El Bistro at Ziggy's Beach Club ***

El Bistro opened a while back as part of the new Ziggy's Beach club at Cabanas Tulum. This great spot on the south end of Tulum beach is really great. Restaurants that are perfect for kids??!!??!! This is it.

I have 2 kids and taking them to a restaurant is not always the easiest thing. And I want to have a good time too. Well this place is great.

El Bistro is perfect for alll groups but especially for families for a few reasons. 1- it is very large. There is a lot of space for the kids to be in without interrupting the other people enjoying their day in the sun.

There is a great 2x1 drink special ALL DAY!!!!!! Serving up all of the Rivera Maya's best cocktails! The beach here is amazing- soft clear - great waves... And just to seal the deal... there is a wooden swing and a screened in trampoline!!!!!!! I mean REALLY!!???!?!?! It was perfect, and made an already great day - even better.

I have been here on 2 occasions and the food has been amazing both times. The kid friendly menu is was really appreciated. The portions are a good size and the food is made with quality ingredients. I hate getting food for my kids that is a total after thought --and this food was really good.

This time I was here with my brother and my husband and the food once again did not

disappoint. I had a shrimp in garlic dish, hubby had calamari and bro had a fajita.

It was all very good.

We ordered one of the most annoying drinking ever made.... the Miami Vise. This drink is half strawberry daiquiri and half pina colada. It is a total pain in the butt because it requires the bartender to make 2 - already annoying drinks.

Now- do not get me wrong- bartenders make lots of annoying drinks and the do it gladly.... but if you ask a bartender to make several of these- please show your appreciation. Because they are sooooo good and so easy to order many of- but tip accordingly- because they are not easy. My hubby was kind enough to take one for the team and order the 3rd one in our group so the bartender could make only this one drink. I always like to order a shot of rum on the side and put a splash in each drink because it can get too sweet for me.

The food was amazing and we had a really good time. I would defiantly recommend eating here. It has a very well rounded menu and there are options that will please everyone. And those of you with kids.... this is PREFECT!!! Options for the kids, a play ground, and a perfect beach... what more could you want.

I had heard that there might be some live music or beach parties here. If so I will keep you all posted. This would be a great place for a party or wedding.

Response about Ocho Closing

I received this comment in my post about Ocho Tulum's closing. I know that this is an issue that many people are concerned with and that information is not as easy to come by in English so I wanted to post it here.


Let me be clear. This is not me saying this. This is an anonymous person that left a comment on my post but it did give another side of the story so I wanted to post it. Please feel free to leave comments or to send me an email with specific questions.

I am contacting the hotel to see if they want to add anything to this. But I will say that I do hope that it is true that Ocho is reopening because I think it is a great hotel.

I hope you are all having a great day.

There has been a lot of concern over Ocho Tulum and its seizure two weeks ago. The hotel was seized in a fraudulent effort by the Garza Ponce family of Monterrey alleging that they own the lease to the land on which Ocho Tulum stands.

Ocho Tulum's owner is in communicating with top officials in both the U.S. and Mexico to get this remedied expediently.

It has recently come to our attention that the owners of another Tulum hotel, Ana y Jose, in affiliation with the Garza Ponce family will take over operation of Ocho Tulum. This is illegal! Do not risk your vacation being compromised by staying there.

Ocho Tulum's operators aim to provide the best service they can and are in contact with all of the guests who had reservations for this upcoming winter season. They're referring guests to Blue Tulum and in some cases refunding deposits.

Ocho Tulum will be back. Stay tuned. Feel free to comment.

Ocho Tulum Closed

Okay. So everyone who lives in Tulum has heard by now... Ocho Tulum was seized the other day and its doors closed due to a court order earlier this week. All of the guests, 12 in total, were given alternet lodging. As for now the doors remain closed over the land dispute.

Here is one of the articles that was found around town. It has been translated via the auto translator so it is a bit rough.

There is a dispute about the land and who exactly owns it. Ocho is working with the investigation and is hoping to get the whole thing resolved. It is not exactly clear what is going to happen in the upcoming days. I do know that Ocho is working with Blue Tulum and other companies in the Tulum area to ensure that all those who have a reservation - especially over the upcoming holiday season- will still have your amazing vacation in paradise.

Here is a rough translation of the article that can be found here

For agrarian conflict in Tulum
An-gel EUAN



De-sa-lo-ho ho-tel eight Tu-lum
TU-LUM, 30 non-viem-bre.- With a court order was made this morning by the eviction of Ocho Tulum hotel, located in coastal city in Tulum-Boca Paila Road, causing about a dozen tourists and eighty employees remained virtually on the street, after the claim of the rightful owner of such land, in the restive area known as "Punta Piedra.

