By the time our final morning dawned at Esencia, we felt well and truly at home.
Relaxed, a little brown, happy and very much in holiday mode.
We took up our places at our usual table, for one final breakfast.
Beside the pool and beneath the waving palms.
After huevos and huge iced coffees, we make footprints in the sand.
Taking ourselves for a slow walk along the shore.
Dragging our heels through the surf, ducking swooping pelicans and drinking in the morning sun.
Sunnies // Blue embroidered top
We said goodbye to our treehouse bar, and waved adios to the iguanas.
Hopping into a rickety Mexican cab, and hurtling down the highway, continuing our slow descent to Tulum.
Checking into our next hotel, Jashita.
Complete with four-poster beds, private plunge pools and a peaceful oasis in the jungle.
A bit of a halfway house between the seclusion of Esencia and the hubbub of Tulum town.
The baby pool, for us newbies!
Worn at the edges, with quite a lot of construction going on and staff who seem to delight in upsetting guests, I can’t say it’s the most wonderful place I’ve visited.
But the new pool is glorious, and I’m sure once the building noise dies down it will be a very relaxing place to stay.
The design itself is very pretty and the rooms are very comfortable.
The wifi will have you pulling your hair out, but as long as you expect it not to work… life will be a whole lot easier!
You can just about get by in the lobby, so probably a good excuse to disconnect and read your book.
Just outside of town you’ll need a car to get into town, which is quite fun because all of the cab drivers are charming. Truly lovely, chatty and very funny chaps.
A little bit of Spanish goes a long way, so give it a go if you can!
We headed to Zamas (again!) for a lazy lunch beside the sea.
Yellow beach dress // Lemon print handbag
We grabbed a couple of frosty cocktails from the chirpy, beaming waitresses.
And stretched out to enjoy the blues of Tulum.
Followed by a generous lunch in the shade.
Spicy shredded chicken tacos, topped with sharp, crisp apple and radish.
Warm, rich, indulgent and refreshing, all at the same time.
Guacamole, obviously!
Gambas pilpil. A favourite from my childhood in Spain.
Fat, juicy prawns in a spicy bath of oil and roughly chopped garlic.
After lunch and a sort of seated siesta with our feet in the sand, we wandered off to explore more of the shops on offer.
The ceramics shops had me furiously Googling how to ship boxes home to the UK!
Sadly the answer is expensive in both cost and effort, so I bid farewell to the painted dishes and promised to return with an empty suitcase one day soon.
After sunset we made our way into the Pueblo for supper.
Settling on Cetli as our restaurant of choice; a little yellow box in a side street we walked down rather warily!
Inside it’s like being welcomed into someone’s home.
The owner, Claudia, has an eclectic taste which adds a good dollop of charm to the experience.
The staff are quite simply lovely.
Don’t bother calling ahead to book for two, they’ll tell you there are no tables, but if you rock up they’ll make room.
Worth booking if you’re a group, you can have that table ^ up there.
You start with the starters del dia.
A collection of nibbly bits the kitchen recommends.
There’s only one cocktail on offer, and oh it’s a goodie!
A frozen tamarind margarita, with a spicy rim.
Unbelievably moreish and the perfect slurping texture.
The house dish is Chile En Nogada – A poblano pepper stuffed with minced beef & pork, prunes, raisins, pineapple, cinnamon, walnuts, cheese & sherry. Topped with pomegranate and parsley.
Sounds wild, tastes incredible. Truly exceptional and well worth ordering.
The fresh fish of the day in a rich tamarind sweet/sour sauce is also a triumph.
I’ve never tasted anything like it, just magical.
All topped off with a boozy ice-cream sandwich.
A very special meal in a very special place. Cetli deserves a spot on your “To Tulum” list for sure.
Late, late in the evening we stumbled home through our carved door into Jashita.
With the construction over for the day, we fell into our very comfortable bed and slept very happily indeed.