Tulum holidays

Tulum holidays are Mayan-meets-modern. Here, the beaches and buzzing town get just as much attention as the well-preserved ruins.

On the rise

There are few places in the world where you can sunbathe below an ancient pre-Columbian city. Tulum’s one of them. Trace the coast south from Cancun and you’ll hit this seaside spot in just under two hours. Despite its time-stamped ruins, it’s got a 21st-century vibe, with a town full of veggie restaurants, yoga studios and shops. Just so you know, the beaches on this stretch of coastline sometimes experience increased levels of seaweed – called sargassum. It’s influenced by the weather and ocean currents. If your hotel’s affected, the staff will do everything they can to clear it as quickly as possible.

Scenic sightseeing

You can’t talk about Tulum without mentioning its Mayan ruins – considered some of the most important in Mexico. And settings don’t get much better than this. The ancient walled city crowns 12-metre-high cliffs, above a wave-washed beach. It’s not the only attraction to Tulum’s heavily loaded bow, either. This is eco-tourism territory, so you can fill your days with jungle treks, horse riding or cenote swimming.

Best beaches around

There’s a coconut-white beach tucked under Tulum’s ruin-topped cliffs. This talc-soft stretch rolls on for miles, only interrupted by sprawling jungle. And they definitely weren’t exaggerating when they christened it Playa Paraiso – or Paradise Beach. Plus, Tulum’s one of the nearest towns to Sian Ka’an – a UNESCO-protected biosphere reserve made up of mangroves, lagoons and a barrier reef.