Tulum

We’re going to keep this short. After a quick whip around Tulum for what is now essentially music week (early Jan), we can report that yes, as you’ve probably heard and may have seen, Tulum has changed: the dirt road that you used to be able to bumble around on foot is now rammed with traffic, with taxis charging whatever they want to drive it; there’s also now a second road that goes into town and the brands (albeit in a somewhat considerate way) have moved in. But on a positive note, the beach is still beautiful, there are even more excellent restaurants in the jungle to check out (including two with Bib Gourmand accolades), and if you are looking for an Ibiza alternative, this is a good week for music, including things like cenote sets and jungle raves, with electronic music’s biggest names.

It also seems to be a key time for some to be testing new music, with album launches and private dinners. There are a lot of people here though – Keinemusik played to 13,000 people twice during the week – which really does show just how much this strip has changed. All this means is: if you do plan on going, make sure you have a friend with good wristbands. And transportation.

Day Zero Festival | @jjhenchey

A few things to note, for hotels: on the beach, Maya seems to occupy a great, less hectic part of the beach; Nômade is also good (and coming to Ibiza this season) and BE has expanded, with a kind of El Chiringuito Ibiza lunch scene.

Maya Tulum

Nômade Tulum

BE Tulum

For restaurants: farm-to-table ARCA (not to be confused with the also excellent farm-to-table ACRE in Cabo), is a World’s 50 Best; Hartwood is still there and thankfully, you can now book – and Wild is run by a Londoner who traded in working in music for jungle restaurateuring; for a complete list, check out Michelin’s top 9.

ARCA

For locations: La Veleta, Tulum town, with its independent hotels, restaurants and cafés, is a great alternative to the beach to base yourself. If you do want to take a break and go further out, book in for lunch at the much-loved Hotel Esencia (you’ve seen the canary yellow deck chairs before), and/or hot foot it to the sleepier Holbox and check into Casa Tortugas for a bit.

Hotel Esencia

For dates: to repeat, January is a busy, busy time in Tulum. But we’re told that by February, things really do clear out. So if you’re not there for the DJs/parties, then another month will definitely be better.