Late last March, that's exactly how I came to book my trip to the Mexican Riviera. I'm not a "woo girl", so I never considered Cancun or any of the Playa del whatevers as destination options. This fateful day, I was inspired by Gilt Group's travel site Jetsetter, I pointed and clicked my way to cheap airfare (love you, JetBlue), and with the help of my travel companion, found BE Tulum. We haggled our way into the Ocean Suite at a discounted rate and wiled away the weeks until takeoff.
I had never been to Mexico before, and I fully expected one of two outcomes: cheesy resortville or jungle warfare. Neither turned out to be the case.
Be Tulum is situated on just about the last resemblance of civilization before you hit the 1.3 million acre Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve, translated from Mayan to mean "where the sky is born" or "gift from the sky." Lagoons, reefs, mangroves, and temple ruins are connected by cenotes, or little river systems that once served as trade routes between villages and major towns. It's astonishingly beautiful, full of wildlife and mother earth's love. The rooftop view from our Ocean Suite provided lovely sunrise and sunset views over Sian Ka'an, a lovely way to being and end a day.
The hotel, at regular capacity, can house about 40 guests, spread out over a campus of cabins nearly camouflaged within the natural surroundings. You feel like the only one there, thanks to the attentive staff and landscape architecture. While they don't tout it loudly, Be Tulum prides itself on being an ecoresort, using responsibly and locally sourced materials, recycling their water, and using natural water in the pools. Our package included breakfast, which was so generously-portioned that we often had difficulty finishing our meals. The juice was as fresh as it gets, and you have the great pleasure of dining in the shade on the beach.
Since we were there during the shoulder season, our other dining options were limited, but I was able to scope out a cute little open-air spot called Hartwood. These ex-pats weren't kidding around with their set-up: former New Yorkers with outstanding kitchen provenances, sourcing local ingredients, and cooking everything over or under fire. We were communing. It was delicious and pricey. Still, we tried to go back, but they were closed (see aforementioned shoulder season). Another spot turned out to be a dud, so we stuck it out with the Be Tulum restaurant, which turned out decent food. May I recommend one of their several ceviches, delivered to you wherever you might find yourself comfortably lounging.
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| Credit: Bon Appetit |
The beach days were spent reading and lounging ocean side in the morning, then poolside- either the common pool or the one on our private roof deck- with healthy doses of local mezcal and tequila in the afternoon. It was quiet and peaceful, with plenty of time to sit quietly and reflect on the close of winter and the beginning of spring.
