Piedra Escondida – Tulum

Tulum, home of stunning white sand beaches and resplendent turquoise waters, awakened something within me I wasn’t sure I had anymore. I arrived here a little bit lost, a little bit broken, but ready for an adventure. I purchased my plane ticket only a week before the actual flight; honestly, on mostly impulse and whim. All I wanted was to relax, to escape, and to challenge myself a little bit. To throw myself out of my comfort zone. And Tulum delivered in the most spectacular way, because I truly found so much more than that here.

And it all began at Piedra Escondida, which is in my opinion, the most magical place in Tulum.

I arrived into the town bus station a little tired and a little nervous, but extremely excited. It was my first time traveling alone; something I had wanted to do for a while, but had never had the guts to do. Then suddenly, a thought sprung in my head and I started looking at flights to Mexico. I found a $200 roundtrip ticket to Cancun airport and thought, this is it, I have to do it.

One plane ride and a two-hour bus ride later and I was here. It was incredible! Warm and picturesque, with a slight salinity to the air. I jumped into the first taxi I saw outside the bus station and was on my way.

The ride from the town center was quick, maybe ten minutes. Before I knew it, we were turning into a small street that ran parallel to the coastline. Hotels, shops and restaurants dotted both sides of the road; most of them blending perfectly into the landscape with their thatched-roofs and light-colored stucco walls. Statuesque palm trees punctuated the hotel entrances.

Piedra Escondida was no exception. The entrance is small, but a perfect extension of the surroundings. The rest of the hotel grounds are the same. You won’t find winding concrete walkways or multiple infinity pools here; just plain, unadulterated sand and ocean. And it’s magnificent.

To my delight, I was greeted with a margarita before being given a quick tour of my room and getting some tips about the area. After a couple of margaritas and freshening up, I sat down to an oceanfront dinner in the lovely hotel restaurant. They have a covered deck facing the ocean that is perfect for a meal if you don’t feel like wandering too far. I opted for some fish and shrimp ceviche and fresh guacamole and was not disappointed.

I ended up eating dinner here more often than I anticipated because the food, atmosphere and service was just that good. The other nights I dined solely off of recommendations and each dish was better than the last.

My room, which was on the first floor and faced the beach, was a perfect complement to the rest of my stay. No television, no mini-fridge, just chic white linens accented by a rustic tile floor and plenty of natural wood. I left my windows open all day because the ocean breeze cooled the room and provided me some nice white noise. It was an ideal balance of nature and comfort.

Every day I also made it a point to be on the beach for some period of time because the hotel beachfront, surrounded by rocks on either side, made for a quiet respite from some of my tourist-filled activities. The beach is small, but very private. I had the best time relaxing there after a full day of sightseeing. Although the margaritas and wine also did a nice job of helping 🙂

Pictured above: the view as I stepped out my door. Needless to say, I was sad to go! Aside from the unbelievable location and views, the staff at Piedra Escondida also impressed me. They truly went out of their way to ensure everything about my stay was going smoothly. I can’t say enough about how nice everyone was and how welcomed I felt! Traveling alone can be, well, lonely, but I surprisingly felt pretty at home here 🙂

If you’re looking for a good home base in Tulum, I seriously can’t recommend them enough! They’re also very centrally located along the main Tulum beach road, so you’ll be a reasonable distance from everything, including the Tulum ruins which are only about 10-15 minutes away.

Thanks for reading and happy travels!