How to Plan a Tulum Beach Vacation

When looking to vacation with the family, accommodations are arguably the most important factor. Sure shopping, sights, and weather play important roles, but in the end, if you're staying in a less-than-acceptable place, the

negativity will rub off on every member of the family.

In researching places to stay in Tulum, Mexico, I first did aair max running shoes simply Google search where very little came up. There are a number of

smaller hotels which all look nice, but not quite what we look for. We prefer to have the space and privacy of a vacation rental home when we travel, but in Tulum, the good ones are hard to come by.

As a family of four (me, my wife, and two boys in their early twenties) we get a chance once a year, between everyone's busy schedules, to get away for a week. We've had gorgeous vacations in the Bahamas, Hawaii, and

virtually every popular destination in the tropics. But our favorites, by far, are our winter weeks in Tulum: where white sand beaches and unmatched ocean views welcome us the same every time.

There was one vacation in particular, that we rented a home in Tulum over Christmas and New Years. The home itself was wonderful (a difficult thing to find in Tulum, as there is not too many private homes for rent) but the

days that unfolded were simply spectacular.

There was a resident iguana who we named Greeny, always perched himself outside my younger son's window in the morning. He was soon thereafter accompanied by his brother (who we, in an attempt to rhyme, called

Obsceney). The feeling of sitting with my boys on the porch,wholesale Nike shoes looking out over the ocean with the two iguanas was an everyday occurrence. To such an

extent, that we ended up doing photo shoots with them: posing under their branches (it was amazing, they didn't run away) and making silly faces.

The ocean in Tulum is close to perfect. We're used to the Pacific Ocean where waves crash hard and tides can be rough. But this shallow ocean was just like out of a movie: always calm (yet loud enough to woo you to bed at

night). For dinners, we'd often buy local lobsters from a man down the beach and grill them on a griddle that came with our house rental. With the sunset and a few bottles of wine, our family felt closer than ever.

I would highly recommend visiting Tulum, and not necessarily staying in a hotel, but rather a Tulum vacation rental house. It allows for far more space and privacy for the family, as well as bringing it's own personal charm: in

the form of nice linens or funny iguanas. The region is far more reserved and sophisticated than the nearby (and overrated region of Cancun) and being extensive travelers ourselves, we constantly are in awe of Tulum -- this

great getaway so close to our home, yet so far from ordinary.