Travel Guide: Tulum

It seems like Tulum has become the trendy place to escape to in Mexico, and now I understand why.  It only took me 3 days to completely fall in love with the laid back, bohemian town.  Two weekends ago, I checked in to Dreams Tulum Resort & Spa with 3 of my girlfriends for a girls getaway. We ate well, we drank well, and we relaxed well.  

I became familiar with two of Tulum's hottest boutique hotels, Be Tulum and Coqui Coqui, while perusing Mr. & Mrs. Smith.  However, my friends and I love a good deal, so we chose to stay at an all-inclusive resort right on the beach.  While typically I enjoy the unlimited drinks an all-inclusive  hotel provides, the food usually leaves a lot to be desired.  However, we were all pleasantly surprised by the quality of food, drinks, and service at Dreams.  They even had an amazing coffee bar we visited every morning on the way to claim our lounge chairs by the pool.

 

Having heard fabulous things about Hartwood, we decided to head over Friday night for dinner.  But when we pulled up in the taxi, we sadly discovered the restaurant was closed until November for renovations! Luckily, our second choice for dinner- Gitano- was a short walk away.  

{the chic restaurant entrance, with Linds in the background!}

Our dinner experience was unforgettable. If you visit Tulum, you MUST go to Gitano and get a Kisses in the Car cocktail- Mezcal, Passion Fruit, Tangerine, Habanero.  It is out-of-this-world delicious.   For dinner, we shared small plates, including the truffle mushroom and black bean avocado tacos.  Throughout the evening, the staff would walk around spreading incense.  Tiki torches, tea light candles, and a disco ball glittered in the night. It was truly magical.

Saturday, Lindsay and I headed over to Coqui Coqui for a deep-tissue massage. Even if we didn't stay at the resort, we definitely wanted to experience it's beauty.

We climbed 3 flights of stone stairs up to a beautiful indoor cabana that overlooked the ocean for our massages.  It was perfect.

Coqui Coqui also has a perfumery and boutique, and you can also buy their covetable candles on Net-a-Porter.  I couldn't leave the boutique without purchasing the Floplum scent, which combines notes of jasmine and orange blossom, and have been burning it after work in my NYC apartment.  The scent always puts me in a good mood as I remember our time in Tulum.

After our massages, Lindsay and I walked down the beach to Taqueria La Eufemia, a cute taco shack on the beach.  It's slogan, "Relax and Enjoy Some Fucking Tacos", could honestly be my life motto.  The restaurant's baja-style fish tacos and pina coladas were delicious.   Later that day, we all walked around the shopping strip in the main part of town and were drawn in to a small open-air bar that served coconut cocktails.

Our bartender even went so far as to create faces on our coconuts out of fruits and veggies before serving them to us!

Our last night, we stayed at the resort and enjoyed a delicious French dinner.  I got in to the boho spirit with this Mara Hoffman crop top and skirt:

 I wish we had had one more day so we could explore the Mayan ruins, but there just wasn't enough time.  At least that gives me an excuse to go back!  Until next time, Tulum.