I am so excited to round out the Wednesday Wedding Series with all the deets on our mini-moon location, the beautiful, romantic and ever-so instragrammable, Tulum, Mexico.

Are you feeling like you’ve seen alot of Tulum in the last year? There’s a reason. I’m sorry to say your FOMO is legitimate and if you don’t have plans to visit, this post may change your mind. Hubby and I chose Tulum for our mini-moon because it was not too far to travel (which we needed since we had already been away for our destination wedding) and seemed like a great place to relax (which is EXACTLY what we needed after planning a wedding). It ended up being the perfect location to begin married life together for the four days and I’m so happy to share our Travel Guide of some of the things we most enjoyed while we were there.

WHERE TO STAY

MI AMOR

We spent the first two days of our mini-moon at Mi Amor, a boutique hotel with amazing views, great food and easy access to one of the most beautiful beaches in Tulum. Our room had a small dip pool (or jacuzzi) and our own cliff cabana which we could lay out on everyday. The staff at Mi Amor was very kind and accommodating, especially the concierge who could help you with any question you had about anything to eat or do in the area. We enjoyed free champagne with every breakfast (which was amazing) and the quiet, romantic vibe of the property definitely kicked off our trip well. Mi Amor is on the quieter side of the long strip of beach (which we enjoyed) and is walking distance for some of our favorite restaurants, the greatest beach we went to and the Mayan ruins. One caveat, there is no direct access to beach from the hotel as it’s situated on a rocky area which provides for amazing cliff cabanas but not beach laying. But because the best beach we went to was only a two minute walk from the hotel, it really shouldn’t discourage you from staying here. Oh and it has electricity, which can be rare for places in Tulum, so note that as well.

AZULIK

We spent the latter part of our trip at Azulik, that dreamy tree house looking place that has been everywhere lately. I had stumbled across Azulik in some of my research and the description alone had me intrigued. A little intimidated (it was very clear that electricity is not an option) but intrigued. My hesitation to a vacation with no electricity is part of the reason we split our short trip up between Azulik and Mi Amor, and it ended up being the best thing because Azulik happens to be on the “other side” of the beach so we got to explore both areas by foot and enjoy what each side had to offer.

Azulik is STUNNING. From the outside you have absolutely no idea what you are about to experience, but once you start to walk “inside” (there really is no inside you’re outside on the whole property aside from your hut) you get the notion that this place is special and like nothing you have ever seen before. When we got to our room our jaws dropped, it was a Sky Villa, situated at the top of the property with a balcony on the cliff of the water. A balcony that featured a swing…….and an outside tub….and a swinging lounge bed…..I MEAN COME ON. We went to sleep with the sound of the waves crashing right outside our door and woke up to the most beautiful sunrise that you could adore straight from the bed. There is a private beach that only guests can access with a beach bar (obviously) and lounge chairs to enjoy.

There are a few caveats to this stay that I think are important to point out so you understand what you are getting into. First and most obvious, no electricity. This means at night its candlelight, and that only provides so much light. No drying your hair, and if you want to do your makeup, better do it before the sun goes down. Thankfully I’m a low maintenance gal on vacation so this really didn’t bother me at all and honestly just provided us with a new experience and simplicity that I think we both dug. Wifi is also nearly impossible from your room and only available at a few locations on the property so it truly forces you to disconnect and enjoy your surroundings. Which again – we enjoyed. We didn’t find the private beach area to be the best (especially considering we had visited the most beautiful one near Mi Amor) so I think that was a little disappointing for our stay there since the beach was rocky and we couldnt get in the water much.

Overall though, insane and if you’re up for a new experience of disconnecting do it here.

Ziggy’s Beach Apps

WHERE TO EAT

MI AMOR

Since we stayed here we got to enjoy their delicious breakfast (with free champagne) for several mornings and it was delicious. I’ve heard good things about their other menus as well, and with the great ambiance and views from the space, I’m sure you can’t go wrong.

