Originally Posted by
UsernameChuck
I'd just like to note that I've been following Reddit on Tulum - holy cow, the prices! I gave serious consideration to going to the Conrad instead of the AI, thinking we could eat some more "authentic" Mexican food in town. My wife would have killed me. We had so many points back then, I was able to book both and then cancel the Conrad. It's a shame, things are so overpriced down there, and I think it's fair to assume most of it isn't going to the regular people. But either way, the takeaway for me is: if you want to go to Tulum, an AI is the only way to go. (Otherwise, go somewhere else.)
The Tulum town isn't too awful for prices compared to the Tulum beach area which may as well be South Beach. If you want a good combo of local things + a resort, the Hilton PdC isn't too bad. A bit more upcharges than I would want (e.g. the only real shade by the main pool is using rentable bali beds, no umbrellas last time we were there) and the beach isn't amazing, but the food was solid, rooms large and renovated a few years ago, and it's literally smack dab in the middle of Playa del Carmen. If you get bored of the resort, you can wander off and do a choose your own adventure - stay on Avenida Quinta (5th Ave) and see the souvenir shops, wander down Calle 38 (38th Street) between Avenida Quinta and the Sea and enjoy a very beautiful street with great restaurants, or head a bit west of 5th Ave for plenty of cheaper and/or more local eats at price points closer to what you'd expect local food to cost.
It's one of the few all-inclusives in the Riviera Maya or Playa Mujeres that doesn't feel like a compound. I love some of the others down there (e.g. TRS Yucatan) but hate that you have to spend $40 minimum roundtrip on a taxi to and from anywhere that isn't a resort.