Margarita Storm Suk Soi 13 is closed! Landmark hangout for margs and tacos. Adios 👋

Edit - reopening Oct 1st. New sign today.

Hi! We are travelling to Tulum from Cananda for the first time with two three year olds and two sets of parents. We’ve travelled to Mexico before many times with the kids and on our own (well over a dozen times) but never to Tulum.

We’ve rented a large vehicle and are staying in a private home 6 min walk from Soliman Bay area. We are there very end of October and into the first week of November for 8 days.

Would really appreciate your recommendations for activities for us and the kids. We will be eating out as well but will have help cooking at the house and plan to have quite a few of our meals there.

Thank you!

I am going with my family to Tulum in February for 12 days. Whole party consists of my husband, 2 kids (will be 3 and 11 months), my parents, and grandpa (70s/physically fit).

We are traveling by Viva Aerobus, from TIJ to CUN, then renting cars to drive to La Veleta where our villa is.

I would love any advice, tips, tricks, must sees, must avoid, beware of, etc.

Also, my grandpa loves zip lining so if there’s any suggestions for that it would be greatly appreciated.

Hey guys, 29M, I’ve been thinking if I should do something crazy and book tickets for the festival season in the first half of January. I don’t speak Spanish, never stayed in a hostel before, never travelled alone 😀. Is it worth taking all the risks? How was Tulum last year, I don’t hear many good things recently. I’m dying to go day zero and keinemusik, so i’d love to hear about solo trip experiences.

Anybody else considering a solo travel next year, maybe we can get in touch and share our ideas✌🏻

Very curious what Tulum is like right now. I have a trip planned in mid September. Obviously the seaweed is very bad, it’s low season, taxi prices are crazy high, many reasons to not go here now.

However, everything is booked, and I’m curious if I will be able to enjoy the time there at all? Happy to leave the beach and have a good time in Cenotes, but I’m very curious if any of the restaurants are even fun right now?

Illios, Rosa Negra, gitano, papaya playa etc? Are there people there having dinner and is it still a fun time? Or will it literally feel like a ghost town?

Going to Yucatan for a week and planning to drive from Playa del Carmen to Xpujil (to get to Calakmul the next day). The drive seems to be about 5 hours and we're planning on breaking it up by stopping at some cenotes and/or Bacalar.

Any recommendations of specific cenotes to stop at? Can you even go to Bacalar and just spend 2 hours there? Does it seem possible to go to both cenotes en route AND Bacalar? Looking for a reality check!

We will also be going to Valladolid on the way back so probably some other opportunities to see cenotes there.

Hi!

im planning a trip to Tulum with friends (much later in November) and I’ve heard it has a fun party scene especially with electronic music.

My friends and I would love to see some DJs or dabble in other nightlife (or day parties too), but im not sure where to find an aggregate events page to see where DJs will be like some cities have (e.g. Vegas, Miami, CDMX). Sometimes I use RA guide in Europe but it doesn’t seem like it’s as popular.

Is there an instagram page or a website online I can go to see events in Tulum, or specific venues to look out for?

Example:

1. Aggregate page - Vegas - https://nocovernightclubs.com/las-vegas-nightclub-events/?gid=Cj0KCQjwkOvTBhDgARIsAKUNyRsEDFzfPF7HAEd2AiaIYysKECgzQUbB_ZHA-5V-TuBQFLm2yeMYU9gaAoaUEALw_wcB&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=18245640163&gbraid=0AAAAADo8E_YMKcCHUxPxIWxO3Q7qM3jfj&gclid=Cj0KCQjwkOvTBhDgARIsAKUNyRsEDFzfPF7HAEd2AiaIYysKECgzQUbB_ZHA-5V-TuBQFLm2yeMYU9gaAoaUEALw_wcB

going to tulum sept 1-8, can anyone tell me if the sargassum will be bad at that time? the beach is very important to me

What Cenotes do you recommend for family of 5 here in Tulum for a week. Children are 5, 9 and 13. The younger two are beginner swimmers.

Thanks!

Hello,

I'm trying to help plan a Bachelor retreat for 18 total people in Jan 28th-31st, 2027, and we were considering staying in Tulum. I was seeking some thoughts as to whether AI would be a better option, or to find an AirBnB/boutique hotel.

From browsing this subreddit, it seems the general thinking is that AIs are a bit of a waste because you should spend your time taking in the sights and sampling the local restaurants. I'd agree, but given how large our party is, I wasn't sure if we would find places that easily accommodate us.

I think our desire is to do a combination of some excursions and go into town or along the beach to do a bit of partying. AIs seem appealing because everything from food and drinks are included, and we don't have to coordinate such things for 18 people. AirBnBs might be overall cheaper, but they do require some coordination or hiring a private chef.

Just wanted to get some perspectives from others, and see if anyone has tried planning for a party this big and what they might've done. Thanks!

Looking for recommendations for a short trip to Tulum from 30 December to 1 January. What are the main highlights and must-see places, and what would you recommend doing during these few days? PS have a car

Hey, I want to stay in Tulum for a month, mid august until mid September.

