I spent a week in mid-February in Tulum with my bestie & the whole experience was a feast for the eyes, the soul & the appetite!
We stayed at Uno Astrolodge (http://www.unoastrolodge.com/) a small bohemian “hotel” on Tulum’s beach & we woke up every day to meditate on the white sand while the sun was rising. Uno does provide a few yoga classes and many yoga retreats often take place in its premises; however, during the week we stayed there, the yoga instructors took a trip in the jungle villages of the greater area to bring yoga to the unprivileged. Luckily for us, Yoga Shala was a mere 3’ walk away (http://www.yogashalatulum.com/en.php) and offered a variety of classes daily. Back home I practice Ashtanga, however I do like to experiment with other styles (“sorry ashtanga but I am seeing other yogas too) and vary my practice. At Yoga Shala, Rafael Chaman’s 3-hour masterclass got us hooked, he names it “Nataraja” & describes it as a deep and conscious flow to cultivate and explore embodiment and Awareness for the expansion of Consciousness. There are a few other choices nearby like the Shambala Petit Hotel (http://www.shambalapetithotel.com/) & Ahau (http://ahautulum.com/yoga-spa/ , Yoga Dika (http://www.yogadicha.com/ this one is closer to the village) & Holistika (http://www.holistikatulum.com/ a bit more remote) but we did not try those as we were satisfied with Yoga Shala and too sore from Rafael’s classes to look elsewhere. On the last day we tried SUP yoga (http://www.supyogatulum.com/ ) on a turquoise lagoon of the amazing Sian Ka’an biosphere reserve which contains tropical forests, mangroves and marshes, as well as a large marine section intersected by a barrier reef. It is incredible how such a relatively small place like Tulum has so many choices when it comes to yoga.
And it is equally hard to believe that there are so many healthy eating options around. We tried many restaurants, vegetarian and non-vegetarian alike & I am listing the best ones although no meal disappointed us. To begin with, Mexican cuisine is famous for its beloved vegetarian snack (holy) guacamole…but the choices extent much further.
First stop is Raw Love (https://www.facebook.com/Raw-Love-Tulum-658517324237355/ ), a little jungle café, for a post yoga superfood smoothie bowl that is as Instagram-able as it is tasty, consisting of a choice of smoothie (we had the green goddess, tropical kiss & healthy belly –for our defence these were consumed on different days-) topped with fruits (think fresh papaya, mago & pineapple), sprouted nuts and seeds, crunchy cultured oats, goji berries and coconut. Hot drinks are also exquisite such as Montezuma’s Forgiveness (note cacao x2, cinnamon & cayenne pepper) and Indian Chai Spice. We visited one day for late lunch as well and we had the Nearly Raw Pad Thai & Raw Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake, both big hits.
Another place that caught our attention was Restaurare (https://www.facebook.com/restauraretulum/, ) a vegan place with lots of creativity in its recipes. We had the vegan ceviches (because vegans do not need to fight for their right to ceviche!) one with coconut meat & the other with oyster mushrooms. I think the main ingredient that made the difference in our palates was the cilantro. We also had the local mole, their Mexican culinary favourite with a gourmet regional twist consisting of local pumpkin, xcatik & oyster mushrooms served with a chili, nut, spice & cacao sauce over rice and plantain and our absolute favourite the marinated veggies baked and served over sweet potato, beetroot and plantain puree. We closed the meal with an amaranth chocolate cupcake and a satisfied belly.
Other vegetarian/vegan restaurants that we heard of but did not have time to vis-eat were Co.ConAmor http://coconamor.com/ and La Hoja Verde (https://www.facebook.com/lahojaverdetulum/ ).
As mentioned, the non-vegetarian ones had many options guacamole-aside. Vegetarian tacos are standard in Maresias, the popular restaurant of “Be Tulum” (http://www.betulum.com/eng/bar-and-beach-be-tulum.php ), Gitano (http://www.gitanotulum.com/#caribbean-beach-gypsy-dinner) & in the jaw-dropping surroundings of Nomade (http://www.nomadetulum.com/ ) we found Macondo’s holistic cuisine and tried the baked almond falafel, the zucchini noodles & the fiesta bowl, a combination of Quinoa with mango, avocado, cherry tomato, cucumber, cilantro, & chives topped with walnut “taco” crumble, romaine lettuce & garnished with plantain chips and lime cashew crema (do I hear “yum”?). Quinoa is a very popular ingredient for breakfast as well, we had a hot quinoa-cinnamon porridge at Ahau and a different blend at Canopia, Yoga Shala’s café. At Uno, the El Hongo offers “planetary soul food” and an excellent Masala Chai Latte.
Even Tulum’s high-profile Italian eatery Posada Margarita (http://www.posadamargherita.com/index.php?lang=en) is equipped with a fresh juice bar and funky names for the juices (Green Punch, After Party, Isla Bonita to name a few).
We came back with sand in our shoes (like Dido) and a natural holiday glow that I believe was not only due to the sun but also the positive vibes that Tulum radiates.
Until the next adventure, Namaste!
Eleni