Coco Loco was flying in to Cancun on
a dreaded 13 hour direct flight from Frankfurt. She wanted to spend a few days visiting old friends in Tulum where she has spent months at a time over the past years. She loves Belize and has been coming since 1996, sometimes for extended periods. 1996 was the same year I returned home to Caye Caulker after being away for about 14 years. We became instant friends.We opted to miss La Ruinas de Tulum since both had been there several times before. Coco Loco 
invited me to meet her in Tulum where she had already coordinated with her friends living there, to have a weekend filled with dancing under the moon by night and lounging on the beach under the sun by day, local style. I really did not need any convincing, it was exactly what I needed since I have a hard time doing exactly that in Belize.
invited me to meet her in Tulum where she had already coordinated with her friends living there, to have a weekend filled with dancing under the moon by night and lounging on the beach under the sun by day, local style. I really did not need any convincing, it was exactly what I needed since I have a hard time doing exactly that in Belize.
What I instantly loved about Tulum besides how easy it is to get there from Belize in a day, is the low cost & the spectacular beaches with the bonus being the mix of international artists who live there part of the year. This is a Bohemian & Cosmopolitan town mixed together and it's much more hip than Cancun could ever be.
Among the group of friends I hung out with this weekend, is Coco Loco, my dear friend the German Jewellery designer, Andy the clothing designer from Seattle, Natalie, the French masseuse who travels with and works for Cirque del Soleil when they are on tour, two more Germans Michaela & Rene, who operate the best little secret breakfast nook in the city, AZAFRAN on Satelite St. which attracts the local ex-pat artists & cool people of Tulum. If you stop by, tell them Tina sent you.
Restaurant AZAFRAN opens 7:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. in the afternoon. Michaela & Rene have spent more years in Tulum than they have in Germany and know everybody. They serve a very healthy menu, but I found myself gravitated towards the "hangover special" of heavy eggs, bacon, potatoes, most mornings. Don't forget to ask for the Chaya juice, it's healthy & delicious.
To round off the mix in the group which includes this Belizean , was Tanya, a smart beautiful Mexican girl who works for the City of Tulum. After sitting around various little restaurants, whether it was the French- Le Bistro off a side street from the calle principal in Tulum Pueblo eating fine french cuisine and drinking red wine, or the Poor Man's Taco Grill on the same main drag, which serves the tastiest tacos in town, the group's conversation would switch between French, German, English & Spanish. Tanya kept saying "Hey, let's choose one language here" and the conversation would revert to Spanish which was the common language we all shared. Tanya, the Mexican turned to me with a smile and said, "Tina girl, we are the minority here".
What I learned is that the little Pueblo of Tulum is now TULUM CITY since a year and a half having met the population requirement of 20,000 to become a city. According to Tanya and Michaela who have lived there over 20 years, nobody who lives there has the mentality that it is a city. She said after it was turned into a city, they named most of the streets after different consolations. If you give a cab driver a street address, he will most likely not know where you want to go. The houses and hotels have no numbers. Tanya says you still have to give a point of reference to get to where you are going in most cabs. For example: "I need to go to the tortilleria shop next to the Comex block factory."
If you stay in Tulum, I recommend the reasonable, clean & comfortable Villa Matisse across from restaurant Azafran on Satelite St. in the pueblo 400 pesos. A nice little court yard and free breakfast. Next choice is the Diamante Hotel on the Playa which has the best views of the beach - 500 pesos a night. Villa Matisse offers free bicycle to ride around the pueblo or the seven kilometers to the beach which we did and was easy and fun.
What I learned is that the little Pueblo of Tulum is now TULUM CITY since a year and a half having met the population requirement of 20,000 to become a city. According to Tanya and Michaela who have lived there over 20 years, nobody who lives there has the mentality that it is a city. She said after it was turned into a city, they named most of the streets after different consolations. If you give a cab driver a street address, he will most likely not know where you want to go. The houses and hotels have no numbers. Tanya says you still have to give a point of reference to get to where you are going in most cabs. For example: "I need to go to the tortilleria shop next to the Comex block factory."
If you stay in Tulum, I recommend the reasonable, clean & comfortable Villa Matisse across from restaurant Azafran on Satelite St. in the pueblo 400 pesos. A nice little court yard and free breakfast. Next choice is the Diamante Hotel on the Playa which has the best views of the beach - 500 pesos a night. Villa Matisse offers free bicycle to ride around the pueblo or the seven kilometers to the beach which we did and was easy and fun.
Thursday night has a live Salsa band in the pueblo on the main strip, the name escapes me now, just walk the main drag in Pueblo until you hear the sweet sounds of the salsa music. Friday night the happening spot is the fabulous Mezzanine Bar set on big balcony's facing the ocean with a more house music vibe & singer, Sunday nights are a must at La Zebra bar for live salsa music and dancing under the moon again!
Comments