For our cenote adventure we chose Cenote Crystal. I did a lot of research on the different centoes around the area and Cenote Crystal was perfect for us because we didn’t want to do a tour with a group, and we wanted to decide when we came and went. There was also a huge diving board which was insanely appealing to me.

If you’re wondering how we got to the cenote, we had our hotel call a cab for us and we paid about 500 pesos for the cab to take us there, wait, and take us home. It was very easy. You really need to do it this way if you’re not doing a tour because there wouldn’t be any other way for you to get home. That would be no bueno!

We had the BEST time at this cenote because as I mentioned above, it’s mainly visited by locals. When we arrived there were 5 locals coming to take a swim and relax – maybe before work. The fun they were having was infectious, they were all competing for the best dive off of the board and it was a blast to watch.

After a while, I finally got the courage to jump off of the board. It didn’t look too high from the water, but once I walked up to the top and walked out to the ledge, I could see that it was a solid 25 feet up from the water. I was planning on diving, but I couldn’t get up the courage so I just kept jumping. I probably jumped on the water 20 times – and was shaking from the adrenaline (lol). After about my 10th jump the locals started to rate my jumps. If you’re wondering, they gave me all 10’s. I highly recommend heading to this cenote if you want a more relaxed experience.

After about 1 hour at the cenote, we decided it was time to head back to Encantada, grab some drinks and lay at the beach before dinner. We ordered some beer, shots of tequila and guac. It was the perfect afternoon! Later that night we had plans for a casual night out. I wore this dress that is so comfortable, and especially perfect for a beach date night. The pom poms were too much fun! We walked down the beach (or should I say up), to the Mulberry Project Pop Up, which is a pop up bar from NYC. I had heard rave reviews about this location so I wanted to make sure we checked it out. We had a great time sitting on the beach, but we only stayed for one drink. I definitely recommend going for a least one drink, but no need to plan your whole night around it.

Afterward we made our way to Casa Banana because like Mulberry Project, I had also wanted to check out the vibes. If I’m being honest, any of the restaurants on the jungle side of Tulum Beach Roach were really hard to stay comfortable at. Not only was it so hot, but there were bugs EVERYWHERE. I got eaten alive at Casa Banana so we only stayed for one drink! The wait staff was very friendly and attentive though!

My favorite restaurant in Tulum, aside form the Mexican food we received at Encantada, was Casa Violeta. I feel like not many people know about Casa Violeta, but you should. We ate here twice because we had such an amazing experience. They serve Italian food and it’s all homemade and absolutely delicious. I ordered the parmesan and pear ravioli with truffle cream sauce….yes, so good. The restaurant overlooks the beach and when we arrived this night it was right at sunset so we were able to enjoy the sunset, drink some wine and relax without any bugs.

The following day we drove our bikes down to The Nomade. This was the last place on my list that I wanted to check out so it was important to pop in, if only for watermelon mint juice. We followed the path from the outside up into the “nest” which is where the seating area is. We weren’t really sure what to do, but we just walked out to the poufs that were on the group and took a seat. Soon after we were greeted and a waiter took our drink order. This particular day was excruciatingly hot, and there was no breeze in the nest, so after our drinks, we felt confident that we saw the Nomade Tulum, and set ouf for the beach!

XO Em