What You Need to Know About Tulum: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Over the last few years, Tulum has been gaining international attention, and with it, a lot of hype. If you’re considering going to Tulum, you need to read this. What once was known as a non-touristy, laid back bohemian enclave, the crowd that now flocks there is anything but. With the combination of the pandemic and social media, Tulum has officially gone fully and irreversibly mainstream. It’s charm appears to be lost.

While I’ll touch on some positives, this is my honest opinion, so I’ll be frank about the serious downsides of this new influencer mecca. While I may be a little more generous than this amazing but ruthless yet accurate analysis of Tulum, you definitely won’t see me heading back there.

Wait, Back-Up: What and Where is Tulum?!

Tulum is a small beach town in the middle of the Riviera Maya, in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico. With only 20,600 inhabitants, it’s definitely a smaller town. What once was an ancient Mayan city, it boasts beautiful ruins, an “eco” resort beachfront nestled into the jungle, and a relatively developed, bustling main street in the centro.

You can get there by flying into Cancun, and taking a car, ADO, or shuttle about two hours North. You can either stay on the beach side, which is pretty exclusively reserved for resorts, or stay in the center of town, about ten minutes driving (and ten dollars) further.

The Good

Let’s start this review on a positive note. Tulum definitely has an appeal, and there’s a reason it’s been a tourist destination for years. There are several good things about Tulum which are as follows:

The Nature:

Tulum is beautiful- that’s not up for debate. The beaches consist of gorgeous white sand, the staple of the Quintana Roo region, and lush Jungle brush surrounding it. Out of all the cities in the region, Tulum is also closest in proximity to the majority of the cenotes, and some of the best at that. Not sure what a cenote is? It’s essentially a sinkhole, beautiful either open or underground turquoise water hidden throughout the jungle. Check out this guide here if you’re planning to check some out.

The Food:

Tulum has surprisingly good food and a variety of choices. For such a small town, you can get sushi, try out over six vegan restaurants, enjoy upscale and internationally recognized places like Verdant, or standard taco joints. I was pleasantly surprised that I could still find a variety of local options right in the centro.

Tulum certainly caters to the Western crowd, meaning you can get almond milk, gluten free or vegan versions at most places you go. This is definitely a plus if you’re traveling with dietary restrictions.

The Architecture:

Hence the Instagram popularity, Tulum does boast some stylish and inviting places. From eco resorts and beach clubs that are truly works of art (some even have onsite museums) to your taco restaurant being outfitted with cool lights, and trendy lamps. While things are photogenic on the inside, from the outside, there isn’t a lot to look at.

Location:

While the town itself is not that walkable, it is right in the middle of the region, so you have easy access to incredible places for day trips or weekend getaways. Bacalar, Coba, Sian Ka’an Bio Reserve, Chichen Itza, and Valladolid– the choices are endless. That being said-you could just stay in those getaway destinations, over staying in Tulum.

The Bad

From what I’ve hard, Tulum has changed quite drastically in the last few years. To be fair, most of these things I’ve listed below aren’t considered bad for everyone. They probably wouldn’t matter if you were in a higher income bracket, didn’t mind having to pay to get around, or you’re on a ballin’ vacation where you’re only care was the beach and your resort. That’s not how I travel though, so these things really mattered during my stay. Here’s the main downsides to consider:

The Price:

Tulum is expensive, and unnecessarily so. Coming from Playa Del Carmen, food was safely double the price. That’s saying something since PDC is a tourist hub and cruise ship port.

Since it’s over an hour walk from the center to the beach, taking a taxi is required to get anywhere. This wouldn’t matter if the 15 minute ride to the beach wasn’t a minimum of $10 USD each way. Beach clubs tend to charge $50 USD per person to use their facilities, and with only one public beach and resorts owning the rest, it makes it hard to experience a normal beach day without dropping $100 USD. Not exactly great for a “beach” town.

Hotels on the beach charge between $300-$1000 USD per night, and accommodation and Airbnb in the centro isn’t a lot cheaper. We spent over $600 USD for eight days in a small, secluded studio. It was by far the cheapest livable option we could find.

I’ve spent a lot of time in Mexico, and I’ve been to the tourist meccas like Cancun and Playa Del Carmen. These prices are not normal comparatively. It creates an elite hierarchy where only those with lots of cash to spend, typically Americans, can participate. It also completely excludes the general local population of Tulum.

The Greenwashing:

The resorts on the beach all tout the name “eco-resorts.” As such, you’re spending between $300-$1000 USD a night for a room and you have limited water, power and electricity. Most of the hotels say they are “green” with no actual green practices in use. Many are known to dump sewage water in the ocean and the garbage system is a mess.

These eco and sustainable resorts have largely become a marketing ploy, and the crowd that flocks here don’t appear to be doing any additional research before falling for it.

