Ah Tulum, how do I love thee? Let me count the waves! We finally had the chance to visit for the first time this August and we loved it so much we're already plotting our next visit. We were lulled into relaxation mode immediately by the friendly locals who welcomed us the moment we arrived. The beaches have some of the softest sand we've ever felt on our toes. The water was a beautiful turquoise blue and SO warm. We find ourselves really missing our daily dips in the Caribbean Sea and even though it was quite hot during our stay, the salty on shore breezes kept us cool while we devoured Guacamole, coconut chips, spicy margaritas and Negra Modelos in our little cabana on the beach. Ah heaven...take me back!

 Tulum is all about ambiance. There's a sense of community here with a wonderfully blended feeling of rustic luxury, and tropical beauty. You get the sense that this little paradise has been carefully protected and preserved by its residents. It's a place where sustainability isn't just a buzz word - it's a way of life. We were pleasantly surprised by the absence of big chain resorts. We even got to experience seeing newly hatched sea turtles on the beach!

 Located on the Riviera Maya area of Mexico, there are plenty of boutique resort options nestled along the long jungle road that runs through the tiny resort town of Tulum. We decided to experience two resorts during our visit. Sanara and Nomade...we absolutely loved both options. Check out our Nomade post here.

 Sanara offers wonderful amenities with clean, beautifully decorated & comfortable rooms (fully air-conditioned, which was a must on our list in August). We were welcomed with a basket full of homemade cookies, the softest ever Turkish towels (available for purchase of course), some luxurious scrubs from their spa and natural bug spray...the mosquitoes came out in droves after dark so this bug spray was a lifesaver. Don't even get me started on their sheets! Like butter...they were so soft. We slept so well here and we loved the dream catcher above the bed.

 We really enjoyed having a leisurely lunch at their restaurant on the beach, The Real Coconut. A great place for a drink and a bite to eat, with an abundance of custom juices, healthy food and, yes, even a great place for an adult beverage. Of course, the best part was this amazing view!

 The fish tacos were delicious and don't miss their famous coconut chips and guacamole. Yum!

 Probably one of the best amenities they offer is that our room came with an assigned cabana that was ours for the day. No worrying if we overslept or went exploring first, we always had a spot at the beach. The attendants assign each guest their spot in the morning and once you arrive, they will lead you to your comfy beach cushion where you can brown yourself to a crisp (or chill in the shade as we did) and the friendly staff will be sure to keep you well-hydrated and as comfortable as possible.

 This intimate resort is amazing and we loved the that we could easily walk to many of the shops and restaurants. (Tip: We had an excellent dinner just a short walk down the road at Arca, it was SO good. They had the best spicy margaritas of the entire trip.) If you want to venture out further, cabs are plentiful and the hotel staff was really helpful. They arranged a local excursion for us where we hired a taxi that waited for us while we explored the Tulum ruins followed by swimming in the crystal clear waters of the nearby cenotes. (Tip: for some reason when we got to the Tulum ruins there was a HUGE line to get in, even though they have kiosks that you can use to purchase your ticket. Nobody was using them! We bought our tickets at the kiosk and breezed right past the lines. This probably saved us from about a 45 min wait in the hot sun!)

We loved our stay at Sanara Tulum. The decor is beautiful, the Spa is pure heaven, the staff is really helpful, you can walk to most of the shops/restaurants and even if you don't stay here, the Real Coconut is a great place to grab a healthy meal.