Tulum - Heaven on Earth

After hearing so many great things about Tulum and in need of a vacation, my boyfriend and I decided to go and see it for ourselves. Tulum, located in the Yucatan peninsula, is about an hour and half drive from Cancun. It is definitely off the grid with nearly not as many tourists as Cancun. After arriving at the Cancun airport, we went directly to our hotel, Papaya Playa Project.

Papaya Playa Project is an awesome hotel that is about in the middle of the main hotel strip. The property is very wide, which gives you a lot of quiet beach. We stayed in a cabana, but the hotel offers a variety of options at different price points. PPP is a eco hotel, so the water even in your bathroom is a little salty and the electricity goes out on the occasion, but it's all part of the off the grid beach experience. The hotel also has DJs there to play music throughout the day and at night for parties. We had an awesome time here! I would definitely recommend the hotel for couples and friends.

Early Morning Breakfast at PPP: fresh fruit, juices, bread, and coffee all included

View at Breakfast Every Morning

The quiet beach with cabanas and swings :)

Tulum has a bunch of great restaurants with incredible ambiance that are just a short bike ride or cab ride away! Keep in mind they are a bit more pricey than what I expected. (About 70 USD for dinner)

Casa Jaguar - This restaurant is on the jungle side and has delicious catch of the day and cocktails. The atmosphere is very nice at night with candles lit everywhere.

Gitano - Right across the street from the Coqui Coqui Hotel, Gitano is an amazing outdoor space with fantastic mezcal cocktails and food. We ordered the catch of the day in every restaurant we went! Gitano is the perfect place to go for dinner, drinks, or a night out. They have a lounge area, bar, and tables. This was one of my favorite restaurants.

Mezzanine Hotel - This hotel is in the opposite direction of the others and is in a more quiet area. We biked here and stopped for lunch. At first we were a bit apprehensive since it serves Thai food, but we decided to go and did not regret it! We had the most amazing whole crispy fried fish with a side of mango salad and passion fruit margaritas. I highly recommend stopping by here.

Bolas de Postre - Once your done with dinner, head over to this ice cream place for some paletas. Paletas are ice pops made of fresh ingredients and are out of this world. I recommend the nanche and arroz con leche. The ice cream scoops also looked fantastic, especially the mamey. They have such unique flavors you won't find in the US.

Flor de Michocan - This ice cream, paletas, and smoothie spot is actually in town. You can also bike here, about 20 min from PPP. They have an adorable outdoor garden.

El Capitan - If you are looking for cheaper places to eat, bike into town and eat here. They have amazing tostadas with octopus and aguachile with shrimp.

Something to note about Tulum - most of the restaurants only accept cash, both USD and Mexican Pesos.

Gitano

Bolas de Postre - Picking out my paletas

Crispy Fried Fish at Mezzanine Hotel

Tulum has many things to do and see! I recommend renting bikes, which you can get for about 100 pesos a day and just biking everywhere. Definitely check out the Tulum ruins down the road. You can bike straight down for about 20 minutes and go see the ruins as well as many iguanas. After your done looking around the ruins, walk down the steps to the beach and take a dip. The rocks and backdrop are breathtaking.

The last thing you must do in Tulum is visit the cenotes! These are naturally formed sinkholes that you can swim in. PPP has a tour that will take you to 3 cenotes for $140 USD per person. The tours are private and it will only be a small group of you. For us, it was only the two of us and another couple, so you get the entire space to yourself. We went to a darker enclosed cenote and an open one. The water is so amazingly clear and perfect.

Overall, go to Tulum to escape the hectic everyday life. Leave your cellphone in your room, grab your bikini and a coconut and just appreciate all that Tulum has to offer.

9 Bar Cafe

I found the best coffee in JC at 9 Bar Cafe. It's a newer cafe with the best coffee, brewed to perfection! The pastries are also amazing along with gluten free options. Definitely try the "Grandma's" cake if you like lemony things. I also really love the atmosphere and design of the cafe as well as the super nice owners! 

Winter Wonderland Commute

Carrino Provisions

Over the weekend I decided to try the new Italian restaurant in town, Carrino Provisions. It is an awesome place that is a similar concept to Eataly but on a smaller scale and right in Jersey City, which I'm super excited about. They have very good meats, cheeses, cold cuts, pastas, etc.. that you can buy to take home. I bought some mortadella and really delcious baguette. For lunch I had the chicken cutlet panini, butternut squash soup, and the arugula salad. All three dishes were fantastic with excellent service. The bar is also pretty long so it's a good place for drinks. Downstairs they have extra space with huge tables for events. I definitely will be going back to shop, drink, and eat! It's so exciting to have all these great restaurants opening in JC!

Broa

Broa is a new Portuguese restaurant that opened in Jersey City not too long ago. I was really excited when it opened and went right away and have already gone back since. The restaurant is super cute and very welcoming. From the plates to the napkin holder, everything is from Portugal. The restaurant has the perfect amount of seating to have a personable experience. There is enough space for a larger party at the table in the middle.Chef Michael is also super friendly and will explain everything on the menu. Speaking of the menu- it's very authentic and is never fixed. There are always new things on the menu that you can't find anywhere else. For example, I've had percebes (gooseneck barnacles) a very popular dish in Portugal and northern Spain, chorizo baked in bread, chickpea salad with sardines, and fried fish just to name a few! You can see the chefs cooking right there. The place is also BYOB and you can run a block away to Cool Vines to pick up some wine. The bathroom is also very cool. Check it out. I highly recommend going here if you want authentic food with a cozy atmosphere. 

Oaxaca - Outskirts

Oaxaca has many beautiful and unique places to visit away from the city center. I was lucky enough to visit both of these places. One was CASA, which is an old paper factory. Here you can visit the museum or simply just walk around outside. The views are beautiful and you can take many great photos there. They also have a small shop where you purchase goods made by the artist Toledo. I bought a beautiful necklace that is made from paper that you can see in my photo. You would never guess it's made from paper!

The last and most breathtaking place we visited was Hierve el Agua. This is natural rock formation that looks like a waterfall and has natural infinity pools. It's absolutely amazing!! It's hard to believe that it is all natural. This trip is also off the beaten path, so you should definitely go with a tour! It was my favorite place!

Oaxaca - Archaeological Sites

We went on two tours in Oaxaca to archaeological sites. One was to Mitla and the other to Monte Alban. Both were really interesting places to visit since you are able to see all of the pyramids that the Zapotec and Aztecs had built.  I would recommend going with a tour to both of these places. They are pretty far away from downtown Oaxaca, so going with a guide is the best option plus you get to learn about the history. The pictures speak for themselves.