I was in Tulum from June 9 through the 17th. My flight was actually on time! I was first off the plane, due to sitting in seat 1B. The arrival hall at Terminal 3 was completely empty so I zoomed right through.
They give you a short health form as you exit the plane that has to be completed right away. The health check was just outside Immigration but the man there just glanced at the form and waved me on. They did not take temperatures even though there were signs posted saying that they do.
My bag came off almost immediately. (Love that Elite status) and for the first time in maybe 20 trips to Mexico I got a Red Light and had to have my bag inspected. I check a very large rolling duffle bag and it was crammed with the necessities that make a week in a beach cabana a little more pleasant. However, the inspection was cursory at best and I was soon out the door. I was met by a Budget car rep holding a sign with my name on it and he quickly loaded me up and delivered me to an off airport site at a new Marriott hotel on 307. I had booked a cheapo econobox but was given a larger compact with auto tranny. And the A/C was downright frigid. Eight Day rental cost right at $90.00 US. Killer deal. (I do not take insurance.)

In a bit over an hour I was exiting 307 and heading to Casa Cenote, my traditional lunch stop on the way to Tulum. I had a couple of Dos Equis and a plate of Fish Tacos. Yum!

I arrived at Azulik around 1430 and was immediately escorted to my villa.
Over the many years I have stayed there, I have stayed in many different villas but have been in #4 twice before and specifically requested it again. I don't think they usually guarantee specific villa requests. Maybe they honored mine as a customer who returns year after year. They certainly treated me well in all other aspects.

I got settled in and headed down to the beach. If you're not familiar with Azulik, most of the villas sit up high on a coral reef cliff overlooking the sea. There is no beach directlly below, though. Azulik guests share the be beach with the sister property, Cabanas Copal, which is right next door to the the north. This beach is clothing optional, which is not to say that it is a "nude beach." "Optional" is key word here and there were various stages of dress along the beach, ranging from shorts and T-shirts to swim suits to topless women to full nudity of both sexes. It's a safe, gawker free zone. The beach in front of Copal has many chairs and loungers. There are ten palapas that provide shade, as well as two rope suspended hanging beds. There is also a great beach bar there with full bar service as well as a nice lunch/early dinner service and great snacks. An order of Guacamole is a meal all by itself.

There was a little bit of seaweed washing up but not much. What accumuates during the night is handled promptly early each morning by a crew who rakes it all up and hauls it off. The beach is kept nice and clean. The beach at Copal is a living thing, constantly in flux. There is a break in the reef offshore just abeam Copal. When conditions are just right, parts of the beach can erode quickly, exposing some rocks. My first day or so there, the beach was in that condition. However, late on the second day the winds changed from directly offshore and began to blow from the north, right down the shoreline. This, of course, changed the wave action also and almost overnight you could see the beach rebuilding itself. Within a couple of days the beach was pretty much back to its full glory- wide and smooth. Not exactly like the beaches further south but certainly nice in their own right.
On the southern edge of Azulik is a very nice little pocket beach that is shared with two or three other properties. This beach never seems to be affected by the temporary fluxations of the Copal beach. At one time this was a C/O beach, also but it is now marked "No Nudity allowed" though topless is okay.

But... as a guest at Azulik I could always enjoy the sea without having to actuall be on the beach. Each Azulik unit has a fairly large deck overlooking the sea. On this deck are a couple chairs, a little swing, and a queen size hanging bed suitable for taking great naps... or whatever. I'm always there solo so there was no "whatever" for me.
There is also an outdoor tub right on the edge of the cliff. Fill it up in the morning and by mid afternoon it's the perfect temperature for sitting and relaxing. You can add warm water at night to make it comfortable to sit in the tub in the evening breeze. The tubs vary between the units: some are tiled and some are made of wood. All are big enough for two.

Inside the villa is king size bed with a mosquito net canopy. I've never used the mosquito net. I leave the double doors to the deck open all night for the breeze and any skeeters that might be around get whisked away. The bed is firm, but covered with egg-crate foam. I found it very comfortable. In addition to the king bed, there is another hanging queen bed inside and another bath tub. The inside tub is about six feet long inside dimentions and is made from tree logs. Also big enough for two, and has a shower extention. There is a sink with mirror, a fairliy large closet, storage shelves, and a toilet (with a door) around the corner and separate from the living area. There is a five gallon dispensor of purified water, too.
The units are all hardwood floors throughout, made from sustainable, renewable native hardwoods. There is a ceiling fan (though you rarely need it) and a water spigot by the front steps with which to rinse the sand off your feet before you come inside.
All the units can receive a wifi signal should you want to bring your laptop. I did just fine with my iPhone.

