When my family first began traveling to the Riviera Maya over 30 years ago, you didn’t just take a day trip down to the beach in Tulum for the day. You had to stay at least a night in a little cabana on the beach to make it worth it because the drive was 3 hours on a rough dirt road each way. Fast forward to 12 years ago when my wife and I made the move to live here full-time. The highway was paved, but Tulum was still a pretty low-key spot with a spectacular beach. Famous hotels like Azulik only had 8 rooms, and was less than $200 per night. Cabanas Copal (now well-known as Papaya Playa Project) offered last-minute deals in September for 300 PESOS per night. Hotels closed down in October for annual maintenance. 

Over the past decade, Tulum has become world-famous, not only for it’s white sand beaches that line the Caribbean Sea, but also maintaining an eco-chic vibe that is rarely found on this side of the world. That fame has brought growth and prosperity with it. Today, it is common for hotel rooms on the beach to be over $500 per night, and more. Restaurateurs from all over the world are opening new culinary experiences. Hundreds of new real estate developments are announced annually. 

Unfortunately, this growth outpaces the government’s ability to keep up with the expansion of infrastructure, so developers utilize sustainable technology to ensure that electricity, water, and waste are accessible. Some developers, not wanting to wait, even go ahead and pay to connect to the electrical grid and pave the roads surrounding their projects for better access. Seeing such rapid expansion and high volumes of people, skeptics begin to wonder if Tulum is beginning to outgrow itself. What I can do my best to convey to the reader is that over the past twelve years that I have lived here, Tulum has continued to embrace this growth, and fulfill the demand. In fact, Tulum will only become more accessible and efficient. Projects like the Tren Maya and international airport will be implemented in the coming years. In town, more growth means a larger tax base, the proceeds of which can be invested into expanding and improving infrastructure.

When people ask me if they’ve missed the boat on investing in Tulum, I respond honestly: you’re not getting in on the ground floor anymore, but we are far from the top of the mountain.