The Taxi Mafia:

The taxis dominate this region of Mexico. They are also rumoured to have ties to cartels, so many people refer to them as “the taxi mafia.” Since the taxi’s have all the control, the prices are so high and you have no other option. It’s impossible to get a driver in this region due to the taxis violenting forcing them out.

Accessible transport is a big thing for me when choosing a destination, and this does not check off that box. Not to mention if you want to explore any of the neighboring towns, cenotes, or ruins, you’ll need transport, which is now going to cost you- a lot.

The Wifi:

Tulum has been advertised as a digital nomad and expat haven, but it makes no sense because the wifi is downright unstable. It is not suitable for those coming to work remotely, so I’m surprised bloggers have remained largely silent on.

The Downright Ugly

These points are mainly relevant to what is happening right now in Tulum- during the 2020 pandemic. I was there a week ago, so, yes, this is pretty up to date. I hope that if you’re still considering going to Tulum, you can take these points to heart and choose to visit responsibly and ethically. Many cool people live in Tulum, and obviously there is a huge local community that should be supported, but consider these points below so that your actions as a tourist or expat don’t continue to negatively affect Tulum:

The Disinterest in Mexico/Mexican Culture:

This is a big one. While there, it was very apparent that my fellow tourists were not here to experience Mexico. They were here to party, with other tourists, take instagram photos, and generally act in an irresponsible way.

From people refusing to attempt to speak Spanish, no one even shopping from the local vendors, and the majority of tourists frequenting the Western restaurants over the local cuisine, it was a clear that people didn’t exactly care about being in Mexico. You can easily come to Tulum, like in Bali, and just live in a little bubble not much different than the one you have at home. So I have to ask- why are you coming to Mexico?

The Tourists and Foreigners:

To continue that point, the majority of the crowd, especially at the beach, were tourists and foreigners. They were also primarily Influencers. People showed a general lack of respect for the locals, and an extremely stuck up attitude. Most people were just looking to find fellow influencers to network with, people like them to hookup with or party with, and the sense of entitlement was pretty high.

There is also a big crowd of faux-spiritual people, with a lot of cultural appropriation and Western Yogi vibes. Ironically, they tend to be the ones buying drugs and partying just as hard. That’s not to say that there isn’t an interesting and diverse group of expats that live in Tulum- there is. But those aren’t the main types of tourists coming to visit.

I love meeting people on my travels, but this was not one of those places. The crowd deeply determines what a place feels like, and the vibe here wasn’t one I would choose again.

The “Tuluminati” Bringing in the Cartels:

The “Tuluminati,” or the droves of rich tourists whose hard-partying ways and demand for drugs was high enough to bring in the cartels. Tulum has been battling a turf war over the last year, with shootings happening even in tourist areas. This obviously deeply affects the locals who live here, and thanks to the hard-partying tourists, the problem will probably continue to get worse.

The Complete Disregard for COVID-19:

Un-masked tourists abound, massive beach gatherings and late night discos- I almost felt like it was 2019 again. Unfortunately for everyone, it is really not. Tulum has attracted a crowd looking to escape any enforced COVID protocols in their home countries (mainly the good ol USA) and as such, the numbers in Tulum are increasing.
Tulum has held multiple music festivals (catered for and attended by tourists) that are now confirmed superspreaders. The locals now pay the price for foreigners actions.

There are still local laws on limited social gatherings, mandatory mask wearing, social distancing, and alcohol sale limits- through no tourist seemed to care about that, one even stating “It’s my right to party here.” Just because it’s not your country, doesn’t mean you don’t need to abide by their regulations. If you’re insisting on traveling right now, it’s important to conduct yourself responsibly and at the bare minimum, abide by the local regulations.

You Decide if Tulum is Right for You

Look, at the end of the day, we all have our own interests and preferences. While I was weary about visiting Tulum in the first place, and most of my concerns checked out, I’m still glad I went and saw it for myself. Tulum is not all bad, and I definitely still enjoyed parts of my stay.

It’s unfortunate to see how tourism has affected the area, and it’s really unfortunate to see the results of that during this pandemic. Tourism is still important, and if everyone just boycotted Tulum, a lot of people would be out of work that they love and need.

I think it’s important to talk about each location honestly, and give people another perspective before they visit. If you’re looking for a cultural, digital nomad friendly destination or secluded, beach retreat- this isn’t it. May I suggest Puerto Morelos, Playa Del Carmen, or the Yucatan. It you’re looking for a ballin’ beach vacay, an easy base to explore from, or you’re one of the said influencers I mentioned earlier, than this could be your jam. I only hope that if you do choose to visit this beautiful city in Mexico, you’re still interested and respectful of the locals and the culture.

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