The beach town of Tulum, Mexico, is located within the Yucatan Peninsula bordering the Caribbean. As a former walled-in Mayan city, it combines the perfect opportunity for romance and exploring the secrets of Mayan past and historic archaeological sites.
While you savor your Tulum honeymoon, you will discover ancient temples such as El Castillo and Dios del Viento. Experience the magic of the sacred Mayan cenotes, or caverns. These underground caves are thousands of years old. The Mayans considered them a natural passageway to the underworld. These cenotes have become a favorite site for exploring 300 miles of underground passages and scuba diving and snorkeling into the watery world of a unique and ancient ecosystem. You will literally float through the caves filled with pure water. The best-known Cenote in Tulum and all of Mayan country is:
Cenote Dos Ojos: This is known as the most stunning cenote in Tulum and famous worldwide. The sinkhole is so surreal, it resembles a painting, with its dramatic rock formations and spectacular diving opportunities, with water up to 400 feet deep. Life jackets are mandatory for diving. The water itself is as clear as crystal and a delightful 70 degrees. You reach it by taking a set of stairs down into the cave.
Your Tulum honeymoon is all about relaxing with the jungle vibes, the fantastic Mayan ruins, and allowing yourself to be pampered at a delightful resort. There is no better way to begin your life together.
Tulum has been favorably compared to Cabo San Lucas, another Mexican resort. It has the advantage of being as stunning as Cabo without the overwhelming touristy vibes.
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Table of Contents
About Tulum 📖
Best Time to Visit Tulum 📅
Top Things to do in Tulum 👫
Weather in Tulum ☀️
About Tulum
A mere 128 kilometers from Cancun, Tulum has rightly taken its place among the world’s finest beach destinations. Between the white beaches and the Mayan ruins, it is difficult to imagine more picture-perfect surroundings. Standing on a cliff amid an ancient ruin while looking down at the Caribbean is jaw-dropping.
Tulum was created as an oceanfront fortress, using the steep cliffs as a deterrent to enemy attacks. The rest of the city was walled in on all three sides. It was a major trade city and needed protection. You can, of course, explore these incredible ruins on your own, but a guide will add tremendously to the experience.
The most famous ruin in Tulum is the El Castillo pyramid, which was built at the edge of its cliff to guide the incoming ships at night. It served as a Mayan lighthouse. Next to El Castillo, the Temple of the Frescoes is extraordinarily well-preserved down to the original paint.
Not only is it fun to look down the cliffs. You can also swim and look up at these fabulous structures perched overhead. No visit to El Castillo is complete without a camera to create dozens of Instagram memories.
Beaches and Mayan ruins are great, but you’ll need to eat while in Tulum. Fortunately, there are many excellent options.
- Puro Corazon
This restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Better yet, they have an outdoor bar with a glorious view of the sunset.
- Kitchen Table
They have an open kitchen so you can watch them prepare their fabulous food.
- Papaya Playa Project Beach Restaurant
This beach club provides a glorious view of the ocean while serving memorable meals and tantalizing cocktails.
Self-Care in Tulum
Tulum is not only filled with beaches, great food, and outdoor adventure, it has become a major wellness destination, as well. If you want to include holistic self-care and revitalized energy in your Tulum honeymoon plans, there is no better place. Tulum is regarded as the yoga capital of Mexico.
The Yoga Dicha Studio offers onsite or beach yoga sessions, sound healing, massages, and private yoga lessons.
Revitalize at the Yäan Healing Center located in the Be Tulum Hotel. Here, you can revel in deep tissue massages, herbal baths, and purified water pools. They also practice the ancient Mayan art of steam baths. It’s like being transported to a world where stress is unknown
For the best do-it-yourself self-care in Tulum, rent a bicycle and explore the area. A bike will take you to the beach and the restaurants and bars in town. There are bike lanes, and Tulum is a very bike-friendly town. Punta Piedra Beach Posada, a local Bed & Breakfast, can arrange rentals. Call 52 984 806 4502 for information.