Around 15:00 hours, by order of a civil judge, the clerk visited Ocho Tulum hotel to reclaim the property belonging to the family Garza Ponce, accompanied by about a dozen police elements who were responsible for evicting tourists and employees.

The conflict over land ownership dating from the 90s, where every day there were moments of tension. This conflict area is better known as "Punta Piedra. Ejido Jose Maria Pino Suarez, knowing that the limits of its territorial reserves not adjoining to the coastal zone, gave proofs of ownership, such as that given to the alleged owner Teresa Jiménez Rodríguez.

However, despite having the document and according to the injunction, the order was throwing the occupants to surrender the property later Ponce Erica Trevino family coopropietaria Garza Ponce, who are airing this problem through both criminal for years.

Altogether 12 tourists were evacuated were staying at the hosting center, as well as 80 employees who work in it, who currently hold a 30 percent occupancy, according to hotel manager.

The alleged owner, Teresa Jiménez Rodríguez, who purchased the property to Joseph Tun Cahuich, in the midst of powerlessness, said she was being violated their individual rights by the authorities, to be released from the estate, a situation that could occur with other occupants of the same strip.

These actions are given a few days of hotel occupancy starts to increase, since according to the president of the Tulum Hotel Owners' Association, hope to achieve in the holiday season about 80 percentage points.

Om Restaurant on Tulum Beach ***

I had a fantastically wonderful time recently having dinner at Om on Tulum beach. This dinner was especially fantastic because I was meeting up with people from Tulum.info. This is a great forum on Tulum and is full of people who really love Tulum. So armed with some great friends we headed down the beach road. Om sits toward the south end of the beach road and is a nice and easy drive.

There are a lot of places on the beach road and some of them really do look a lot alike and have the same sort of ambiance. But Om has really created a very different feel and you can notice it from the very beginning at the entrance from the road. The peaceful ambiance is accented by the large Buddha fountain at the front entrance and the calming bridge and pathways that lead to the rooms and the beach front restaurant.


I have not had the opportunity t o stay or visit friends staying at this hotel but I did see the rooms and they are very well appointed. Going with general theme of the Rivera Maya the rooms are simple and clean-lined with accents of color and local crafts and art. The use of organic materials creates a beautiful harmony with the beach and lush jungle that surround it.


The restaurant is very beautiful. The large open palapa can be closed off in the case of heavy winds and provides fantastic views of the beach and the crashing waves. The large pieces of red fabric that flow above the restaurant create a royal and powerful ambiance that I really liked.


I did enjoy the margaritas which were served in the correctly sized small glass rather then that huge thing that sometimes comes to the table. The owner was there and was, as always, a great entertainment. I really enjoyed sitting with him, my new and my old friends at such a beautiful dinner.

There are a few things that stuck out as far as dishes went. The first was the fish and chips. The fish was in large sections that had a coating to die for. And everyone loves a well done french fry and proper catsup- which can be hard to find sometimes. There were a few great pizzas on the table and that is what this restaurant is known to do well.

One of my friends ordered this beautifully wrapped/stuffed chicken breast. It looked incredible. I am pretty sure it had chaya (a Yucatecan version of spinach) and cheese and I am sure a little more.

There were a few shrimp dishes, one with Thai sweet chili sauce. This was a little too candy tasting for me but that is more me then anything. I cook a lot with Thai chili sauce and do it to my own liking so when it is done by someone else then it is usually too sweet for me. My friend loved her food- in fact- Everyone loved their food.

The highlight- besides the amazing margaritas, decadent food and wonderful friends... was the pizza nutella. This dessert is rich and wonderful. A light and perfectly cooked wood oven pizza crust slathered in rich and yummy nutella and served with some roasted nuts and wonderful tropical fruit preserves.

There is nothing greater (in my opinion) then friends and food. This is a combination that makes me so happy. And this night was full of all of my favorite things. I am so happy that I finally got to put names and faces together and eat such amazing food.


Evangelo is a truly gracious host and a wonderful person and it was so great to spend time with him and the Tulum.info crowd. If you are traveling in Tulum and want to check out www.Tulum.info there is a wealth of information from people who have been to Tulum and want to share the good and bad.

Ocho Tulum's Yoga Retreat **Ocho is now operating out of Blue Tulum***

I have not been to the new Ocho by Blue Tulum. I have stayed at the Blue Tulum resort and it was very nice. If I do ever have the opportunity to stay at the new hotel I will bring you the report.




The yoga retreats at Ocho Tulum really are an amazing expereince and one that a few lucky people got to expereience this past week on the glistening beaches of Tulum, Mexico. Yoga retreats are renowned the world over as an amazing way to reconnect to your body, mind and spirit while harmonizing with the natural surroundings.

