Before I came to Tulum I swear I saw it everywhere on the internet and it always looked so beautiful. White sand beaches, bohemian vibes and tacos, what more could a girl want? I remember thinking I have to see Tulum. I left Thailand to go home to Canada for the summer and this year I was determined to make it home for Christmas (my Mom may disown me if I miss another one, so it’s very important this year). Instead of heading all the way across the world again, I decided somewhere closer to Canada made more sense. This way I could still skip winter but be close to fly home for Christmas.

This was the perfect opportunity to spend some time in Mexico, which I’ve been meaning to do for years but I just haven’t been on this side of the world in awhile. I’ve been to Mexico a few times in the past, but often at all inclusive resorts. The only place I feel I’ve actually seen in Mexico is Cancun. Originally I didn’t have Tulum at the top of my list, as I had heard it was expensive and ideally I wanted something cheaper. After looking around at accommodations throughout Mexico, I decided to have a quick look at Tulum, with no intentions of actually booking anything. To my surprise, these were the nicest places I had seen and at the lowest cost. My accommodation is important to me, as I work from home and I know I will spend a lot of time there. I found two amazing apartments and booked them that same day. Cancun was also a cheap flight, so it all seemed perfect.

Fast forward a month and a half and I was off on my Tulum adventure! I’ve been here nearly three months at the time of writing this, and I would say its a love hate relationship. Let’s start with the things I love.

I can confidently say I fell in love with many parts of Tulum.

The expats in Tulum are an amazing community. I have made SO many friends here and I’ve had the time of my life. They have definitely made my Tulum experience what it is. There are a lot of long-term foreigners living in Tulum, and they’re all very social. Sometimes we have a meal together, do beach days, hit parties or go to Muay Thai. I love doing stuff, so it has been really nice meeting a group of people who love the same. Pro tip: WhatsApp groups are super popular in Tulum so I would recommend joining those if you’re looking to meet people.

The beaches in Tulum are also amazing. The water is so beautiful and clear, the sand is white and soft and the beaches are very clean. I am a huge fan of the sea, so this is an important one for me. One of the best places in Tulum to spend a day at the beach would have to be Delek. This is a hotel and beach club located in the hotel zone and it’s a beautiful spot. The food is amazing, they have good wifi and they have this incredible infinity pool that overlooks the ocean. What more could you need?

The view from Delek, pretty nice remote work spot!

I also like that Tulum is quite small and walkable. I prefer something a bit more small and relaxed, I’m definitely not a big city girl when it comes to actually living somewhere. I personally walk or ride my bike everywhere in Tulum (except at night, more on that later). Tulum really isn’t that big, so it’s easy to get around as long as you don’t mind walking or biking. The hotel zone, where the beach is located, is a bit further from town but nothing crazy. It really isn’t far, but when its 35+ degrees outside it definitely feels a bit further. It gives me some exercise on my bicycle though, so I don’t mind the ride.

I live in La Veleta, which is located not far from the center and most of my friends live in this area so I really like it. Tulum accommodation in general is very affordable regardless of the area and it is more on the luxurious side which I love. The biggest grocery store is only about ten minutes away by bicycle, so doing my weekly shopping is easy. There are lots of restaurants a short walk away, also the Muay Thai gym I train at and my favourite yoga studio are super close as well. There are no apartments on the beach, as it is only hotels. So being in this neighbourhood was the next best option, as I would obviously choose to live on the beach if I could.

There are some aspects of Tulum that aren’t so dreamy.

Now, let’s talk about some of the things I don’t love so much. First things first, Tulum is expensive. I’m not talking expensive for Mexican standards, I’m talking sometimes more expensive than where I’m from in Canada. Tulum is very much a luxury destination and the prices reflect that. Let’s start with the price of things in Tulum town (not in the hotel zone). Here things are a bit more reasonable, but definitely not what you would expect for Mexico. I find most meals start at $11 USD and go up from there. For example, in most restaurants a plate of three tacos would be around $18 USD. Not insane, but definitely not cheap. Beers tend to be pretty cheap in town, around $3 – $5 USD. Cocktails are a bit pricier normally, but still coming in around $5 – $7. These are for more “average” places, when you go to somewhere fancier, prices go up and quickly. When you get into the hotel zone, its a whole different story.