Best Time to Visit Tulum
You can expect excellent weather in January. On January 6th, Tulum celebrates El Día de Los Reyes (Kings Day) to honor the three wise men. This holiday can take on greater importance than Christmas. Gifts are usually exchanged, so it’s a chance to surprise your beloved with a little token.
Carnaval, Tulum’s version of Mardi Gras, takes place a week prior to Ash Wednesday. While preparing for the solemnity of Lent, this is the last opportunity for dance, revelry, and an explosion of costumes and colors. Just wear something fun and dance in the streets with everyone else.
February through April attracts thousands of spring breakers from up north attempting to escape the cold. Be prepared for drunken crowds if you choose to come at this time. Of course, the weather is at its finest, the sky a pure blue, and the water warm, so you might consider becoming a part of the crowd. Or act as chaperones.
The celebration of the Mayan culture explodes in May during the Festival de Cultura del Caribe, where ancient traditions are celebrated for a week.
June is one of Tulum’s wettest months, so why not spend it in the water? This is the month when the beautiful whale sharks make their way to the Caribbean, including Tulum. They are huge, yet docile. Contact Maya Discount Tours at 800-789-3414 for a guided snorkeling tour and swim with the sharks, turtles, dolphins, and other sea creatures. You will be served breakfast, lunch (shrimp ceviche!), and tropical fruits.
If you are in Tulum on September 15th, be prepared to eat till you drop and dance through the night in celebration of Mexico’s Independence Day.
Top Things to do in Tulum
Spend Time at Playa Paraiso (Paradise Beach)
Tulum has stunning beaches, but Paradise Beach goes beyond the expected. It is a public beach, although there are hotels with restaurants nearby in case you want to linger for a few days.
Paradise Beach is as white as the water is crystal clear. The water is calm here. It is a favorite diving site to a large coral reef barrier, where you can catch sight of the sea turtles that call this home. Paradise Beach is one of the most visited beaches in Tulum. There are nearby resort hotels where you can enjoy a pampering spa treatment. Get to the beach early and watch the sunrise – bring either coffee or champagne.
This cenote is not as well-known as the Cenote Dos Ojos, but it is worth the visit. Unlike many other cenotes, there is no way to climb down into the watery sinkhole. Instead, you stand on top of a cliff and simply jump off to a maximum depth of 50 feet. Once you are inside, enjoy the snorkeling and swimming. The hole opens to give you plenty of room. There are ladders to get up back up to the cliff.
While you are down in the cenote, check out the ledge with remnants of Mayan pottery and human and animal bones. These undoubtedly explain the cenote’s nickname – the Temple of Doom.
Dinner at Mateo’s
This Mexican grill has inexpensive yet delicious Mexican seafood staples, cocktails, and fruit drinks. Come for the food and stay for the entertainment. Get a table on the rooftop terrace for one of the best views of the Tulum sun dropping down the horizon while you listen to live music. Call 52 984 157 6264 for information.
Chichen Itza is a pre-Colombian town 150 kilometers from Tulum. It is, however, a must-do day trip, or spend a few days here. The ruins at Chichen Itza are considered one of the wonders of the world and is one of Mexico’s favorite tourist destination.
These are the largest Mayan ruins still in existence. It will take hours to explore, which is why staying overnight may be a good idea.
The primary pyramid is probably where the Mayans worshipped their gods – and gave sacrifices to appease the gods. There are plenty of skull ornaments on the site.
Visit the Temple of Warriors, which is where the Mayans worshipped their best warriors. Victorious warriors were held in high esteem.
For your visit to Chichen Itza, wear comfortable shoes and brings lots of water. It gets hot during the day.
Weather in Tulum
One of Tulum’s great attractions is that the weather remains a steady 80 degree year-round with only a few degrees of variance. The optimal time for a Tulum honeymoon is after the hurricane season and before the temperature is at its hottest. That would be the months of November and December. You will probably miss most of the tourists that will be descending upon Tulum from the end of December through April, when the hotels are crowded and at their most expensive.
The summer months of May through September will allow for some great deals and considerably fewer crowds. But there will be some rain during that period.
Tulum can see hurricanes in October, so it may not be the best time to visit.
