LOTUS EATERS TRAVEL

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram
• YouTube
• Pinterest

---

TULUM IS A TOWN OF TWO HALVES: HOW TO VISIT TULUM ON A BUDGET.

---

I have wanted to visit Tulum for years and when we recently traveled to the Yucatan Peninsula, I couldn’t not visit Tulum. However, I had heard mixed things about the town. Once a hippy paradise, then taken over by trendiness, now described as too touristy, overpriced and pretentious. But, I felt that I had to see Tulum for myself and find out what it was really like.

Tulum really does feel like a town of two halves. Not least, because the beach is miles away from the hubbub of downtown. Luxury resorts can be found dotted along the coast, whereas town is more low key.

I enjoyed part of what Tulum offered – it still feels a bit bohemian in places, there’s an expat and Digital Nomad crowd, nightlife is fun and the beach is beautiful. But other parts, the expensive beach clubs trying (and failing) to replicate Ibiza and outrageously priced cocktails – less so. The prices in some bars and in some resorts are equivalent to New York, or Paris.

Honestly, if you are looking for inexpensive and authentic Mexico, Tulum is not it. That said, I do think that if you look hard enough you can still find budget offerings in Tulum and you can still feel some of the good old fashioned backpacker charm of the place.

Here are our 12 top tips for how to visit Tulum on a budget.

1/ Stay Downtown

Being realistic, if you want to stay in Tulum on a budget, you will not get beach front accommodation. Instead, choose a hostel or budget hotel in the downtown area. Honestly, I think this is better anyway as you have access to the main restaurants and bars in town in the evening.

We stayed at an excellent B&B style hotel in town called Casa Abanico. It looks just like a house from the outside, but has a few budget rooms and a pretty garden. Bonus, there’s also free water and coffee (excellent for budget travellers in Tulum.)

Another option is to pick a hostel, there are many with dorm room beds for less than $10 or private rooms available for around $40 per night. Try The Free Hostel (so called because it offers free drinks every night) or The Chill Inn, a pretty hostel popular with solo travellers.

2/ Travel about on bikes

Because of the layout of Tulum, the fact that the beach is far from town and cenotes are out of town too, it can be tempting to take taxis. Although taxis are not prohibitively expensive in Mexico, costs will soon add up in Tulum. Instead, hire a bicycle and use that to explore.

Some hostels and hotels in Tulum offer free or cheap bicycle hire. Alternatively, you can get them from most hire shops (there are lots in town) for around 150 Mexican Pesos Per day. That’s around $8. Once you have your bike, it’s easy to lock them up around town, at the beach and move around easily.

3/ Take advantage of happy hour deals

You can find many a good happy hour deal in downtown Tulum. We found so many that I can’t recommend a specific one, but head out early (17:00 to 19:00) to get 2 x 1 cocktails and other deals.

4/ Choose your cenotes wisely

A cenote is a natural sinkhole or pit resulting from the collapse of limestone bedrock that exposes groundwater underneath. These unique geological formations are commonly found in areas with limestone terrain and are everywhere around Tulum.

The cenotes in this area vary widely when it comes to price. Gran Cenote (the largest in the area) costs 500 Pesos and Dos Ojos (another famous one) is 400 Pesos. If you’re travelling to Tulum on a budget, skip both and choose either Cenote Cristal or Cenote Escondido (pictured below). Both cost 150 Pesos to enter and can be reached by bicycle or colectivo bus from Tulum.

5/ Skip the Tulum ruins

We had read that the Tulum ruins were a “must visit”, but we were a little disappointed by the experience. There’s very limited information (just a few boards), so it’s not the best visitor experience as you walk around. We probably spent around 30 minutes walking around too, so it doesn’t take long.

Whilst the ruins are not “expensive”, you can expect to pay around $10 per person. For such a short visit, we don’t think it’s worth it if you’re visiting Tulum on a budget. Far better to save money to visit the more expansive sights of Chichen Itza or Ek Balam.

6/ Avoid Beach Clubs

If you’re on a budget in Tulum, it may be best to skip expensive beach clubs. Many along the coast charge a cover fee (of around $75), or impose a minimum spend (normally around $30 – $50 per person.)

There are a couple that allow you to enjoy facilities so long as you’re buying food and drink, with no minimum spend, but the prices are still high. Coco Beach Club and Ziggys are two examples of free beach clubs in Tulum.

You can still enjoy the beach without paying to enter a club in Tulum. Playa Paraiso and others around it are free beaches, beautiful with plenty of space to sunbathe.