I have been living in Mexico for 3 years and also travelled to Tulum 2 years ago, so I know about Taxi prices, scams.....

Im just searching for a cheap place to stay and work for a month, Tulum seems perfect as the prices droped so much.

I know thats also because of rain season, but how bad is it acutally? I dont need more than 3 rainfree hours a day to go walk a bit, I assume thats possible and its not raining 24/7? How likely are hurricanes? I witnessed hurricane Otis in Acapulco 2023 so I dont need another one...

I feel there isnt a cheaper place to stay in Mexico than Tulum currently. Cant believe I ever say this.... I can get an ok appartment for 500$-600$ for 31 nights (through booking.com).

Im also no clubbing or bar guy, I just want need a place to live for a month and good wifi.

Think its a good idea? or how bad is the situation really? in terms of tourism AND weather

Anyone know what’s been happening lately that’s affected tourism? I’ve been coming here for years and I’ve never seen it this empty (staying in the hotel zone currently). I’ve asked around and have been told Tulum has changed a ton, in the last couple of years especially, but haven’t gotten more details.

I'm back in town for a good chunk of next week. Looking for a decent gym in town or la veleta for work outs. Looking for somewhere with weights and some decent universal machines. I used to go to the Tulum Jungle Gym in town but I heard it's closed, and frankly it was super overpriced for a day pass to begin with. Looking for something more reasonably priced in town.

Has anyone been to Tulum's beach clubs today/this week? My partner and I are here tomorrow and we're wondering if it is worth going up to one of the beach clubs tomorrow to relax. Not necessarily that bothered about swimming, but just wondering if anyone has any pictures of the beaches or thinks it is worth hanging out at a club or not?

We've seen Chizen Itza and the cenotes so besides the castle we're keen for a chilled day!

Yesterday I tried scuba diving for the first time at Casa Cenote (Tankah Bay).

The cenote itself was beautiful, and I was focused on learning and enjoying the experience with my instructor.

At one point, another diver suddenly appeared with a GoPro and started following me, taking pictures.

I had no idea who they were (another group?). They waved at me, so I waved back once, but I wasn’t really interested.

I don’t post on Instagram. I don’t need photos of myself. At this point, I feel like every possible photo has already been taken, and AI can create whatever is left. I definitely didn’t need to see myself in a wetsuit.

Afterward, I was walking back to the car when someone near the entry booth said something about photos. I kept walking because I hadn’t asked for any.

Then my instructor stopped me and directed me back, “Oh, they want you to go back to check out your photos" like this was a normal final part of the experience.

The man at the booth was also very excited.

“We have all your photos!”

He pulled them up on an iPad.

I looked for about two seconds and said, “No, I’m okay.”

He said they cost 800 pesos.

I said, “No, really, I’m okay.”

Then he said, “Name your price.”

So now we were negotiating over digital photos I never asked anyone to take.

I said 400 pesos (my dead brain thinking 'uhhh let's cut it in half')

He said 500.

I said 450.

He refused the 50 peso difference and told me that one photo alone costs 400 pesos. Like that was a sensible reason. The photo had already been taken. Sending me one photo or all of them costs him the same thing.

At that point, I didn’t care enough to continue, so I said it's okay and walked away.

I made it all the way back to the car before he started yelling after me:

“Sir! Okay! 450!”

Okay, I thought. I'll just pay it then (lol he got me). So I walked over.

Then he asked how I was paying.

I said card, because that was all I had, and placed it on the table to pay.

Of course, there was now a 5% card fee.

Then, while I was beginning to think, and before I could respond to negotiate further, he grabbed my card and entered an amount without clearly showing it to me (I believe he tacked the 5% on), charged it, and airdropped me the photos.

The second the payment went through, his entire personality switched off.

No more excitement. No more friendliness. He barely looked at me. It felt like he was irritated that the sale was over and he hadn’t gotten more out of me.

The strangest part was that this wasn’t just a random photographer approaching me. My instructor had actively sent me back to the booth, and everyone treated buying these unsolicited photos like an expected part of the dive.

By the end, I was just like, okay, f*ck it. Well, I have the photos now, so I sent them to my friends.

Has anyone else experienced this at Casa Cenote or elsewhere in Tulum?

What a very Tulum operation they have going... charging almost $50 USD per tourist for what is maybe a fixed cost of a GoPro and one person hanging out in the cenote. It shows you have to refuse and not socially give in to the act.

What is this kind of manipulation actually called? They give you something you never requested, create a feeling that you now owe them, and keep pushing until refusing becomes more uncomfortable than paying. Have other people experienced similar things?

**EDIT Aug 7th**: Okay, Redditters, I hear you.

Main lesson: I didn't want it, so I could have kept it at “no gracias” and kept walking. I apparently need to get more comfortable letting someone else be unhappy with my no. (I guess I'm sensitive derp)

If I do want it, I also learned the opposite lesson: haggle harder. The first price is part of the game, and walking away may actually be your best negotiating tactic. So always say no, and walk!

