Tulum

[January Guy]

We debated Ziggys vs. El Paraiso on a thread awhile back, and I was in the minority who favored El Paraiso. If you want feel almost secluded, do Ziggy's. If you want some people around but still not too many, do El Paraiso. El Paraiso has a classic beach bar whereas at Ziggy's you get served by the restaurant El Bistro's bar.

I love the setup at El Paraiso better and it is the most beautiful beach I have ever seen.

But both are wonderful.


Paraiso





Ziggy's (at about 10AM, some of those beds will be taken later but not many).

[Rohelio]

You can also take the colectivo on 2nd ave in Playa towards Tulum. He will drop you off close to the ADO bus terminal in Tulum. From there you need to take a taxi and tell him where you want to go, if you are not sure, he will take you to one of his prefered spots along the beach which might not be what you are after. This said, the places mentioned above are all great and would certainly recommend anyone of them. On your way back, you do the same thing in reverse. Only, if you want to take the colectivo again (about 25 pesos) make sure you stay on the other side of the street (going north) from the ADO bus terminal. Also, depending on what time you leave in the morning you can take a second colectivo to go just south of Tulum toward an archeological site called MUYILL. I'ts about 10 minutes south of Tulum, a very safe and quiet site to visit. They have clean washrooms and a small reception house at the entrance. Costs peanuts to get in and on your way out of the small complex, stick close to the fence beside the entrance and a bus will take you back to Tulum and then you know what to do.
Have fun...
Rohelio

[mrsr05]

Originally Posted by lindalou61

Yep, taxi's everywhere. We had no clue what we were doing and had no problems at all.
Thanks, we are pretty excited. We have only spent one day in Grand Cayman (actually 6 hours to be exact) porting off a cruise ship (will never do that again), so we are looking forward to having a full week to check out the island. The wedding pics should be beautiful. They had their engagement pics done in Playa though and those will be hard to top; the guy did a fantastic job.
Congrats by the way on the new job!

its good to know you had no clue and had no problem.. cuz we have no clue either..

we visited grand cayman the exact same way.. cruise ship and bored children.. the beaches were beautiful but its very expensive and didnt really seem to cater to families with young kids (back then) .. i assume if you stay at an AI it would, but that really applies to AI's anywhere you go..im not a fan of AI's... to each his own....

thanks on the job front... i am excited that i will have the best of both worlds.. i can maintain my training business and still have a reason to shop for shoes

[mrsr05]

Originally Posted by January Guy

We debated Ziggys vs. El Paraiso on a thread awhile back, and I was in the minority who favored El Paraiso. If you want feel almost secluded, do Ziggy's. If you want some people around but still not too many, do El Paraiso. El Paraiso has a classic beach bar whereas at Ziggy's you get served by the restaurant El Bistro's bar.

I love the setup at El Paraiso better and it is the most beautiful beach I have ever seen.

But both are wonderful.


Paraiso





Ziggy's (at about 10AM, some of those beds will be taken later but not many).

OMG boz i was sooooooo hoping that you would chime in here!! your trip report on tulum was almost singlehandedly the reason hubs and i decided to add it in to our agenda this year.. i have heard such wonderful things about ziggys.. but from a very trusted friend i heard some really unacceptable things about it and that put a bad taste in my mouth because we ARE only staying the day and dont have a second day to hit the reset button on.... i thinks it el paraiso for us... i like some people, dont really want to be isolated... we do love el bistro in pdc.. its a staple for us every visit, but i dont want to risk getting frustrated in tulum... thank you so much for checking in!!

you rock!

[mrsr05]

rohelio, thank you so much for your input... since hubs and i havent even taken a collectivo to head north in pdc, i will wait to leave town on one..lol... i do love the idea though.... and will definitely consider it on our next trip down....

[Peach]

That's quite the crowd at El Paraiso BUT, wasn't it also high season???

[lindalou61]

Originally Posted by mrsr05

its good to know you had no clue and had no problem.. cuz we have no clue either..

we visited grand cayman the exact same way.. cruise ship and bored children.. the beaches were beautiful but its very expensive and didnt really seem to cater to families with young kids (back then) .. i assume if you stay at an AI it would, but that really applies to AI's anywhere you go..im not a fan of AI's... to each his own....

thanks on the job front... i am excited that i will have the best of both worlds.. i can maintain my training business and still have a reason to shop for shoes

You'll have a great time. Its because of reading January Guy's info we went to El Paraiso as well this year.
No AI's for us either. Have never done one, and not going to start.

[January Guy]

Originally Posted by mrsr05

OMG boz i was sooooooo hoping that you would chime in here!! your trip report on tulum was almost singlehandedly the reason hubs and i decided to add it in to our agenda this year.. i have heard such wonderful things about ziggys.. but from a very trusted friend i heard some really unacceptable things about it and that put a bad taste in my mouth because we ARE only staying the day and dont have a second day to hit the reset button on.... i thinks it el paraiso for us... i like some people, dont really want to be isolated... we do love el bistro in pdc.. its a staple for us every visit, but i dont want to risk getting frustrated in tulum... thank you so much for checking in!!

you rock!

Gracias, amiga!

Yep, we loved Tulum and are just doing a full week there this year and not staying in Playa (I am sure we will head to Playa 2-3 times though). Why? Much more gorgeous, many fewer people on the beaches, and much more relaxing. There are 4 drawbacks that I see. First, you will probably want to stay on the beach as you can't walk to the beach from town like you can in Playa, so rooms are more expensive. Second, you can't walk to a whole lot except other hotels, so you have to cab it to town if you want to walk a strip. Third, very little live music. Fourth, the strip in town is nothing like Playa's wonderful quinta. But for a day trip...Tulum is absolutely gorgeous and I recommend a day trip there to everyone.

