>>1117983
you have no escape, can-cunm xel-ha are a grind for gringo´s money;
in the other hand tulum is a prehispanic city that attires a lot of turists, there is nothing to fear there, you´ll see the ruins and retourn to your hotel to be asked for mo´ money

I've been. Beach is incredible (as pictured). It's quite long and most of it fronts onto jungle. You'll probably stay in the town which is quite a ways from the beach. A couple hostels and cheap motels right on the drag or a block off. I'd suggest hitchhiking or renting a bike in town to get back and forth from the beach.

The Tulum archeological site is worth a visit. There's also a pyramid site inland from town (forget name) you can visit by locals bus or tourist bus, but IIRC not really worth it, at least if you're going to go anywhere else (there are better big sites north in Yucatan, in Belize, and in Guatemala).

>>1118163
Really not expensive there. I remember getting a motel room right on the drag for like $15ish, and hostels were similar. Food was cheap and good if you made any effort at all to avoid the most obvious tourist traps.

>>1118163
>>1118171
>>1118173
thanks for the helpful responses everyone, sounds like a pretty laid back place.

I have been there and the place is really lame. The whole town is geared around separating the tourist from his money. Oh you are safe there alright but it is totally not worth going. I've been all over the Yucatan peninsula and beyond and the whole area is safe. You would find much better experiences out on your own.

>>1118442
Alright, well where in the area do you suggest over tulum?
We're flying into Cancun, still trying to decide if we should rent a car and where to stay, etc.
Also of note: I am not fucking rich. I'm looking for a bunch of free or cheap shit to do.
Homegirl is really talking this place up for me: cliff diving, snorkeling, pristine beaches etc.
I'm basically asking for a dose of reality about this place because she always has her head in the clouds.

>>1118458
You'll burn a day getting there and back, but you could spend your time in Belize instead. More approachable simply because everyone speaks English. More backpackery' in vibe. I don't think you'll find beaches as nice, but snorkelling/diving at great, as well as pyramids and shit inland, and it's much less crowded with tourists.

How much time do you have (arrival to departure in Cancun). I've traveled that area pretty well could tell you where to go and how.

>>1118468
I'm pretty sure we're going to have 10 days from when we get to cancun.

>>1118171
the site inland is called Cobá, just to add some info to the thread. i took a taxi there and back, just me. the dude waited in the parking lot for as long as i wanted. i think it was 300-400 pesos, which at the time was maybe 25 bucks. real travelers will tell me i got ripped off, and it could've been done cheaper by colectivo, sure, but i was 18 and got there and back no problem.

if you wanna go, the site has the tallest pyramid in the northern yucatan. it's steep as shit but fun to climb. maybe 25 min drive? they just paved a new highway between tulum and coba probably in the last decade, so its a pretty fast ride.

>>1118482
It was pretty OK. I remember that super steep pyramid. IIRC I took a locals bus to avoid the tourists busses and their crowds. Wasn't busy at all when I was there.

Re: 10 day trip... definitely spend a day on Isla Mujeres, a small island a ferry ride from Cancun, and rent a scooter and tool around. You might consider spending a day at a resort in Cancun to get your beach on, simple because you won't waste the time traveling to Tulum to similarly just sit on the beach.

Consider also taking an overnight bus from Cancun to Belize City, and then the ferry on to Caye Caulker (nice island in Belize with great snorkeling and other water activities). It's a long enough ride that you could get some sleep and avoid a hotel; busses in Mexico are really comfy.

there is a website to check out playa.info it has lots of info on local stuff around there in the forums. lots of pics in the trip reports. I used it to help plan the last trip down.