MEZZANINE

Hubby and I stopped at Mezzanine for happy hour walking back from the beach after passing the tempting sign too many times (2 for 1 margaritas spoke to my soul). Their restaurant features Thai cuisine and we had a few margs and apps and OMG YUM. Take me back there immediately. It has great views of the beautiful beach so recommended for the daytime so you can enjoy the views.

KITCHEN TABLE

Several of the locals had recommended Kitchen Table as the best, and since it was a short, easy walk from Mi Amor, we knew we had to try it. It was on the jungle side and if you blinked you could miss it because there’s only some wooden signs and low key entry way that let you know you’ve arrived. Like most of the restaurants in Tulum it was small and quaint with minimal tables lit by candlelight which was such a romantic vibe. We picked our own fresh lobster and enjoyed ahi tuna and it all was cooked on a wood fire stove area that we could see from our table. Awesome food and awesome experience.

COCO TULUM

We actually enjoyed two meals at Coco Tulum, the first at the beach bar (which you MUST go to – its gorgeous) and the second at their main restaurant Juanita Diavolo. Both were really yum and Coco Tulum has a great vibe overall and live music at night so it’s definitely a place to visit.

POSADA MARGERITA

Posada Margarita was another extremely quaint and romantic restaurant on the beach side. We both loved the food and the overall vibes – so again put it on the list.

ZIGGY’S BEACH CLUB

Ziggy’s beach club was one of the first places we went to for some apps when we got to Tulum and the last place we had breakfast. We had the BEST tuna nachos there and they had a great happy hour and sweet beach area, definitely more casual than some of the other spots (I mean all places are casual in general here but hopefully you get what I mean).

WHAT TO DO

HIKE THE RUINS

There is a fee to get in but seeing the ruins is pretty awesome and definitely worth seeing if you visit Tulum. If you stay at Mi Amor or that side of the beach it’s within walking distance (though not a short walk) which is convenient.

TAKE A PICTURE AT COCO TULUM BAR

This bar is so photogenic and just a neat place to relax, have some drinks and see the sky change colors. Check it out.

RELAX ON LAS PALMAS PUBLIC BEACH

Easily the best beach we experienced. We could easily get into the crystal clear water (no rocks) lounge on the beach which is what we did most of the time so we are trusted sources 🙂

GET ZEN WITH SOME YOGA

The area of Tulum celebrates yoga and there are multiple places you can enjoy a beach yoga session. If you dig it, do it.

PAMPER YOURSELF

Ever gotten a massage and a soundtrack of waves is playing in the background? Well in Tulum you can actually get a massage in some beautiful places where this soundtrack is real life. Yaan Wellness Spa also features some relaxing Mayan spa experiences which would be a great way to enjoy the culture and relax.

DIVE THE CENOTES

Though we didn’t get to do this while we were here, we never heard the end of this experience and how we needed to do it and we are definitely sad we didn’t get it. I would arrange this with your concierge so you can ensure a safe trip, and then tell me all about it.

DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY AT A DISCOTECA

The jungle side of Tulum has a lot of very cool bars that come alive at night (only on certain nights though so check your timing) with live music and beautiful outdoor settings so if you’re there during the right time checking those out.

TRAVEL TIPS

CASH ONLY

Most places, even nicer bars and restaurants, only accept cash so make sure you’ve always got some available. There are a lot of ATMS around the area but planning for this is always a good idea.

CAB FARE

If you are going to go to between the two sides of the beach areas to check out restaurants/bars you will most likely take a short (and I mean short) cab ride to get there. Have cash, and if you have a concept of how close your destination is, ask the concierge first about how much the ride should be. There are no set prices for the cabs so we offered a price for each place we went and honestly some cabs tried to rip us off so we just said no thanks and waited for another that would take us for the amount we wanted. Don’t go with the first thing they say unless you know its reasonable for the distance.

DISCONNECT & RELAX

Although my husband and I definitely took some amazing pictures while we were there to remember our mini-moon, we also really disconnected from our devices and enjoyed the amazing scenery and company that we had. Tulum certainly provides for that opportunity to do that, so I encourage you to make the most of your surroundings and RELAX like its your job.

 

Have you been to Tulum or are you planning a trip? Any other recommendations to add or questions?! Comment below!

 

XO,

JESS