Everything in the hotel zone is expensive. Period. Taxis, food, drinks, clothes and anything else you can think of. For example, you will be hard pressed to find a meal for less than $20 USD and that would be a bargain. You can easily spend $30 – $40 USD on a meal or waaaaay more than that. Also, beers start at around $7 USD here and cocktails normally start around $20 USD. You can find some places that have them for slightly cheaper, but it’s not easy. Now if you want to go out to a club at night in the hotel zone, you’re looking at $15 USD for a beer and about $30 USD for a single cocktail. Silly. Oh and you probably have to pay just to get in, so theres another $40 or $50 USD. I was very surprised to learn that the Tulum cost of living is often more expensive than in Canada.

I wish I was kidding when I tell you that this guacamole plate costs more than $20 USD.

Speaking of the hotel zone, that brings me to another interesting point about Tulum. Going to the beach? Not free. I know what you’re thinking, the beach is public, so how can it not be free? Let me explain.

In theory, the beach is public and therefore anyone can access it for free. However, since the beach is completely lined with hotels, restaurants and beach clubs, they require you to spend money in order to access the beach. Is this technically legal? No. Does anyone care? Also no. There is a small stretch of beach that is free, but its very rocky without much sand and it definitely isn’t what you’re thinking when you imagine Tulum’s beaches.

The properties along the beach have a minimum consumption, meaning the minimum amount of money you have to spend in order to be at their property. This ranges anywhere from $30 USD to $200 USD and up. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not hard to hit the minimum spend with the crazy prices at most of these places. For me it’s just frustrating I can’t go for a quick swim and then head home. Going to the beach turns into a whole day ordeal just to make it worth it. The beach is beautiful, but a bit annoying.

There is a beach that is not in the hotel zone with some areas that are not occupied by beach clubs. There is no minimum spend, but you do have to pay to enter the beach here.

One of the many beautiful beaches in Tulum.

Next let’s talk about taxis. Taxis are like everything else in Tulum, expensive. They start around $10 USD to go 1 km, and if you want to go to the hotel zone you’re looking at closer to $30 USD one way. If you’re leaving an event or party of some sort, these prices go up even more. I personally don’t drive if I’ve been drinking, so normally I would always take taxis at night when I’m going out. With the prices of taxis, it discourages me from wanting to go out because getting home is such a struggle. Normally I would just walk instead, but that brings me to my next point.

Tulum is pitch black at night. There are no street lights in a lot of areas. There are also massive holes or manholes with no covers that are dangerous. Aside from the normal dangers of walking in the dark, Tulum adds more and then some. Since I value my safety and all my bones in one piece, walking at night isn’t the best option. So you’re faced with the decision to either not go out or spend a good chunk of change just to get there and back.

One more thing to be aware of is the constant power outages. As a Tulum digital nomad, this could be extremely frustrating. From what I understand, Tulum’s infrastructure was not originally built to handle the amount of people who now live here. The outages are due to the fact that they’re trying to improve the infrastructure so it is better in the future. While it’s great they are trying to improve, it is a big inconvenience especially if you do remote work. I work online, so if I don’t have wifi I can’t do anything. Some power outages are scheduled, but they only let you know the day before so there isn’t a lot of time to change meetings and things like that. These normally lasted 8 – 10 hours. As a general rule, you can add about 4 hours onto the time that they say it will be back on. For example, if they say 8 am to 2 pm, you can expect it to come back on around 6 pm (welcome to Mexico lol). There are other times when it randomly goes off, and there is no knowing how long this will last.

The good news? All the hotels in the hotel zone have generators so they never lose power or Wifi. The bad news? You have to go to the beach and meet the minimum spend in order to use their Wifi for work. So while you are able to find internet, there is a price to pay. Also, if the power goes out during the middle of your work day and you live in town, it takes some time to get prepared and get down to the beach so if things are time sensitive this can be an issue.

Overall, I look back at my experience in Tulum as amazing. For me, I can deal with the parts I didn’t like because of the Tulum community and all my amazing experiences. Do I want to live in Tulum forever? Probably not. Do I have any regrets of coming to Tulum? Absolutely not.

In my opinion, Tulum is worth visiting as long as you are okay with the prices. It is a beautiful place with lots to do and see, but if you’re on a strict budget I would opt for a different Mexican city.

Make sure to check out my socials (@travellingaly) to follow along with all my travels and be notified of new blog posts. Have you been to Tulum? Do you feel the same way? Would you like to hear more Tulum travel tips? Let me know in the comments!

Oscar is one of the biggest celebrities in Tulum, he is a very social dog.