Azulik does not have its own restaurant but is served by both the Copal, and Zahra (another sister property) restaurants, though Zahra was temporarily closed when I was there. You can get room service at Azulik merely by hanging a flag outside your door. Before long an attendant will come by and take your order. I had a standing order for a pot of tea to be delivered each morning at 0800.

The occupancy at Azulik and Copal were down from my previous trips. Maybe half? I much rather have the vibe of a bustling place with lots of folks on the beach and in the restaurants. Even when the food places and hotels have been full in the past, I've never felt crowded out. They are certainly hurting economically. I really hate to read that people enjoyed the deserted beaches and restaurants. I'd hate to see some of my favorite places go out of business.

In addition to the restaurant at Copal, I had a wonderful breakfast at Trece Lunas. It was good to see Amanda and Carlo again. I've known them, especially Amanda, for about five years now. They now have a beautiful two year old daughter named Ula.

Que Fresco, the restaurant at Zamas, has always been one of my favorites and I always eat there often. This time was no exception. There were not the usual crowds and the menu is currently more limited than in the past but you can still choose from a variety of items such as Mexican foods (Mayan style), pasta dishes, seafoods, and some excellent pizzas cooked in their own wood burning pizza oven. This produces a wonderful thin, crispy crust with just a tinge of smoky flavor.

Other places I ate included the ever popular Pollo Bronco for fantastic grilled chicken served with hot sauce, slaw, and a big stack of freshly made corn tortillas. Half a chicken is a meal for one and will set you back only around four bucks US. They don't serve beer but you can buy some next door at the little grocery store and bring it to your table.

Don Cafetos is a reliable standby for a good, all purpose restaurant. I had Garlic Shrimp there that was heavenly. Excellent flan, too.

I also ate at the restaurant right across the street from Don Cafeto's whose name escapes me now. I had an excellent garlic fish there.

I believe all the prices, especially in the Pueblo, are lower than in years past.

The weather was tolerably warm during the day time, especially if you kept near the sea. Once inland and out of the breeze it got hot quickly, though the temps remained in the low 90s during the day. Upper 70's at night time, combined with the breeze, keeps you quite comfy. Although there was rain in the forecast for the entire eight days, it only rained during the last two days I was there, except maybe for a very brief, light shower once or twice.

On my day of departure I got a Trip Alert from Continental saying that my 1500 flight was at least an hour late. I pulled up their website on my iPhone and found that I could change to a 1330 flight with no change fee. I did so and even snagged an exit row aisle seat! I already had most everything packed so I checked out and drove away at 1045. I was at the airport at 1235. There was a short line at the health check desk. Filled out the same form as before. This time they took my temperature using a gun held near my forehead. He hardly looked at the form. I zipped through the airline check in (love those Elite status lines- though the regular line wasn't very long at that time. Security line was fairly short but I picked the line with the Xray machine [--] that required nearly every bag to be manually inspected. I can't believe the number of idiots who think they can still bring a bottle of water through security - then argue about it with the Security guys!

I stepped onto the plane and the Flight attendant handed my a Jack Daniels, saying she had poured it by mistake for someone in First Class.
Upon arrival in Houston, I was literally stepping onto my parking shuttle bus 15 minutes after I stepped off the plane. The arrival hall was empty at Four o'clock in the afternoon. I guess we just beat the afternoon wave of jumbo jets coming in from Europe.

That's about all I have to report this year. I've gone so many times that I do not do touristy things anymore. I just prefer to relax, lay around the beach or on the deck at my Azulik villa, read, nap, and drink a little beer.

I don't even take a camera anymore so I have no pictures to share.

If you're planning your first trip to Tulum and/or want specific information on Azulik or Cabanas Copal please PM me or drop me an email at
kensterfly at yahoo.

Now counting the months, weeks and days until I return- probably next April.

Cheers!

Ken