Our Habitas Tulum

Worth getting out of bed for

Everything about this hotel encourages you to slow down and slip into the pace of beachfront life. Hammocks swing in the breeze, palms cast dancing shadows on the sand and it’s never too early to take a pew at the bar. There’s a daily programme of activities included in your rate, most with a wellness focus – sunrise yoga sessions, cacao ceremonies and live music are all part and parcel of a stay here. If you’d rather play the castaway hermit, book in for a solo spa treatment then pick a perch on the pool deck or private, white-sand beach.

Even if you’re a veteran of out-there art spaces, we’ll wager you’ve never seen one quite like Azulik Uh May, a multidisciplinary venue hidden in the Yucatán jungle. The labyrinthine site houses an art gallery, design and fashion studios, creative spaces and more, but the most impressive part is the buildings themselves – flowing, organic shapes that were built with no formal plan. Further afield in Tulum National Park, you can dive or swim in cenotes – natural, water-filled sinkholes created when the limestone bedrock collapses. Some are above ground and easy to get to, others are hidden under the earth in spectacular caverns, offering more of a challenge. Diving Cenotes Tulum can organise trips for all abilities. Man-made splendour can be found in the form of Tulum’s 13th-century Maya ruins – the thing that put the town on the map in the first place. Built as a port city for trading jade and turquoise, Tulum stands on a cliff overlooking the sea – an anomaly among Maya settlements. If you’re up for a day trip, the vast Maya and Toltec temples at Chichén-Itzá are about a two-hour drive away.

Local restaurants

Tulum is one of the spiritual homes of the breakfast bowl, and Del Cielo is one of the best places to get your fruit-topped fix. If you’re more into savory starts, the English breakfasts and omelettes are equally good. Slow-food champions Farm to Table grow nearly all of their produce on their own organic farm, ensuring the freshest ingredients possible. The generous portion sizes make it perfect for a hearty lunch, and any leftovers will be used as compost for the restaurant’s next crop. For a laid-back dinner, book a table in the wood-clad dining room at Rosa Negra, where the chef sources best-in-class ingredients from around the world. Tasmanian smoked trout, Japanese Kobe beef, Alaskan king crab and Nigerian tiger shrimp are just a few of the standout offerings. At Verdánt, indulgence needn’t weigh on your conscience. Built with recycled materials, this fine-dining restaurant has its own vegetable gardens and rainwater purification system, and anything that isn’t grown onsite comes from ethical farms and fisheries. Husband-and-wife team Maya and Ben work their magic on both sides of the kitchen – Ben as executive chef, Maya as flawless host and sommelier.

Local bars

Ringed by thick jungle, Arca cuts a modish figure with its grid-like pavilion roof, concrete bar and tables carved from polished slabs of timber. Try the Oliver Twist, a soothing yet zesty potion made with Hendrick’s gin, chamomile gin, orange peel and tonic water. Inspired by the colonial architecture found along the Yucátan peninsula, Gitano Tulum has a beautiful mirror-backed bar that looks like it emerged from the jungle after being obscured for a century. There are more than 50 mezcals on the menu, which can be savored alone or used as a smoky backbone for cocktails.