There is no better place to do this the Ocho Tulum. The whole mystic area that is the Rivera Maya envelopes one in a deep sense of history and connection to the Earth. The energy of the people of times long past are still felt in the waters of the cenotes and in the trees that flow calmly in the wind. The whole area of Tulum draws in a mystic and peaceful feeling.

The feeling and energy that this area has lends itself as the ideal place for such relaxing and rejuvinating activities such as the Ocho Tulum Yoga Retreats. Ocho Tulum as a hotel adds its own element with its dedication to the enviroment and haromnizing with the elemnts around them. To read more about the hotel Ocho Tulum, click here.



The Yoga retreats at Ocho Tulum bring focus and connection with mind, body and spirit with many different activities ranging from mantra beach walks, yoga workshops that connect thought and meditation to poses, beach boot camps designed to burn fat and increase your heart rate to day trips to amazing colonial towns like Villdolid to rejuvinating cenotes. An amazing spa on the premisis is the perfect place to pamper your tired feet, enjoy a healing massage or recieve an invigorating facial.

The meals prepared for the guests of the reatreat are prepared with as much love and flare as the rest of the menu the head chef, Eric Fischer, prepares each night. A commitment to vegitarian and vegan dishes is observed year round by this chef but is given special highlight during these beautiful retreats that they host.

The packages include 6 days, 5 nights, 2 yoga classes a day, 3 meals per day, a massage, a spa treatment (including the renowned Mayan Clay treatment) 1 day trip to a Mayan ruins site, and air port transfer. The schedule includes enough time to relax and enjoy the beautiful beach and surrounding jungles and sends guests home with a deeper connection to their bodys as well as their uncounscience, and retored and ready to take on the world that lays outside the Caribbean.

For more information about the amazing yoga retreats at visit the Ocho Tulum website here.

Ochoberfest!!! The best of Germany hits Tulum!

One thing that I really love about Ocho Tulum is that it is constantly hosting events that encompass a different feel then many of the run of the mill happy hour fiestas that you might think of when you think of the Rivera Maya.

After living in Munich, Germany- Tulum is defiantly not the place I would have expected an Oktoberfest invitation to be in my inbox. But there it was. The colors of Bavaria flew high over the beach chairs usually reflecting the red, green and white of the Mexican flag. And even better... the taste and smells of really amazing German beer and sausage filled the wind off the sea.



In speaking to head chef Eric Fischer I could hardly wait for the event to happen. The food sounded so amazing. The same well flavored sausage and potatoes dishes that I was used to eating in Munich were about to be served, by the amazing staff of Ocho Tulum's incredible kitchen, right there on the beaches of Tulum.

The beer in Germany is a special breed. It can be very different then beers here in Mexico. Not better- but very different. I got excited even seeing the bottles on the tables!


This event did not disappoint. The food was absolutely amazing- as I was expecting. And the deep rich beers of Germany kept the guests happy and dancing on the sand well in to the night. Ocho Tulum brought an exciting and worldly flavor to their already exciting and well reviewed restaurant and beach club. I cannot wait to see what event is going to be next.

Hotels on Tulum Beach

Tulum Beach Hotels surround guests with natural beauty and a responsibility and respect of the environment around them. With solar and wind power, many of these hotels offer many of the conveniences and opportunities for fine dining directly on the shores of the Caribbean.

When guests stay at Tulum Beach they can expect a few things. For one, these hotels are usually much more low key then those large mega resorts and hotels in Playa del Carmen. These hotels have an Eco chic design, work with the landscape around them have amenities that focus more on the earth then the person in the room. This is one of the best things about Tulum.

When coming to stay at one of the beach hotels in Tulum you can expect that most places are going to have 24 hour electricity and many will have wireless internet. But these are not as constant as one would sometimes hope. Many… in fact almost all of the hotels on Tulum beach do not have air conditioning. This is because the -almost- constant breeze off of the water and coupled with fans keeps most people perfectly comfortable.

Because the hotels on Tulum beach are set between the lapping waves of the turquoise water and the low growing trees and mangroves of the tropical rain forest, mosquitoes can be an issue. This can be easily solved by using eco friendly bug spray and incense. As with elsewhere in Tulum, the hotels, and our delicate ecosystem can take the amount of paper from the towns restrooms and so every hotel (as well as restaurant, house and shop) will ask you to put toilet paper in the trash can provided.

Given one of the most beautiful and largest off shore reefs in the world, Tulum and the people that call it home work very hard to preserve it.

Many hotels on Tulum Beach offer fantastic restaurants featuring a wide variety of foods. You can also check our restaurants tab for a list of our experiences with Tulum Restaurants.


Check the hotels link at the top of the page for our experiences at some Tulum Beach hotels. For more information about the sorts of hotels you will find in Tulum town check here.


If you would like for Tulum Living to review your hotel, or one of your favorite hotels, please contact us www.TulumLiving@yahoo.com