Weekend Guide to Tulum, Mexico | Perfect for a Tulum Bachelorette Party

Where the jungle meets a beach-y paradise you’ll find Tulum. On Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula, a small but lively town, Tulum is about a two hour drive from Cancun airport and worth every minute of the travel time away from the busy hotel ridden shores of Cancun and Playa del Carmen.

In Tulum, you’ll find party goers, yogis, and honeymooners alike. Essentially, you can cater your time in Tulum to exactly the kind of vacation you’d like it to be. And this guide to Tulum will help you do just that!

Enjoy early morning meditation and yoga a Yaan Wellness or maybe a long beach walk at sunrise is what you had in mind? Plan a Tulum Bachelorette party and sleep in after a night out in town to the sound of palm trees rustling in the breeze and the waves softly crashing on the sand.

Tulum is everybody’s paradise. Keep reading the weekend guide to Tulum to find out what to do in Tulum for a long weekend or for a Tulum Bachelorette party!

Read about sight seeing and bar hopping through Old San Juan if vintage island vibes is more your thing.

green bean bag chairs set up on tropical beach with palm trees in Tulum mexico

Weekend Guide to Tulum | Tulum Bachelorette Party

Where to Eat in Tulum

Matcha Mama – a super cute coffee and smoothie bar on the jungle side of the main road. This vegan spot is not to be missed. Order an acai bowl at Matcha Mama while you swing in their hanging chairs or get an iced coffee with almond milk to go.

Be Tulum – walk down the beach (if you aren’t already staying here) and have lunch at Be Tulum to get out of the hot sun for an hour. Great views of the ocean and comfortable seating with a great atmosphere right on the beach!

La Eufamia – the best under rated spot in Tulum! It may not look like much when you walk up, but you want to hang out here! La Eufamia has an old Tulum charm from before the up-scale boutique hotels showed up. They have the best cheap tacos in town and make sure to add your fixings from the condiment bar. Do not miss their fresh squeezed Margarita (favorite of the weekend – so simple but SO good) and enjoy the live music and people watching.

Chirin-Guito – great ocean side breakfast and lunch. Service is slow but Chirin-Guito is so relaxing you won’t mind. If you come for lunch you can ask to be served out on their loungers on the sand.

Gitano – this place can be a scene on Friday nights as this is where all of Tulum comes to party. Any other night is a different story. I came on a Saturday and it was absolutely lovely. Varied size disco balls hang from the trees while you enjoy dinner at what feels like a backyard garden party. If you do want to come to Gitano to party on Friday (but avoid the hassle of waiting on line to get in and dealing with club promoters) I suggest making a late dinner reservation.

Casa Jaguar – a restaurant in the middle of a jungle oasis. This was the best meal I had in Tulum! I got the catch of the day at Casa Jaguar which was a whole fish grilled and seasoned with smoked butter, do I need to say more? The toastads were also a great starter but beware they are big! If you want to party, Thursday is the night here.

Posada Margherita – on the other end of the main road in Tulum but definitely worth taking a taxi to, Posada Margherita has been a Tulum staple for almost 20 years and for good reason. They serve up good, authentic Italian food (to switch it up, I still love you tacos) with a great atmosphere. PS- they serve the best focaccia before dinner.

Restaurants worth mentioning that I didn’t get around to on this trip to Tulum:

Where to Party in Tulum

If you’ve come to Tulum to party – get ready. Each night there is a bar with a dedicated following and one celebrity DJ after the next.

THURSDAY | Casa Jaguar
FRIDAY | Gitano
SATURDAY | Papaya Playa Project

However, if a scene-y bar with a line to get in isn’t your thing, there are plenty of other options.

Rosa Negra – this bars presence can’t be missed. They play loud music across the street from Gitano and has a different atmosphere from its neighbor. This bar seems to be popular all nights of the weekend.
I Scream Bar – outdoor bar with a more traditional “bar” vibe.
Cortazar – cash only, cozy cocktail bar across the street from Gitano. This bar was a GEM and the most fun bar of the weekend. The space is TINY but oh so fun! I stayed and danced until they closed the bar.. whoops.

Where to Stay in Tulum

I stayed at Zorba Beach Houses over a long weekend for my best friend’s Tulum bachelorette party. Zorba was moderately priced and the staff was so kind. Zorba is comprised of five villas right on the beach and in close proximity to most of the places on my “hit-list”. The villas also come with a resident cat named Chiquita – who is the sweetest girl ever!

Girls hanging on beach in tulum Mexico / weekend guide to tulum

Next door to Zorba was NES T a boutique hotel and villa property. A short walk down the beach you will find La Valise Tulum, a small boutique property with luxury villas (I’ve seen a few bloggers stay here!) Other accommodations worth noting are Nomade and Be Tulum – luxury boutique hotels and Coco Tulum for a more affordable option.

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Things to Do in Tulum

Yaan Wellness – a beautiful and tranquil spa that does daily meditation and yoga from 9-945 and 10-1115 respectively. Yaan Wellness also has a great range of spa treatments to choose from to treat yourself!

Girl in light blue yoga attire walking at Yaan in Tulum Mexico

Beach walks – if you’re like me, i’m a sucker for beach walks in the morning or evening. It is a must anywhere I travel. Walk the beach in Tulum to find new restaurants and points of interest you may not have seen from the road and just enjoy the tranquility!

Cenotes – I wasn’t able to get to a cenote, essentially an underwater sinkhole, while on this trip but I definitely plan on going on my return visit to Tulum. You can swim and snorkel in the cenotes and there are plenty in close proximity to Tulum! Check out this article on The Culture Trip for the best cenotes.

Mayan Ruins – there are plenty of historical ruins to see while on your trip to Tulum. See this article on The Culture Trip for the best Mayan Ruins to see in Tulum.

Shopping – take a stroll down the main street in Tulum and go nuts. There is a new boutique every 10 ft or less. One boutique worth noting is Daria Tulum, inside of Posada Margherita. The boutique carries the best high-end beachwear brands. If I had more money to spend during my trip it would have all gone here.

TRAVEL TIPS:

Fly into Cancun airport and hire a car to drive the 1.5-2 hours to Tulum.
Bring pesos or change your money when you arrive in Mexico! You will get a better rate if you pay in pesos.
Choose your villa or hotel on the stretch of beach where most of your top choices are.
Don’t pay more than 100 pesos for a 5 minute drive.
Walk the beach to discover new places.
If you are in a foreign country always be aware of your surroundings and don’t walk alone at night.
Something to be aware of: there was a ton of seaweed washing ashore. Each hotel/villa/restaurant has workers working through out the day to dispose of the seaweed but it was unavoidable. Some days there was barely any and others it was bad.