7/ Eat at Taquerias

A taqueria is a restaurant or kiosk specializing in (you’ve guessed it) tacos. What’s great about taquerias is that you can find them anywhere in Mexico and they offer inexpensive meals. Even Tulum, which seems to be full of expensive restaurants offering all sorts of weird and wonderful concoctions, has many good old fashioned taquerias.

Some of the most popular in downtown Tulum are Taqueria Honorio, Taqueria El Sabor, and our personal favorite Taqueria La Chiapaneca where we enjoyed seemingly endless tacos and beers for around $13. Expect to pay around 20/30 Pesos per Taco and 40 pesos for a beer.

8/ Visit a colectivo yoga studio

Tulum does still have a yogi vibe and if you’re into yoga, you’ll probably want to take a class. However, if you’re on a budget then it may seem impossible. I found an amazing yoga studio in Tulum which operates on a donation basis. Perfect for budget travellers to Tulum.

You are encouraged to give as much as you can, ideally 200 Pesos per class. But that’s just a guide, so if you can’t afford that much, it’s OK. You could also offer some karma yogi services and clean up the studio in exchange for the class. Find their schedule on Instagram (below.)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by ¡Yoga Para Todos! En Tulúm (@om.collective.tulum)

9/ Choose bars selectively

One way in which Tulum really is a town of two halves, is when it comes to prices in bars. I met someone in Tulum who said he had paid on average around 600 Mexican Pesos for a cocktail. That’s around $35. Whereas, in the bars we found, we paid between 120 Pesos and 210 Pesos (normally only paying 210 if it was a 2 x1 offer.)

Avoid bars by the beach if you’re on a budget in Tulum. There’s nothing to stop you taking a few drinks from a 7 11 down to the beach instead!

In down town Tulum, some bars are more expensive than others – check the menus before you go in. And, our motto – if in doubt, go to Bateys Bar! A local hangout where beers are 60 Pesos and Margaritas 120. There’s music every night and it’s a fun, and budget friendly, place to be.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Batey Mojito & Guarapo Bar (@bateytulum)

10/ Limit your day trips

Many people choose to use Tulum as a base to visit the rest of the Yucantan Peninsula. For budget travellers, this is not the best solution.

For example, if you want to visit Chichen Itza, it is far more cost effective to take an Ado Bus to Valladolid, spend a few days there and use public transport to get to Chichen Itza or Ek Balam (an alternative Mayan ruins in the area.) Taking day trips to popular sites from Tulum is likely to be costly, especially as you’ll probably need to pay tour rates.

If you’re trying to stick to a budget in Tulum, either stay put in the area – perhaps taking shorter day trips to Coba Ruins and Akumal. Or, base yourself somewhere else in the Yucatan where accommodation is cheaper. There’s little point in paying Tulum accommodation rates and then spending most of your time outside of Tulum.

11/ Avoid peak season

Most people travel to Tulum between November and March – otherwise known as the dry season. This is the best time to come, but you could travel slightly off peak to avoid higher prices. Give Christmas and New Year a swerve, sometimes prices in Tulum can be six times higher than at other times of year. Travel later or earlier in the dry season to get the best deals.

12/ Use public transport to get from Cancun

If you’re visiting Tulum on a budget, avoid expensive airport transfers from Cancun airport and use public transport instead. There’s a direct ADO bus from Cancun airport to Tulum, it runs regularly and you don’t need to book. Check the latest times here.

We used ADO bus (the biggest bus company in Mexico) to travel everywhere around the peninsula and were consistently impressed by the comfortable buses and punctuality. You can book via the Ado website, or If you’d prefer to book bus tickets in your own currency, you can also use Bus Bud – a handy booking site that operates for all Ado buses in Mexico.

Where to next in the Yucatan?

• Cancun – beaches & food
• Tulum – beaches, yoga and nightlife
• Holbox – island paradise
• Bacalar – paddle boarding and relaxing
• Celestun – flamingos & laid back beach
• Progreso – fun beach town
• Sian Ka’an – nature reserve
• Merida – gastronomic city & culture
• Campeche – glamorous historical city
• Valladolid – history & culture

Written by Emma

Wine Lover. Yogi. Hiker. Writer.

---

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram
• YouTube
• Pinterest

---

---

Most of our planning is done using other blogs, but you can’t beat a guide book at the bottom of your case. Click yours below to find on Amazon here and get the travelling started!

---