I need everyone's top places to eat/see...

[felony]

We will be in Tulum next week and I am a newbie! I will be there for 5 nights and I want to eat well (not neccessarily expensively) and see the great things there.

Give me your top 5 of each!:D

Oh and thanks in advance!

[Gale in KY]

Top 5 to eat:

Nacho's-The view and the food are both excellent!
Don Cafeto's-either beach or in town, I enjoyed both
Charlie's-A visit to Tulum just wouldn't be complete without a visit to Charlie's
Pan Bakery-OMG..breakfast pastries..yummy..and good coffee

My last choice isn't really Tulum..it's in Tankah..just a few miles north of Tulum...but a must visit for a hefty margarita, a cenote visit and good bbq on Sunday...Casa Cenote. Without a doubt, the strongest margarita I have ever had..it kicked..lol..food was good..you can snorkel Manatee Cenote or just kick back and enjoy the view and the food, rent a kayak or snooze on the beach after you eat.

To do:

Just read AdGuy's trip report..he pretty much covered my idea of the best Tulum visit! Of course you want to see the Ruins..Coba and Muyil also if you are into Mayan Culture both of these are can't miss sites. If you visit Muyil, book a lagoon tour while you are there..they will boat you thru the canals built by the Mayans..this is a great way to see the Laguna, flora and fauna of the area..can also do this if you go further south with Sian Kaan. Muyil doesn't get the hype that the more well known ruins sites get..so you may get the place to yourself..A BIG bonus I think..Muyil is my favorite even though it isn't a big site, or the most restored..it is probably the place I found I experienced the Maya culture the most..the moment I set foot there I could well feel how sacred this place was and is.

Take a morning/afternoon to stroll Tulum Pueblo..lots of shops, mostly family owned..the locals are so friendly. I usually do this when I need to visit the bank for pesos, have lunch at any of the little cafe's..then back to the beach.

The Monkey Reserve-Lee's report brought back so many good memories of this place..I will go every single time I visit Tulum...it is a great way to see jungle, and help support the Monkey project.

Grand Cenote or Car Wash Cenote on Coba Rd..are both great Cenote experiences and can be combined with a trip to Coba or the Monkey Reserve..you pass right by them on your way back to Tulum.

Lazy on the Beach...lol! My favorite Tulum activity that is always sure to cancel out a couple of planned activities.

[minniemex]

My favorite thing is the beach - what happens after that is just a bonus:D

As far as places to eat, Zamas, Don Cafetos, there are so many choices for good ones, I don't think you'll have any problems. ( I am allergic to fish & seafood, so I am not a good one to ask of food)

I am so excited for you - you leave in days:eek: :D (What day do you leave??)

[dcap]

I'LL add a a few places to eat.
Mezzanine: Food OK, live music. view & atmosphere priceless.
Zamas: Excellent Food.
Nachos:
Oscar & Lalo's: North a few miles.

Dave

[felony]

My favorite thing is the beach - what happens after that is just a bonus:D

As far as places to eat, Zamas, Don Cafetos, there are so many choices for good ones, I don't think you'll have any problems. ( I am allergic to fish & seafood, so I am not a good one to ask of food)

I am so excited for you - you leave in days:eek: :D (What day do you leave??)

I leave on the 9th, but going to PDC for 4 nights first, so will be in Tulum starting the 13th.

Thanks everyone for all your suggestions..

[austxdan]

While down in Tulum you MUST eat at Posada Margherita along the beach road. Be sure to stop in during the day to make a reservation for dinner, as they do fill up and require reservations. This was the best italian food we had in Tulum.

Just for starters is the butcher block bread and cheese selection . . . MMmmmmm :D .


Dan

[AdGuy]

Best restaurants (in order with best as #1)...

Nacho's
Maya Luna
Posada Margherita
Don Cafeto's (either beach or town)
MezzanineKeep in mind, these offer very different experiences. The top three are romantic, upscale beach spots. DC's is authentic Mexican and Mezzanine is trendy chic. If you're looking to 'do it up right' you'll also want to bring your wallet. The two of us usually dropped $100 per dinner.

Top five spots to see (in order with best as #1)...

Southern Tulum Beaches
Punta Laguna Monkey Reserve
Sian Ka'an Biosphere
Ek Balam/Valladolid
Solimon Bay (at Oscar & Lalo's)Again, it depends on your interests. If you're big into snorkeling, the above choices won't offer much (for that I'd say Yal-ku Laguna or Gran Cenote). If you're not into nature, #2 and #3 will likely be boring.

Actually, any of the choices offered so far are good candidates. You won't go wrong with any of the restaurant choices or activities!

[AdGuy]

While down in Tulum you MUST eat at Posada Margherita along the beach road. Be sure to stop in during the day to make a reservation for dinner, as they do fill up and require reservations. This was the best italian food we had in Tulum.

Just for starters is the butcher block bread and cheese selection . . . MMmmmmm


Dan,

I completely agree...and the best part is it's FREE! Here's a reminder...

