Authentic experience in Tulum | The Press

Tulum now needs no introduction. The city on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula is popular for its yoga retreats, mythical places nestled between sea and jungle, and gourmet alfresco restaurants. But is it still possible to live an authentic experience there?

Originally, Tulum Beach was an undeveloped destination where people slept in huts and practiced yoga on the beach. Today, the nerve center of Tulum has of course grown and expanded. The main street is now divided into two sections, the “Hotel Zone” and “Downtown”, where the restaurants and shops line up through the dense Mayan jungle.

But the magic of Tulum still works. It is also designated as a “pueblo magico” by the Mexican government (magical city which has managed to preserve its authenticity).

Human dimension

You still don’t see any big resorts or McDonald’s or Starbucks. Most of the city’s hotels offer a unique concept to the destination, recognized for wanting to promote the feeling of belonging to a community and the fact of living in harmony with the surrounding nature.

In Tulum itself, we ride our bikes, we sleep in luxury ready-to-camp style tents (glamping) and we disconnect.

The hotel is in fact a universe in which one decides, or not, to dive, the time of a stay. This is what makes the magic of the place, the feeling of losing one’s bearings a little, of blending into a more minimalist lifestyle and of offering oneself a return to one’s roots, to the very “earth sacred”.

Habitas Tulum is the perfect example of this, being one of the main so-called “community” establishments — which has become the norm — in Tulum Beach. When you book a stay there, it’s not just a simple tent rental, you really join a community! The daily activity program as well as the common areas are designed so that the guests spend as much time as possible together, exchanging and living together.

At Habitas Tulum, you will be invited to participate in talking circles, sound therapies, meditation sessions and guided yoga classes.

The “tents” offer air conditioning, a shower and an outdoor bathroom, but no electronics.

For a return to the sources, the traditional Azulik Healing Spa offers age-old treatments and well-being rituals inspired by the oldest Mayan traditions, including energy therapy, chakra alignment and the “tezmacal” ceremony to purify the body (and mind) ). The site itself is a must, a real architectural feat carved in wood in the heart of the jungle.

Unique experience

Finally, among the many restaurants that follow one another on Calle Principale, Arca stands out. Offering a uniquely Tulum concept: an al fresco dining room, carved wood tables, chalkboard menu and torch lighting, not to mention the smell of Palo Santo—typical in Tulum—that wafts through air, you can eat creative Mexican cuisine inspired by the surrounding nature. And forget Open Table here, the reservation system is, let’s face it, a little more archaic, which is not unpleasant.

It is therefore always possible to have an authentic experience in Tulum, even if some would say that it has become too popular. It’s not wrong, because Tulum has therefore become bigger, more expensive, busier, but the essence remains the same: a bohemian destination focused on well-being that wants to make you reconnect with nature (and you- same).