Tulum: a Mexican beach town of 'two halves'

Nestled on the coast of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula in the area of Quintana Roo sits Tulum. In the early 1990s it was a quiet village near some ancient ruins, but since then it's grown in popularity, with a population now of around 50,000. 

It's a town of two halves; the first, the "pueblo" consisting of shops, houses, hotels and restaurants that have sprung up along the main highway. The second is the resort and palm dotted beach area, "Zona Hotelera" – a melange of beach clubs, chilled hotels and chic, outdoor restaurants, flanked by jungle.

La Valise  

On this beach stretch lies La Valise hotel, a split-site venue with coast on one side and jungle on the other. It exudes rustic Mayan charm; one enters the hotel through a "moon door" – a large, dappled metal disc that spins on its axis. The hotel's pool is located on the jungle side – a tranquil oasis sound-tracked with chill out tunes, replete with lush tropical plants, a bar and restaurant with suites along the edges all in subtle sandy hues and light-coloured stones, patched together in what feels a tribute to the lost Mayan history around this peninsula. It gives a mystical energy to the place.

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Décor is ultra chic: wood and hide furniture, incredible wicker sculpted lamps in the shape of monkeys and quetzals (azure-feathered native birds), and long stylised wicker benches modelled after the famous jaguar seat which hides in a chamber at the top of the main pyramid at nearby Unesco site Chichén Itzá. 

Rooms have French doors which lead onto outdoor bathrooms with open air showers. Ours looked out onto a small lagoon with a fountain spurting up at its centre.

If the jungle side sits with a central pool at its heart, the oceanside is all about that gorgeous Caribbean sea, with broad open-ended halls leading to it. You can have breakfast on a wide, sun-soaked terrace lined with salt-bleached planks: food is simple and elegant with a limited menu of Mexican dishes, a few nods to Western food and some hints at wellness – ideal starting fodder for the exhausting day ahead spent on one of the shaded sunbeds that dot the shoreline. 

Nest Tulum

La Valise's quieter sister property, Nest, is located a short walk up the road. To enter, you'll feel like you are walking through the jungle dotted with quiet groves with comfy seats. The sound of unfamiliar bird calls gives it an otherworldly feel.

Squat rooms are tucked away, hidden off the path by dense vegetation, monsteras towering overhead putting your houseplants to shame – it's a little like you've stumbled on a lost village. 

Rooms take monochrome to a new level; colours are natural and sparse – an oiled, hand carved wooden rocking chair, some of the subtle art, earthy grey linen curtains and clothes hooks made using stiff branches borrowed from the forest around.

Minimalist, functional and very cool, our room was a squat cylinder, presumably speaking to some older function (a stable, perhaps). The floors are the marble grey of polished concrete, walls are white, dotted with black wicker light fixtures. It makes for a charmingly moody affair, a stern counterpoint to the thousand shades of blue, green and white that nature provides as soon as you step out of the door. 

At the end of the sandy path sits the restaurant, an ancient looking building of hewn stone and wrought iron, windowed through to give views to the ocean beyond. The beach is strewn with comfy, straw-roofed beds, serviced from the kitchen above.

Hotel Bardo 

Tulum town (the pueblo) is well worth a visit. It's an easy cycle if it's early evening – most of the hotels provide bikes with lights. The taxis have a bit of a racket and are fiendishly expensive. Local transportation consists of "colectivos" which are predominantly used by locals. 

There are plenty of spots to suit all budgets in town, but one of our favourites is Hotel Bardo, a verdant sanctuary hidden away among the dusty backstreets. It's all grey, hewn stone and features at its heart a dark, sultry polygonal pool, low lights slung around it and overhung by huge jungle flora, creating a sense of intimacy. 

A boutique experience, the wandering, tree lined path takes you between the hotel's 30 suites, each with its own lazily bubbling plunge pool. Stone steps bridge over it to your room: a dark polished concrete affair with wooden furnishings, moody, smoky lights, scented candles and antiqued mirrors. Outdoor showers complete the jungle effect. Dried grasses hang from the walls and heady incense floats across the room. The light here is gorgeous –  dappled from the overhead trees and refracted by the rippling linen drapes.

The hotel prides itself on peace and wellness with a yoga hut, Mayan meditation and spa ceremonies and its own traditional Temezcal healing ceremonies. It's not all roses though – the music by the pool was a little on the intrusive side and during our stay there was some heavy-duty DIY going on with the droning of some machinery howling away in the background. The hotel restaurant is a bit so-so, but there are plenty of good options nearby.   

Eating and drinking

Aroma Cafe, just up the road from Bardo, serves good local and international breakfasts, while Taqueria El Sabor Mexicano along the main drag does a good line in pocket-friendly classic tacos. We loved Sole Cantina, a bar and eatery that was populated by locals with live music and inexpensive beers and cocktails. It's on the street and makes for great people watching. If you're in the market for a burger, we loved Burgerito – great burgers in a funky courtyard garden. 

William Leigh was a guest of La Valise (lavalisetulum.com), Nest (nesttulum.com) and Hotel Bardo (hotelbardo.mx).

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