Tulum was quite an experience for my first time in the area. It was especially crazy fun and a memory for the rest of my life because it was the first time traveling with 23 strangers on a group trip that I curated. So this is my Tulum Trip Report, lets go!

We rented 5 vehicles for 24 girls, 2 girls wanted their own vehicle so we could have gone with 4 but the 5 we had worked perfectly. No one was stuck in one vehicle and we were flexible with what we were doing each day.

– Day 1 –

I arrived first and made sure most of the girls driving connected with the passengers in their car. We arrived at different times but made sure no car left without the girls they were suppose to have. On the way down to Tulum from Cancun in our rental van we stopped at the Chedauri and wow were the prices so so good!

I collected money for snacks and alcohol prior to the trip so we’d have stuff stocked up prior to getting there and barely spent half of it on the first grocery trip.

We arrived at our Airbnb which was an amazing 24 person compound and figured out who was staying in what room then enjoyed the pool until late in the night with plenty of drinks and margaritas. Maybe too many because we got up at 6am the next day.

– Day 2 –

Most of us got up at 6am to go take photos on the beach road at some of the iconic spots. I listed my favorites on my post Top 10 Instagram spots in Tulum. We were home by noon, changed into our swim suits and waited for our two shuttle vehicles to arrive that took us to the port about an hour north for Yacht Day!

I booked the yacht ahead of time with H2OH Sun Cruises and we had an absolutely fantastic time.  I would highly recommend them to anyone wanting to take a yacht out for a day when staying in Cancun or Tulum. They have a bunch of packages for varying group sizes as well.

Although the wind didn’t allow for any visibility for snorkeling the drinks were strong and the food was delicious. We played music, swam, and hung out for hours before heading back right at Sunset.

– Day 3 –

Today we took off early at 7am for Chichen Itza! Chichen Itza is one of the new 7 world wonders and was a bucketlist item for a lot of the group. It was about a 2 hour drive to Chichen Itza. After spending a few hours we drove 7 minutes down the road to Ik Kil Cenote which was one of our favorite spots. Next time we would definitely give ourselves more time at Chichen Itza & Ik Kil. We had a time line to stick to because we had a 2 pm reservation at another Cenote.

After a long day out we decided to hit the club in Tulum and honestly this was the most fun party night but also ended as one of the lowest points of the trip. First off, don’t go to Tantra Tulum or Rosa Negra. Avoid them like the plague.

We arrived as 2 groups of 10 and my group was the second. Upon arriving we were told a price for 2 bottles of tequila plus a bottle of champagne – which was what the other table opt’d for. Had I known that this place was a bunch of scammers I would have never gone. At the end of the night our bill was triple what we were quoted although we spent no extra money. If you go clubbing in Tulum you should 100% ask for a menu, take photos of the pricing and don’t let them scam you. What was suppose to be $1200 plus tip ended up being $6000. Yeah, ouch. Don’t go to Tantra Tulum or their sister property Rosa Negra. On top of the price scamming we also had to deal with table rats all night and the owners son standing on our table popping bottles and trying to charge things to our tab. I had to argue with management to get items taken off. The wait staff was zero help with the table rats too. (In case you didnt know, a Table rat is someone who see’s a large group at a club and attempts to hop into your group to leech liquor). I should have known better, I’ve gotten bottle service elsewhere. You live and you learn though. Definitely a learning point for us. We ended up discussing it the next day and just split the bill evenly 20 ways as 3 of us had put it on our cards the night before.

– Day 4 –

After a crazy night out our group split into a few different groups. My group was 5 girls and we left early and went to the Tulum Ruins. We arrived at 8:15 to find out they opened at 9am. We planned on visiting some cenotes afterwards and they ended up convincing us to go on a cenote tour and honestly it was fun but I can’t remember the name of it. I think if I were to do that again I’d opt to go to Dos Ojos and Calvera Cenote as we originally planned. We had to stick with a guide the whole time at the tour we went on and it felt kind of rushed. He was nice but definitely wasn’t the relaxing vibe I was looking for.

– Day 5 –

Day 5 was our last day in Tulum, we packed up the Airbnb and headed down to the beach for one last time before heading back to Cancun. On the way out of town we stopped at the big blue Tulum sign with swings to take photos then drove north to Cancun. About 9 of us stayed an extra day in Cancun but most girls departed after Tulum.

We stayed at the phenomenal Canopy by Hilton in Cancun and went to the big club/show Coco Bongo. It was just a quick trip on the bus for 12 pesos to Coco Bongo which was super convenient and we took a taxi back for $20 at the end of the night. The buses in Cancun were so nice, they came every few minutes and would stop even if you were hailing them down while not at a stop. I will say that 9 Americans dressed up in our club outfits while taking the bus while surrounded by locals was a bit comical but nothing more then another great story and a lot of laughs. It didn’t help that we got on a completely full bus so we stood the entire trip and if you’ve ever tried standing in heels on a bus while its flying down the road you can just imagine how many times we all almost fell.

Our ticket for Coco Bongo was bought in the hotel lobby and while purchasing it we were told they were open until 4am which was not the case. I wish we had known to be there on time since its definitely not cheap. If you go, you should 100% arrive early/on time. You miss out on the experience if you don’t. With your ticket you get 15 drinks plus food items. I got 2 drinks at a time and tipped for fast service since we arrived so late. We still had a great time but I definitely want to go back since we missed about half the show.

– Day 6 & 7 –

All I did on my last 2 days in Cancun was eat their amazing breakfast buffet, go out for dinner at the mall next door, and sit at the amazing rooftop hotel pool sipping various blended fancy beverages and taking naps by the pool while trying to not get burnt. I wouldn’t change that for the world either, I was exhausted and it was nice to relax without a schedule after a very long week with lots of people. Plus the view at the pool just couldn’t be beat. I’d go back to the Canopy in a heart beat.

Things I would change:

• The Airport – have a set meeting point for everyone. We planned meeting at a specific terminal but then many girls didn’t have their data plans working yet so they only had service on WIFI. Some girls didn’t know how to turn their phones on roaming to get service in Mexico and not all the people driving had the phone numbers of those in their cars. Next trip I’ll be sure we all have each others numbers and everyone knows how to set up their phone with an international data plan and I would send a map with an X on it for an exact meeting spot. I also think wearing a certain color shirt is helpful for recognizing people too. All of these are little details that would make the airport a faster experience. Overall we did fine, I didnt leave until I connected all the drivers and their passengers and made sure people were arriving and contacting each other which definitely helped because I was able connect the girls driving with those in their cars.
• More planned meals – that was one thing that I noticed was lacking in our itinerary; people were thinking about the next meal a lot. I would definitely do breakfasts in the morning at the Airbnb next time I go to Tulum so people have energy to start off the day with good.
• Photos of the menu if we go to any clubs. The bill at the club we went to was an utter disaster and we got conned out of our money. Never go to Tantra Tulum.