Not sure what you heard bad about Ziggy's (I don't need to know either), but we had a 100% positive experience with them, and we saw them for 5 days straight as we stayed at Cabanas Tulum.

For anyone reading this who gets confused (like I was at first), Cabanas Tulum is the hotel, Ziggy's Beach is simply the section of beach by the hotel, and El Bistro is the restaurant which I believe is owned by Cabanas Tulum and which rents loungers and provides food/drinks for those who want to hang out at Ziggy's Beach.

Glad you are going to make the trip!!!

Originally Posted by Peach

That's quite the crowd at El Paraiso BUT, wasn't it also high season???

I was very surprised as well. It was last January. We went the year before at the same time and it was much less busy, very tranquil in fact. The picture makes it look busier, but it wasn't Mamita's busy or anything like that, still plenty of room to breathe and hang out, and no techno music. And absolutely gorgeous with all the palm trees.

Originally Posted by lindalou61

You'll have a great time. Its because of reading January Guy's info we went to El Paraiso as well this year.
No AI's for us either. Have never done one, and not going to start.

Very cool! I am going to have to save these replies and get El Paraiso to give me some drinks on the house!

[roni]

I like secluded

[CharlieBoy]

I've been to both and like them both. I was at Paraiso 3 weeks ago. We got there about noon and there were no loungers available but we did find some room at the bar. That said, it was a Sunday crowd. I would go back to either.

Oh, pay attention to the drink prices. For some reason we were charged less at a bar table than at the bar itself. 5 pesos per beer. No big deal. Probably "waiter discretion". I see a lot of that!

[mrsr05]

you have all given such great info... so excited to get our tulum on this trip!

[Route307]

Steph

I am a little late in chiming in but I think you made the right choice on El Paraiso. I think Ziggy got a big hype at one time but it really is not that great. (just like many other places)

[Luv2Dance]

Originally Posted by Route307

Steph

I am a little late in chiming in but I think you made the right choice on El Paraiso. I think Ziggy got a big hype at one time but it really is not that great. (just like many other places)

I love Ziggy beach. It's the only place I 've been able to relax enough to take a nap. Rates a ten in my book. Plus there is a refreshing cenote about 20 yards out. Love it!

[mfl*s queen]

Originally Posted by Luv2Dance

I love Ziggy beach. It's the only place I 've been able to relax enough to take a nap. Rates a ten in my book. Plus there is a refreshing cenote about 20 yards out. Love it!

I ditto this, and they have the best blended mojitos and blended mango margs, and most of the time, they are 2 for 1.

[GrosGlove]

Originally Posted by January Guy

Gracias, amiga!

Yep, we loved Tulum and are just doing a full week there this year and not staying in Playa (I am sure we will head to Playa 2-3 times though). Why? Much more gorgeous, many fewer people on the beaches, and much more relaxing. There are 4 drawbacks that I see. First, you will probably want to stay on the beach as you can't walk to the beach from town like you can in Playa, so rooms are more expensive. Second, you can't walk to a whole lot except other hotels, so you have to cab it to town if you want to walk a strip. Third, very little live music. Fourth, the strip in town is nothing like Playa's wonderful quinta. But for a day trip...Tulum is absolutely gorgeous and I recommend a day trip there to everyone.

Not sure what you heard bad about Ziggy's (I don't need to know either), but we had a 100% positive experience with them, and we saw them for 5 days straight as we stayed at Cabanas Tulum.

For anyone reading this who gets confused (like I was at first), Cabanas Tulum is the hotel, Ziggy's Beach is simply the section of beach by the hotel, and El Bistro is the restaurant which I believe is owned by Cabanas Tulum and which rents loungers and provides food/drinks for those who want to hang out at Ziggy's Beach.

Glad you are going to make the trip!!!



I was very surprised as well. It was last January. We went the year before at the same time and it was much less busy, very tranquil in fact. The picture makes it look busier, but it wasn't Mamita's busy or anything like that, still plenty of room to breathe and hang out, and no techno music. And absolutely gorgeous with all the palm trees.



Very cool! I am going to have to save these replies and get El Paraiso to give me some drinks on the house!

I absolutely agree about Ziggy !!! It's numero uno in our book !!! My girlfriend and I (Eckho) went there a few times (about 5-6 time in the last 2 years) and every time it's been PERFECT! No that many people, always 2/1 for drinks and the food and service was amazing! Always remember to tip good and you'll have the service that goes with it!

Beach is TO DIE FOR!
Just sit and relax or take a walk on the beach and enjoy your day!

By the way (take time to visit Tulum's Ruins) they are amazing, scenery is absolutely gorgeous. we would love to do wedding pictures (we're getting marries this year on the beach in Playa... date TBD) but it seems like it could be a challenge... but with some "dinero" everything is possible in Mexico

Last thing... *** BIG ADVISE*** There will be a shortage of beer and Tequila in Tulum during January Guy and Tequila Girl's trip ... BE ADVISE !!!

PS to January Guy... we'll be in Playa from Jan 7th to Mar 20th and we are sure to go to Tulum a couple time during our stay... what dates will u guys be there...we could bring some booze from Playa and join you on the beach and make a 4somehahahaha

Steff and Sylvie (GrosGlove and Eckho)