Tulum & Isla Mujeres, Mexico

I went to Mexico for 10 days with my best friend because we wanted to go to the beach and the cheapest flights to warm weather were to Cancun. I don’t like touristy places so it was my mission to find places close to Cancun but that had the authentic Mexican feel… at least a little bit. I should note if you do want to stray away from Cancun be sure your Spanish is at least conversational because we only came across a few people on our trip that could speak English.

Cancun

You might have to stay in Cancun for one night or so depending on what time your flight is.

We stayed at Mezcal Hostel which was really good. They have free breakfast which is a homemade omelette made how you like it along with bread and juice. The rooms were average hostel dorms but it gives you everything you need.

If you’re walking out of the hostel and you take a right there is a taco stand down on the corner that is really good and also cheap. I definitely recommend this place to eat while you are there.

Side note: We had a scheduled shuttle to pick us up at the airport because I was not familiar with Mexico and didn’t know how it would be getting a taxi, but you can just get a taxi or a shuttle at the airport when you arrive, it is very easy and they are there as soon as you walk out. Be careful if you order an Uber, a lot of them will not pick you up at the airport because the attitude towards Ubers are very bad in Mexico and it has cause some violence so they have to drive Uber secretly.

We didn’t go out because we were leaving early the next morning and honestly didn’t really feel like the “Cancun scene” was for us but if you’re into that there are hostel led bar crawls every night so you could tag along with them!

Tulum

What a pleasant surprise Tulum was. We had no plans of visiting this city but once we arrived we asked around and it was highly recommended, so we bought a ticket and went! You can buy your ticket at the ADO Bus Station in Cancun straight to Tulum (we walked to the station from our hostel).

Once we arrived in Tulum we walked around to find a hostel. Hostel Che was recommended to us by a few people in the street so we went there. It was a great hostel and the rooms has AC which was very nice. There was also a pool and free breakfast that provided fruit, bread, and allowed you to cook your own eggs. The hostel staff were great and almost everyone there was from Argentina (hence why it’s called Hostel Che). If you have the chance to take part in their pizza night do it, you won’t regret it.

One thing that we didn’t know about Tulum is that the center of the city and the beach are divided by the jungle. So, if you stay in the center you have to bike (25 min), walk (1 hour), or take a cab/hitchhike (10 min) to the beach. It’s really safe and really easy to hitchhike to the beach, so that’s what we did to save time and money. There are also “colectivo” type trucks you can hop in that pass by the beach and will drop you off for a few pesos.

The beach of Tulum is very interesting. Once you leave the center which has more of an authentic Mexican feel, you find yourself at the beach and see it’s lined with somewhat high-end hotels, restaurants, and shops. Everything still looks very natural and there are no big buildings or anything, more of a “tiki hut” type of vibe, but the beach definitely has a different feel than the center. Apparently Tulum is a popular destination from people from LA and NYC. Besides that odd factor the beach is extremely beautiful and it is lined by the jungle.

The restaurants by the beach are pretty expensive, even compared to prices in the US, but there is one spot I highly recommend going to; it’s got free beach chairs/beds and cheap food and drinks. Taqueria La Eufemia is where you should spend your days on the beach in Tulum. Once we stumbled upon this place it was our go-to spot for our time there.

Isla Mujeres

It was hard to say goodbye to Tulum but we went on our way to Isla Mujers. We took the bus back to Cancun then once we arrived in Cancun we took a taxi to Puerto Juarez. You can take a collectivo for cheaper but we bargained with a taxi driver for a cheap rate so we went with him because it was faster and we wanted to get to the beach! Once you arrive at the port you take a ferry for about 80 pesos. The ferry is about a 15 minute ride and if you’re lucky you will have someone playing live music along the way. Be sure to keep your ticket for the return because if you lose it you have to buy another one.

I recommend to take cash out before you get to the island. ATM’s that work are hard to come by and not everyone takes cards. Also, both myself and my friend got our card information stolen on the island so if possible, I would use cash everywhere you go.

Isla Mujeres is more on the touristy side but it is still extremely beautiful and more relaxing/authentic than Cancun. A lot of people just visit for the day but I recommend you stay there.

We stayed at a very famous hostel called Poc-Na (http://www.pocna.com). Apparently it is the first-ever hostel in Mexico. It has a bar and a restaurant, live music every night, scuba diving trips, free yoga, and a beautiful yard with hammocks to relax in. Also at night time it has a beach club with a DJ which is where most people that stay on the island go to go out and drink. Although there is a lot going on in the hostel it is very relaxed and has a lot of outdoor space so it is not very loud and if you want to sleep you can.

We didn’t do much on the island except go to the beach and that is really all you need. You can rent golf carts or do a boat cruise but we were on a budget and all we really wanted was sand and sun.