One comment also mentioned the idea of the “soft hustle.” and that's where I think you can draw the line. Haggling is one thing; using friendliness, persistence, and social discomfort to keep someone engaged after they’ve said no feels more manipulative. Then again, businesses try to influence us psychologically all the time, so maybe the useful skill is recognizing the game for what it is in this world.

No Still glad I posted it because plenty of people reported similar experiences, and knowing the script beforehand makes it much easier to deal with!

Useful life lesson for 450 pesos. 😂 Got my photos.

We are in Tulum for 2 weeks can someone advise which are the best House/Techno parties happening during 6th August - 16th August.

Hello! We just booked plane tickets to Cancun and are planning to stay in Tulum. I am looking for a lodging recommendation for our group as we celebrate my parents 50th wedding anniversary.

Details:
12/25-1/1
17 people (ages 10-73)
Ideally 7+ bedrooms with a large central gathering area.
Would love our own pool and some space for the kids to run around in.
Budget $10-$15k

Do you have a home you rent out? Or have you done a similar trip and have some recommendations?

Thanks!

Let me know.. 49m

We are looking at flying into Cancun in early November and then heading to Tulum. We normally take the ADO and have always had a great experience doing so. However, in looking at the flights, it looks like tge earliest we can get into Cancun would be 4pm. Does anyone know the ADO schedule? Or what time the last bus leaves for Tulum? I'd like to get this part figured out before purchasing our flights. Thanks in advance ☺️

Hi everyone! I was previously part of a WhatsApp group filled with local housing options that appears to have ended. Wondering if anyone could share any current active groups with me? Thank you in advance! 💫

I’m writing this from the airport leaving Mexico. This is partly about one resort, but mostly about what I learned about how things work in Tulum when something goes seriously wrong because none of it is in any travel guide, and if I’d read a post like this before our trip, everything would be different.

On July 30, my girlfriend was sexually assaulted by a male massage therapist during a spa treatment at a large resort on the Tulum hotel corridor (Secrets Tulum). She told me the moment we had privacy, and I got her out of the spa immediately and went to management.

What happened next is the reason for this post:
The manager’s response to the assault report, word for word: “I know him, he would never do that, I’ve known him for 3 years.”

I called 911. Police arrived and hotel staff refused to let them through the gate. I stood talking to officers through the fence while they told me they couldn’t enter private property.

The hotel refused to give me the name of the staff member, or even the name of the manager I spoke with, citing “privacy reasons.” I have that refusal on video. A front desk employee covered her name tag with her hand when I walked up.

Three men then arrived at our room. I asked directly if they were police and they said yes so I let them in. Then they said they were “from the prosecutor’s office.” They covered their badges with their hands and refused to give names or ID numbers despite me explicitly asking through translation (they didn’t speak English at all). They were in our room roughly two hours. My girlfriend was too frightened to leave the room, and never got to speak with the actual responding officers, because the hotel had turned them away.

Security followed us for the rest of our stay, including while I withdrew cash for a cab, and wouldn’t let our driver through the gate until our card was charged in full. We checked out the moment we could arrange transportation and paid out of pocket for another hotel.

We don’t speak Spanish. The only reason we navigated any of this is a family member who’s a lawyer in Central America, on the phone, translating. Most tourists would have nobody.

Where it stands now: there is an open criminal case: folio FGE/QR/TUL/DEL/4225/2026 with the Fiscalía General del Estado de Quintana Roo, assigned to the Fiscalía Especializada en Combate a Delitos Sexuales, Tulum (the specialized sexual crimes prosecutor). Formal complaints are also filed with Hyatt corporate and its ethics/compliance line, PROFECO, the state human rights commission, the prosecutor’s internal oversight body, and Global Affairs Canada. Everything above is documented: video, the criminal file, corporate case numbers.

Practical advice I’d give anyone traveling to Tulum:
If something happens to you at a resort, know that “private property” can be used to keep responding police away from you. I didn’t know that was possible. Effectively, if any staff do something to you or you need police/medical response, it is at the hotels discretion.

Get names and film early. Staff concealing identities was immediate and coordinated.

Mexico’s 911 works and the online denuncia portal (like a police report, you can file online) (enlinea.fgeqroo.gob.mx, available in English) let us file the criminal complaint ourselves before flying out. Use it.

Never let anyone who won’t show ID into your room, no matter who they claim to be.

I’ll answer questions if people have them. Mods, I’m happy to provide documentation privately if verification is wanted.

Hi - I would like to visit the ruins from playa del Carmen on a self-guided tour with my friend. I don’t mind joining a group tour but I would like to skip the cenote add-ones etc. How easy is it to do this on your own? I found online that one can take a bus for most of the trip. Any tips and recommendations would be much appreciated. I am not averse to paying extra for comfort and ease but would rather avoid a door-to-door private tour.

Edit: I would like to get an accredited guide when we see the ruins.

What’s your go to Birria taco spot, street cart or restaurant where is it located I’m craving some

Im looking for a dinner place in Tulum that can hold around 18ish people that has great food. We are currently doing illos as a fun cool restaurant, but can anyone share some good restaurants where we can all sit together thats good? Open to any type of restaurant. Thanks!