spending more time on the board I've been able to get more of an idea of the cost of meals etc (especially from all the great trip reports). Alas we realize that this won't be the cheapest vacation around, but we are going to Tulum for the peace on the beach. Even if its not cheap, there's not too many places that are this easy to get to and sleep practically on a beach this beautiful in comfort. That said, we will be spending enough on accommodations (Cabanas Tulum then La Luna) that we won't be eating on the beach every night. So what are the good deals on the beach foodwise? Can you get a great meal for two and drinks for $30USD? $40USD? $50USD? Thanks for all your help!!:)

Rockgeek - you can get your meals at the restaurant at Cabanas Tulum and then eat them on your own patio!! Kinda like room service!! We would go order and they would deliver. The food at the restaurant is pretty cheap by beachfood standards - nothing fancy, but filling and good. We rarely sit down and eat a large lunch, most often just order nachos or something along those lines. It is the "drinks" that are gonna kill ya!! LOL But if you purchase them at the San Fran and then have the food delivered - well, ya got a great meal and a great view to eat at!!

Los Lirios has a 2 for 1 for drinks in the early evening, we always tried to take advantage of that!! When we went they didn't put out any chips and salsa, so we asked and got great chips and salsa for free!!