A Modern Wayfarer

Where To Eat and Drink In Tulum

Where To Eat and Drink in Tulum With it’s laid back bohemian vibe and eco-chic retreats, Tulum may not be a club-goers reverie like Playa del Carmen or Cancun (thank god) but it’s certainly not lacking in the food department. Word all over the globe is it’s fast becoming a foodie force to be reckoned with and travellers are responding in droves. Whatever happened to the Tulum of old, you ask? The off-the-grid spiritual mecca where your safest bet for a meal was a fresh-caught fish taco at the local yoga retreat? Well the tacos and shamans are still around, they’re just a little bit more… shall I say, designer.  The good news is you still can’t flush your toilet paper down the toilet. The bad news is there are now such things as restaurant waiting lists. And for good reason, some internationally renowned eateries are popping up with expat chefs serving dishes like Bee Honey and Chile Habanero Sauce Lobster and other scrumptious fare with far-flung tongue-twisting names. Whether you like it or not, Tulum is growing up (and that debate is for an entirely different post). You can be for or against its swift debut into commercial adulthood but one thing’s for sure, the village is a melting pot of authentic fresh cuisine and the food movement is only going to get bigger. Hartwood If you’ve been living in an alternate reality for the past couple of years then you may not have heard all the chatter about this eatery opened by a New York couple driven to create a restaurant with experimental locally sourced food and a tiny environmental footprint. But the rest of us who haven’t been inside a culinary-bubble will be lining up waiting ever so patiently to get a table (no bookings). Yes, more often than not said line can be over two hours long, and yes sometimes you get lucky when peeps not 100% committed lose interest and try their luck elsewhere. My advice is to stick it out; you won’t regret it. The concept is pretty unique: the only source of power for the restaurant is the solar panels on the roof and the only electrical appliance used is a blender. Everything else is either mashed or thrown on the grill or in the wood-burning oven. The menu varies daily according to the produce Cheffy Eric Werner can get his hands on…

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Hotel Jashita Tulum: A Palm Labyrinth Leading Into The Blue

Hotel Jashita is about as close to Robinson Crusoe perfection as you’ll get on the Yucatan Peninsular. But for those of you not too keen on spearing your own fish or thatching your own palapa never fear, the deserted island type experience comes with some luxurious offerings. In fact, the intimate 14-room boutique hotel has everything you could ever want right in front of you. From the labyrinth of swaying palms leading into the blue abyss to the sleek and sophisticated rooms with an impressive array of amenities like Italian bathrobes, snorkeling equipment and gorgeous Frida-inspired beauty products, it’s easy to understand why many guests don’t actually leave the hotel at all, unless of course they feel like taking a break from the coral reef and on-site beach palapa restaurant and hightailing it ten minutes down the road to the slightly more upbeat yet still chilled beach bars of central Tulum.     Sure, the aim of the game at Hotel Jashita is to unwind, de-stress and be at one with nature, but the relaxed yet contemporary shipwreck-chic décor lets you ground yourself in style. The peaceful seclusion of the hotel (there are no other resorts within a 5km radius) facilitates a true disconnection from the hustle and bustle of reality. The straw loveseats and hammocks on every balcony make it easy to quite literally get into the swing of things amidst the palms and the calm of the sky and sea. Standard rooms face the garden, but all larger-than-average suites are oceanfront with airy bathrooms and comfy king-size beds. Hotel Jashita Tulum: The Lowdown Vibe Shipwreck Chic Think The Blue Lagoon meets Architectural Digest Sound The Beach Soundtrack Crowd High-profile New York execs trying to lay-low and switch off, artists and honeymooners. Highlights – Gorgeous and helpful front-of house staff. They offered some fantastic pointers on where to eat, drink and be merry, always conversing with a big smile on their face!-The recently opened spa with . Just delightful!- Mini Snickers Bars on the bed with the turndown service!! -The palm-tree jungle leading to the beach – The view of the ocean from my suite. I’ve seen some pretty amazing views before but this had a rustic and deserted, sort-of other-worldly beauty to it. It was like a picture out of the jungle-book with the emerald green palms meeting the sapphire blue sea. Lowlights -Usually booked 3-months in advance-…

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Tulum Highlights: Things To Do In Tulum Mexico

