Tulum and Bacalar, México

We arrived to Cancun International Airport in the early afternoon and from there we drove to the Rivera Maya. We had planed to stay 2 days in Tulum and 2 days in Bacalar. We rented our car online for 4 days and paid about $35 a day for the rental including insurance. If you are not able to rent a car online, you can always rent a car at the airport. Sometimes, it can be cheaper but you will be taking the risk of them being sold out. The driving distance between Cancun International Airport and Tulum is 2 hours.

Our first stop In Tulum was the Playa Pescadores. It is a beautiful beach near the Tulum Ruins. There is not parking around the beach. You must park on the main street and walk for about 5 to 7 minutes into the beach. There are many shops that sell food and water and tours operators for some activities. The best time to come to the beach is late Spring or late Fall. I would avoid coming in the summer as the beach is covered in seagrass.

We stayed at this hotel in the heart of the Zona Hotelera de Tulum. It is on the far side of the Zona Hotelera a few minutes from the "Follow your dream sign" and the Matcha Mama Acai bowl shop.

We woke up early to start waking down the Zona Hotelera in Tulum were we took some awesome photos at the "Follow your dream" sign and other Instagrammable spots in Tulum.

We then went to the Gran Cenote. It is a beautiful Cenote but I will recommend to go straight to the back of the Cenote to get better photos and videos before it gets crowded. Also, if you are interested in taking photos Without other people, get there as soon as it opens. General info: Hours: 10 AM to 5:00 PM every day. Bathroom: Yes Lockers: Yes Fees: $300 pesos (15 USD)

Then we walked for a few minutes and stopped at the Cenote Calavera. The fee to visit this cenote is $ 17 USD (for swimmers) and $35 for scuba divers. We saw 4 iguanas 😯. It is a smaller cenote and it gets pretty full.

We woke super early and hired a taxi to take us to the Tulum Ruins, which are open daily from 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM (although it closes at 5:00 PM). The cost to the ruins is $80 pesos per person ($4 USD). We recommend bringing tennis shoes, ton of water and sunscreen. You can also swim at the beach so bring your swimsuit and towels with you, although you cannot bring food.

You can either stay at Orchid House or go for an amazing dinner at one of its two nests. The 5 meal course costs $100 USD per person. The view is amazing, although now they are building a new hotel next door.

Entering the museum started out free but after Covid they raised their prices and now it costs $10 USD to visit both of their museums. Sfer Ik is an interdisciplinary creative sphere comprising exhibitions of some of the worlds finest visual artists, cutting edge artisanal workshops and innovative artist residences focusing on interdisciplinary projects that cumin are in new ways of experiencing and creating art.

It is a delicious Mayan Mexican fusion restaurant. It combines local ingredients and the culinary folklore of the Yucatán Peninsula. You can rent a nest starting at 1,000 USD or you can order food at the regular tables.

Our favorite cenote so far! It is a new cenote in Tulum area and it is not that crowded. The entrance fee is $150 ($7.50 USD) and it is great to go snorkeling. We recommend bringing your drone if you have one to take a photo of it from above and see it's heart shape.

It is a beautiful waterfront hotel with unique wood decking and accents across the property. You have a private deck along with several shared decks. You can borrow kayaks to paddle at the lake. The lagoon right now it is still green as it hasn't cleared from 2020's hurricane flooding.

One of the coolest things you can do in Bacalar is rent a sail boat tour and sail away. We were taken to an area about 1.5 hours away boat ride where the water is back to it's normal turquoise color. The private tour costs $3,000 ($150 USD) for both of us.

Explore the downtown area and take photos at the cool murals across the city.

It is one of the deepest cenotes along the Rivera Maya. It is surrounded with nature and it is the perfect place to spend the morning or even the day. They have kayaks, restaurants and a small store. It is a great place to swim and to snorkel. The entrance fee is $25 pesos (1.20 USD)

The highlight of Bacalar and the reason why many people come to Bacalar in the first place. It has 7 blue shaded water and the stromatolites that makes this a beautiful attraction and place to spend the afternoon or even the day. There is a bar and a restaurant. You can also rent a kayak and have fun! Tickets are $100 ($2.5 USD).

Wake up early to go back to Tulum to take some photos and then drive to Cancun to catch our plane home.