One week in Tulum & Bacalar

ENGLISH BELOW

The journey to Tulum was not far - the place is only 20 minutes south of Akumal along the Riviera Maya. We had a great accommodation in simple beachfront bungalows (electricity only available from 6pm to 1am).

Tulum Beach with its wide white sand beach and crystal clear water is truly fantastic - the perfect place for Jonathan to play in the sand for the first time.

However, Tulum has also developed into one of the trendiest hot spots in Yucatan in a few years, which is reflected in the prices of accommodations. 10 years ago there were hardly any hotels here - today you can pay in the restaurant with cryptocurrencies. There are cool live bands at sunset and really good restaurants. The octopus at Kay Nah was particularly delicious.

We were finally able to visit one of the cenotes for the first time, which we had to cancel in Akumal due to Lena's fall. Google Maps led us to Cenote Angelita. There was no one there except us, and I was able to check off cenote snorkeling from my list. For those who know Ulm: Angelita is 60 meters deep and looks a bit like the Blautopf in mini :-)

Our planned trip to Tulum's Mayan ruins directly by the sea was canceled as Jonathan got a fever at night. So we were glad to travel further south to Bacalar the next day and stay there for four nights so Jonathan could recover.

Bacalar is the most beautiful place on our trip so far. Not as quiet as El Cuyo, especially concerning the selection of evening dining options, and (still) not as touristy as Akumal or Tulum. Even more beautiful - probably similar to Tulum 10 years ago - is Mahahual, an hour to the west of Bacalar on the coast. We haven't been there ourselves though.

Bacalar thrives on its lagoon, which is pretty much the only attraction - but it packs a punch with its three cenotes and water depths of 1m in one spot and 150m just two steps away, as well as a former pirate canal where guests today smear mud on their face due to its alleged mineral content. We decided to go on a lagoon boat tour (12€ per person) and did not regret it.

Jonathan's fever went down after one day, after that he had a rash for a few days...probably hand-foot-and-mouth disease. Nevertheless, he made friends with Fernando, the cook of the snack bar Rasta Fish Tacos, where we went for lunch three times.

His best friend Hundi obviously enjoyed the break!

Next stop is Mérida, the capital of Yucatan - and therefore another hour back in time like El Cuyo!

It was a short journey to Tulum - only 20 minutes from Akumal along the Riviera Maya. We had a very simple but nice accomodation on the beach (electricity only available from 6pm to 1am)

Tulum has become one of Yucatan's main hot spots over the past 10 years, from only a few hotels then to restaurants saying "cash or cryptocurrencies only" today. Tulum Beach is far from being cheap but truly beautiful with its broad white sandy beaches and crystal clear water - the perfect place for Jonathan to play in the sand for the first time.

Try the octopus in Kay Nah restaurant!

Our favorite dishes so far are seafood tacos (me) and quesadillas vegetarianas (Lena) of all kind, whereas Jonathan loves his totopos (non-salted nachos, see picture).

I tried cenote snorkeling in cenote Angelita which is 60mts deep. For those who know Ulm - Angelita looks a little bit like the Blautopf!

As Jonathan caught a fever the following night, we had to skip our planned trip to Tulum's maya ruins and were happy to travel to Bacalar the next day. In Bacalar we stayed for several nights in order for Jonathan to recover.

So far Bacalar is the best place we have been to during our Mexico trip. It is not as quiet as El Cuyo was, but not crawling with tourists like Akumal or Tulum. By the way - Mahahual (one hour to the east) should also be really beautiful, but we haven't been there.

Bacalar subsists on its unique lagoon containing 3 cenotes with water depths from 1 to 150 metres and a former pirates canal which is famous for its mineral-bearing water. We decided to do a three-hour boat trip around the lagoon (12€ per person) and it was definitely worth it.

Luckily, Jonathan's fever disappeared quickly, afterwards he had skin eruptions for a few days...probably “hand-foot-and-mouth' disease. Nevertheless he became friends with Fernando, the cook of a very delicious taco bar called Rasta Fish Tacos. We went there three times for lunch.

Also, Jonathan's best friend Hundi needs some time to relax (see picture).

Up next is Merida, the capital of Yucatan.