Tulum is my spiritual mecca. And by that I mean it’s a place where sipping Mojitos on a white-sandy beach while having your palms read by a local healer is totally acceptable. It’s all about the Yin and Yang, and striking that perfect balance between mindful, eco-conscious travel and blissful relaxation. A two hour drive south of Cancun, Tulum is devoid of those rundown all-inclusive resorts clinging like desperate has-beens to the Yucatan Coast. You won’t find high-rises here. Instead you’ll find boutique beachfront bungalows and healing jungle walks. The Caribbean side of town (which is really just one long pothole-riddled gravel road winding along the beach) attracts the barefooted-brigade of bohemians and imaginative travelers, and yet there’s enough laid-back luxury and gourmet food to appeal to the Gypset who don’t always want to start their sentences with “I’m in the flow…”. Grab a pushbike, some snorkelling gear and a yoga-mat… and let things unfold organically! Here are my top things to do in Tulum… Dive or Snorkel Dos Ojos Cenote Tulum is famous for its hundreds of underground limestone cave-systems, which house reservoirs full of crystal clear freshwater. Naturally, exploring the subterranean world of these natural sinkholes is an altogether humbling experience and a must do when you’re in the Yacutan. With an aggregate length of nearly 57 km, Dos Ojos is the third-largest cenote in the world, and probably the most interesting in Tulum. You can choose to take a hauntingly eerie guided dive through the blackened caverns which sees you floating past stalactites and stalagmites or you can opt to stay above the water and view the caves from the jagged rocks above. Entrance fee is 200 pesos. Get A Healing at Uno Astrolodge For the aforementioned bohemian-brigade, Tulum is said to have a powerful healing energy that draws-in Yogi types from around the world. Nowhere is this exemplified more than at Uno Astrolodge, a gorgeous little commune and healing retreat found hidden among the palms along Tulum’s beach road. It’s an oasis of calm as soon as you walk inside its inner circle, and with a number of classes ranging from beach yoga at dusk, meditation and Mayan Astrology, you’ll be chanting “my Shaman says” in no time. Visit the Tulum Ruins They may not be the largest in the area, but the location is certainly the most astonishing. This network of intricately built stone pyramids dating…

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La Zebra Hotel Tulum Review: Rustic Beach Chic

Located on one of the most tranquil and pristine stretches of beach in the Caribbean, this luxuriously low-key hotel is a far-cry from those terrifyingly commercial all-inclusive resorts dotting more of the Riviera Mayan coast than I’d care to share.  With its 16 simple, yet modern bungalows and palm-lined private beach, La Zebra Hotel Tulum is the epitome of a chillaxed jungle-meets-seaside hotel where the point is to pretty much to do just that, relax. You could probably get a PhD in relaxation if you spend more than a week there, trust me, it’s got that kind of vibe. The 16 bungalows, most of which are perched proudly on the sand staring the ocean in the eye, are comfortable yet simple. They have modern ceramic bathrooms and colourful wall-art bringing them to life but it’s the views that really set these bungalows apart from other hotels in Tulum.     The beach, with it’s sandy bar and thatched-parasols, is the main attraction and you can easily spend an entire day blissfully hanging out on a hammock sipping Don Julio’s and watching the waves roll in. No pool-hops or pub-crawls to be seen here, but if you want to do something other than re-imagining cloud formations or working on your tan-lines (because let’s face it, sometimes you actually need to get the blood circulating), there are lively Salsa nights every Sunday where punters come from all over to try their hand at the hustle and swing. You’re also in the perfect position to hire one of the hotel bikes and explore the nearby Sian Ka’an Jungle Biosphere Reserve or cycle a couple of minutes down the pothole-laden road to one of the many award-winning fresh-produce cafes. If you really can’t be bothered getting the blood moving then that’s okay too, La Zebra Hotel Tulum cantina dishes up some of the most amazing fresh-caught seafood around and all you have to do is mosey a couple of steps from your hammock to the soaring open-beam palapa-roof structure and you’ll be tempted by the best ceviche in Tulum. If all-you-can-drink tequila is what you’re after, the on-site Tequila bar should more than suffice. It should be noted that in an extremely cute touch, the bartenders freshly-squeeze their own sugarcane from the hotel’s antique hand-crank. Oh and these bartenders are pretty much the nicest people ever. Yes it’s all very rustic at La Zebra…

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