There's Something About Tulum
by Ron Burdine
If you have never been to Tulum Mexico and you love wide white powder sand beaches and the blue gin clear waters of the Western Caribbean, then for no other reason you should go. Visiting some of the best beaches in the world is only one of the draws to this magical area. There is truly something magical going on here. The Mayans felt the magnetic pull from this majestic piece of the Earth and built an observatory on the cliffs above the blue waters of this Yucatan paradise as a major seaport and lookout for the further inland Mayan city of Coba. The areas along the beaches of Tulum are now home to many Tulum resorts offering an eco-friendly yet luxurious vacation option.
The name Tulum comes from the Mayan word for wall, but this ancient Mayan city was also called Zama which means “city of dawn”. Maybe they called it that because of the incredible sunrises you can see from the cliffs and beaches surrounding these well preserved and sublime ruins and the most popular ruins of any in Mexico to visit.
Tulum is far removed from the mega resorts and hotels of Cancun and still beyond the booming Playa del Carmen hotels and resorts. The Tulum hotels you find in this area are primarily the eco friendly variety and the area is known for coining the phrase “eco-chic”, these are not your average eco-friendly hotels with many offering full-service spas and amenities you would not expect in such a natural and pristine environment. Yucatan Peninsula travel offers you a wide variety of options as far as style and substance. If you are traveling to the inland areas of this region you can explore the new 7th Wonder of the World at the ruins of Chichen Itza or visit historical Merida hotels where colonial charm meets Mayan history and culture.
Playa del Carmen hotels offer a more typical Caribbean holiday experience. The streets are bustling with world class shopping and nightclubs as well as an active daily beach scene ideal for people watching and sun worship. Of course Cancun has long been established as a major and popular tourist destination since the late 1970’s and now represents a more modern and typical large luxury resort experience.
Yucatan hotels vary in both size and style and there’s truly something for everyone. For me it’s the smaller Tulum resorts, Holbox Island hotels and the more off the beaten path places that are still relatively undiscovered. Beyond the obvious draw of the white sand and varied shades of turquoise waters there’s something about being in a pristine part of paradise that does make it feel all your own, a magical place to relax and imagine what life was like for the Mayans that ruled this area for so many years.
There is so much more to this area that we can explore beyond what I’ve written here so we’ll definitely be talking more about it as we go. One of the things we will touch on soon is the best times of the year to visit the area, you may be surprised to find that some of the best Yucatan travel deals can be found within peak seasons and what you may think is off season can sometimes be the best time of the year to visit the area for great Playa del Carmen deals or Holbox deals where you can swim with the largest fish in the world, the Whale Shark!
Stay tuned for more updates from the land of the Maya on the Yucatan Peninsula!