Tulum or elsewhere? JULY. After - beach chilling, scuba, adventure..

[rossyl]

Hi Guys and Gals,

I was hoping to go to Belize or Roatan, but it's just not in budget.

I've therefore been considering Tulum, however, I'm not sure if it's a bit overrun by hotels? From looking on the web it seems as if it offers everything i want
- chilled
- lovely beaches
- good diving/snorkelling
- adventure (jungle trekking, etc)

But the web also seems to suggest that there are A LOT of hotels there. Is the coastline turning into Cancun in Tulum?

Or will it be quiet enough this July?

Any recent travellers thoughts would be greatly welcomed.

Ross

 

[driftwood]

Hi Ross,

We haven't been there for a couple of years, Tulum is nothing like Cancun. There are a lot of hotels listed but none of the mega resorts. Lot of smaller hotels both in town and on the beaches.

The beaches are world class, you are close to some of the best cenotes in the area and some really great Mayan ruins are within a 30 minute cab ride.

The big problem I have with Tulum is that they don't deal with their "black water" in a responsible manner. You have to go 30 miles up the coast to find anything that looks like a healthy reef. Inexpensive and rustic is great, but not at the cost of the damage we do by staying there.

 

[rossyl]

Many thanks.

I was thinking we'd need ti head out on a boat for good diving?

would that be a solution?

also, what sort of people go there, families, backpackers, young couples?

thanks

 

[TSandM]

Tulum has a lot of beach accomodations, and they appear to range from very nice to camping under palapas. But it's not like Maui, with condos and high rise hotels at all; the buildings are fairly small and low. The town itself has several nice restaurants and several scuba operators. You can also take tours into the Sian Kaan biosphere reserve, which I've had highly recommended, although I haven't done it yet. It's not far to the Coba ruins, which are extensive. I have heard that the town can be a little noisy at night; I don't know what the beach hotels are like for noise. The beaches are beautiful.

The only reef diving I have done in the area was off Akumal, and it wasn't breathtaking. There was a lot of algae on the shallow reefs and a fair amount of dead coral, and not really a whole lot of reef fish. We did see a turtle and a couple of very large lobsters. But the cenotes are fantastic diving, and not far from Tulum.

Overall, I'd say it's a place with enough development to offer choices and some out-of-water fun, without being so built up or overtouristed to be tacky.

 

[driftwood]

Many thanks.

I was thinking we'd need ti head out on a boat for good diving?

would that be a solution?

also, what sort of people go there, families, backpackers, young couples?

thanks

Not really, the best reefs are the very shallow ones just inside the barrier reefs. The middle and outer reefs are the ones in pretty rough shape. Those reefs are still pretty close to shore, call it a half mile, and beyond those the channel gets deep pretty fast. The sad truth is that the locals don't really care about reefs you cannot snorkel.

Another problem is that the local dive boats are generally "pangas". Slow single outboard motor and if you are lucky, a sun shade. The upshot is that most shops will not travel more than a few miles to a dive site. The main reason for this is that it is virtually impossible to get a permit to build a dock to service large dive boats like you see on Cozumel.

Regarding your second question, Tulum has a lot more bohemian crowd than the rest of the coast. It really sounds like Tulum is what you are looking for just without good ocean diving.

 

[rossyl]

Thanks so much for your detailed responses, this is all sounding great.

Cenote diving sounds good, but other diving is sounding a little weak... I wonder if it is worth travelling anywhere else for a day or so of diving?

Many thanks.

 

[TSandM]

It really depends on how you are going to manage your trip. It's a very doable thing to drive up to Playa and take the ferry across to Coz for a day's diving -- it's a long day, but quite manageable. If you have to depend on public transportation, however, I think it becomes pretty difficult, both in terms of time and cost.

There may be better mainland diving than that off Akumal. I've certainly read that there are places where you can, for example, see schools of tarpon. But I don't know where that is.

 

[driftwood]

It really depends on how you are going to manage your trip. It's a very doable thing to drive up to Playa and take the ferry across to Coz for a day's diving -- it's a long day, but quite manageable. If you have to depend on public transportation, however, I think it becomes pretty difficult, both in terms of time and cost.

There may be better mainland diving than that off Akumal. I've certainly read that there are places where you can, for example, see schools of tarpon. But I don't know where that is.

The better ocean diving seems to start around Puerto Adventuras and heads north to Puerto Morelos. The current picks up a little bit and you are 30 miles from Tulum. The resident tarpon school is just south of Playa del Carmen and you can find eagle rays on a wreck off Puerto Morelos.

Here is how I rank places to stay along the coast (non mega resorts or AI). PDC is Cancun very light. Puerto Morelos is a sleepy little PRI town that development has passed by (for various reasons). Puerto Adventuras is a bit of California marina transplanted into Mexico. Akumal has great beaches and resident turtles but rolls up the sidewalks at sunset. Tulum has the most eclectic mix of places to stay combined with a typical Mexican town. If my wife picks where we stay, it is Akumal hands down. If I ever have the chance to choose, PDC suits me better.

Edit. I just tumbled to the fact that you will be there in July. Akumal is Mayan for "the place of the turtle". In July you have a reasonable shot at seeing turtles both nesting and hatching along the beach. These are the people to get in touch with for turtle walks, Centro Ecológico Akumal | Ecology Center CEA | Quintana Roo | Mexico