Mexico (Part 2)

Tulum, the Most Prize Jewels of the Yucatan Peninsula 

Tulum is located on the Yucatán Peninsula, home to ecological hotels, various beaches, lush jungles, Mayan ruins, cenotes, upscale nightlife, and various other activities. I decided to surprise a friend as a birthday celebration and let’s just say I was impressed but the schedule I created. We landed on a Thursday right before Noon. Our driver for the next 4 days was running late so we took the opportunity to have lunch and drinks at the cafeteria in front of the airport exit doors.  

A few minutes later we were on our way to our very first escapade on the Peninsula. 4 hours of mineral bathhouse therapy in a secret jungle all to ourselves. The treatment began with salutation ritual, followed by a dip in a cold pool; a full body, sea salt, rosemary & oil exfoliation; back into the cold pool; a papaya body manage and soaking for 15 minutes, a Mayan clay massage into your face, neck and shoulders to reenergize your skin, followed by submerging into a clay tub to detoxify; another massage this time with coconut followed by a body wrap; spent time going from sauna to the cold pool for about 3 times each; bathe in warm natural cenote while sipping on herbal tea; and lastly a 1 hour deep tissue massage. We were giving the option to relax on a bed, or hammock. Overall, it was a beautiful environment, very tranquil relaxing with the sounds of nature and the massage therapists were very thorough. I can’t say enough how luxurious and wonderful our experience was. By the way expect to be completely nude during the 4 hours experience but don’t worry the therapist were the only ones on site during the service.  

Our driver was already waiting at the end of our service to take us to our Villa. We stayed in the jungle and the section of town was not developed; the roads were horrendous. As much as I enjoyed the accommodation I hated where it was located. Without a car I would not advise to stay there. Once we returned, we were never able to go back out to explore. They also do not have network service in the jungle luckily the condo Wi-Fi was excellent. Enough about the roads now… the condo itself felt like a luxurious penthouse and I loved that they provided soda’s, water, and various other drinks I did not think to buy. It was beautiful, modern, and correlated with the Mayan design throughout the Peninsula. At the end of the day, we were able to unwind and star gaze in the private rooftop terrace with a bar, plunge pool with a swing. The full kitchen includes a Nespresso; 2 bicycles are also included. 

The following day our driver provided by our Airbnb met us in the morning for our first stop Chicken-Itza, followed by swimming at 3 cenotes: Ik Kil, Suytun, Calavera. We were later dropped off at our villa and of course we could not leave especially because most drivers are unable to locate the condo because it is not yet on the map. 

The next morning our driver came back at the same time for breakfast and later we went to explore the garden Ven a la Luz, Sfer Ik Museum, Paraiso beach which we did not swim due to Sargassum stretching all along the shoreline. We were back in our condo around 5pm to prepare for a four-course private dinner held at “La Mano” a structure 6 meters high with an infinite view of the Mayan jungle. 

We left our accommodation on Sunday afternoon for our flight back home. This was our 4th destination exploring together this year and we both agreed that it was our favorite.