Where should I fly to?
The closest airport is Cancun, which is well-serviced by direct flights from many cities around the world.
How do I get to Tulum?
Tulum is roughly 2 hours drive from Cancun (depending on time of day) There are multiple options for all price points for getting to Tulum. The easiest is the private shuttle, which we recommend booking in advance. Remember almost everyone in Mexico uses WhatsApp to communicate.
Helpful Blog: https://travelmexicosolo.com/cancun-to-tulum/
Can I buy a shuttle ticket through Ticket Fairy?
Yes!
If you log back into Ticket Fairy, head to My Tickets and his Get Add On next to your LOCUS order you can buy a shuttle add on. These tickets close 24 Feb. After 24 Feb you will be contacted for your flight info and booked into the best shuttle for your flight.
Are there buses?
There's also a very cheap bus that takes you into Tulum town centre and then you can take a taxi to the Beach Road or Aldea Zama, depending on where you're staying.
Where should I stay?
Stay on the beach road if possible! It is central to all the LOCUS venues, with loads of places to eat and things to see.
If you are looking for something a bit more affordable - Aldea Zama and La Veleta, two of the newer residential areas of Tulum. It's around 15-20 minutes in a cab to get to the beach road from there.
How should I book my accommodation?
Booking.com has a lot of options for hotels
There are also some great affordable places available on Airbnb in Aldea Zama and La Veleta
Aldea Zama
Aldea Zama 1.8 kms to the beach - ‘Aldea’ is a relatively new area built between the Pueblo and the beach/Hotel Zone.
It is surrounded by jungle and only has 2 main roads going in/out. The area is one of the safer/quieter areas of Tulum and is where a lot of people choose to stay for this reason.
Aldea is mostly made up of rental apartments that will suit almost any budget. It is a little isolated at night and is hard to hail a taxi, however, during the day it is bicycle/foot friendly. It has wide paved roads and is more upmarket than La Valeta.
La Valeta
At 2 kms to the beach, La Valeta is another residential area between the Puebla and the Hotel Zone/Beach, it's not as upmarket as Aldea Zama but it is closer to town.
The roads are not paved which makes it difficult to get around on bicycles, but depending where you are it can be walking distance to town. The accommodation is cheap and the wifi is usually the best in this area (if you're needing to get some work done).There are plenty of really nice apartments here for reasonable prices, and it is much quieter than town/Pueblo.
Pueblo (town)
Pueblo/Centro 2.5 kms to the beach - this is Tulum town and a great place to stay if you want an authentically Mexican stay. The rent is generally cheap and its easy to get around on foot or bicycle. Taxis are cheap and easy to hail. You're almost always walking distance to food, markets and bars. It is noisier and a central busy area, so thats something to be mindful of when choosing where to stay.
https://www.xscapetulumhotel.com/
https://www.botanicatulum.com/
Hotel Zone/Beach Road
Hotel Zone/Beach Road - this is obviously a great place to stay. It is however the most expensive area to book accommodation. There still is a variety of room types that can cater to different budgets, although it is still on the higher end.
Taxis, food and drink etc are a lot more expensive here than in town. A taxi to town can cost between $15 - $50 US each way depending on the time of day (you can barter) It is however right on the beach and you can walk to most venues/bars/restaurants.
It's not overly bicycle friendly but for the more experienced/brave cyclist it is manageable when the sun is up.
Getting around Tulum
Taxis, bike rental, scooter rental, car rental.
There are plenty of bicycle rental places in Tulum. Prices vary from $7 - $20 a day, and you will need to leave either a cash deposit or your passport (we always recommend the cash deposit - usually $100 US is fine).
It’s a similar story for scooters and quads, these can be rented either in town or at the Beach (town is always cheaper).
It pays to note that the roads are really dark at night and quite dangerous to and from the beach, so we advise extreme caution. If you plan to drink - taxi is the best option. A lot of rental places actually include bikes or have access to them.