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i317/FloridaAdGuy/December2006TulumPictureson16MB400.jpg

It's enough to feed a horse...and I have some experience as I live on a horse farm!! :D

[felony]

Thanks everyone for the advice! I'm printing it all out! :)

[minniemex]

How many days Felony?? You need a countdown ticker:D

[felony]

How's this???:confused: ;) :D

[minniemex]

Now thats what I needed to see:D Just think about when it will say

ARRIVED!!!

[felony]

I can't wait until it says that!!:D:D:D

[minniemex]

Only wish it were me too:( But I had my turn just 2 short months ago:D Go & have a great time!

[felony]

Thank you! We plan on it!!!

[Nelms]

In March, 2005, we visited Tulum and had an excellent meal at low cost at Tres Chiles, which is on the road between the Tulum pueblo and the beach. I'm wondering if anyone else has eaten there? We really enjoyed it.

[Gale in KY]

This wonderful restaurant would be #1 on my list, if it were still in business. Best Salsa I ever tasted. Unfortunately, it has been closed for over a year. There is a new restaurant open now, L'icontro Forno a Legna, who specialty is seafood and italian choices..has anyone tried them?

I truly mourned for Tres Chilies..the food was absolutely amazing. I think the location did them in..if you were not looking for them, you would drive right by without noticing.

[Moon23]

My husband and I will be in Tulum on March 3 for 7 nights. Air and Car ready. Still trying to find the right place to stay. We had made up our minds on Shambala but I've had a very hard time trying to get Robert Hernandez to e-mail me back! To the point where I even called him, talked to him and told him we were ready to book and wire the $ and still he can't sent us the info. of where to wire the $. Has anyone else had this problem? We are so frustrated that we started looking for other lodging. Has anyone stayed at Posada Lamar or del sol?
:confused:

[Susan&Mike]

Hey Everyone,

Thanks for all the great eating info I have added it to my growing file of handy info to take with us. Have been so busy lately that I have kind of gotten out of my Tulum fixation.....but guess what I am back. Plus I needed to post to see where my ticker is at to get my excitment back up. Great trip reports guys, such great info and opinions. Hope I will be able to add some good stuff when we get back....although it just might read.....got up and headed to the beach, ate went to bed.....got up went to the beach, ate and went to bed....:D . Been so busy that I dream of laying on the beach and running my toes through the sand....aaahhhhh. What can I say I am a beach baby and water rat.

[sonofabeach]

Hi Susan and Mike!
I'm sure you guys will have loads of laid back fun!!!

My wife and I are headed to Tulum in March.
The lists that all you guys have made is great and will be very helpful.

Is there is bar/joint that anyone can recommend where you can kick back with a few cold ones and listen to some live music?

I'm sure I'll have my own "what should we do" thread as our trip gets closer.

[Susan&Mike]

Thanks Sonofabeach! Yup getting pumped up!! Was kind of worried at the beginning that our time would be broken up in Tulum by now I am thinking it will be great; 3 nights to chill out on the beach, watch Mike try to kill himself kiteboarding and then head to Cozumel for our week of scuba diving and enjoy some night life and then back to Tulum for our last 4 nights to again slow down and just do whatever we want.
Now if only that ticker would move alittle faster!!!!

[Anthony]

We were in Tulum for 5 days in November (see my trip report at www.mountain-software.com/mexico2006.htm).

I haven't seen anyone else here mention it, but I highly recommend visiting "Hidden Worlds" underground cenotes if you get the chance (several miles north of Tulum). It was one of the highlights of our trip. Well worth the money considering it includes the wet suit and snorkel gear, the guide, and a fun jungle ride out to the well lit caverns. It is an incredible experience experience to float over the formations in the caverns below.

Otherwise, just relaxing and swimming in the warm ocean water was probably one of the things I look back most fondly of.

Everyone has their own interests, but those were our favorites.

Anthony

[beachreader]

Live music most nights of the week at Zamas (unplugged, mostly), and the food's good too. There's a bar in town, but I can't remember the name of it, west side of 307, middle of town. They had a great band (plugged) one night and we danced and got ourselves in a little trouble! :p

[felony]

Hi Susan and Mike!
I'm sure you guys will have loads of laid back fun!!!

My wife and I are headed to Tulum in March.
The lists that all you guys have made is great and will be very helpful.

Is there is bar/joint that anyone can recommend where you can kick back with a few cold ones and listen to some live music?

I'm sure I'll have my own "what should we do" thread as our trip gets closer.

We just got back and Zamas seemed to have really good live music nearly every night we were there! It was always crowded with people enjoying the music.

[ocontraire]

Live music most nights of the week at Zamas (unplugged, mostly), and the food's good too. There's a bar in town, but I can't remember the name of it, west side of 307, middle of town. They had a great band (plugged) one night and we danced and got ourselves in a little trouble! :p

It's called Acabar. When we were there in Dec/Jan on most nights it was crowded and looked like a fun place to hang out.