As we travel the world looking for the best place
to live we have decided to scratch Tulum off the list. Tulum is a Beach Town located on the East
Coast of Mexico. It's well known as a tourist destination for its clear turquoise waters, white
sand, and ancient Mayan ruins right on the beach. But it also has numerous problems
which made us decide it's not for us. There are also some things we loved
about our time in Tulum. If you only want to see the good things skip to
the end of this video. foreign [Music] We are never coming back to Tulum. In fact it
made us feel sad. So on to the top 10 reasons why we are never returning to Tulum.
Number one - Profit over People Tulum is a town where profit is the driving
force with little thought for the well-being of the residents. The master plan for the
development of Tulum is lacking. Luxury condos seem to be built anywhere without any thought
to roads, or schools, parks or playgrounds. Tulum basically has four areas: the Beach area,
the Town six kilometers away, and then there are two new luxury subdivisions being built in the
middle. The new luxurious Aldea Zama neighborhood is a real mishmash. It has some paved roads
and some bumpy dirt roads. It does have some sidewalks in some places, but they are overgrown
with weeds and filled with trash. It appears there is no plan as to who would maintain these common
areas. In the other new subdivision, La Valeta, the dirt roads are filled with huge craters
and rocks and almost require a 4x4. Walking there is a scary Adventure. The roads don't
appear wide enough to ever add any sidewalks. Both areas are geared to foreigners looking
for investment properties. This goes beyond gentrification as the owners, in almost
all cases, won't even be living there. Right beside the new developments, catering to
foreigners with infinity pools and yoga rooms, people live in shacks with no running
water and dirt floors. [Music] People say by increasing tourism it creates
jobs, but the majority of locals here aren't even being paid living wages. The minimum
wage in 2023 in this part of Mexico is 207 pesos or about 11 US dollars a day. Huge
profits are being made but the money isn't going to improve the lives of the majority of
the residents. We found prices in Tulum to be similar or even higher than most places in Canada
or the U.S. Can you imagine living on $11 a day? We only see the income inequality in Tulum getting
worse and that will lead to even more problems. Number Two - Beach Access
All Mexican beaches are supposed to be public and available to all, but the beachfront
hotels and condos have taken over the beautiful Tulum beaches. It is almost impossible to access
the beach as they have erected huge gates and hired security guards to make sure no one can get
through. There are very few accesses open to the public. The beaches are lined with elaborate Beach
Clubs where you have to consume overpriced food or alcohol often at a minimum purchase limit
over $100 US per person, just to get a seat. Also sometimes you just want to listen to the
waves, but the waves are drowned out by the loud thumping music coming from the beach clubs. No
wonder we didn't see local families enjoying the beach. In fact on a Sunday the only locals we saw
were the ones trying to sell to the tourists. It broke our hearts to see this little boy and his
family spending their Sunday hawking bracelets. In comparison on a Sunday in
Mexico City the parks were filled with families enjoying their time together. Number Three - getting around The town of Tulum is about six kilometers from
the beach. There's no easy way to get between the town and the beach. A taxi can cost over a
hundred dollars to go both ways, depending on the time of day. If you want to drive parking is hard
to find and the roads are filled with potholes. If you live near the main road to the beach
Coba Avenue you could walk for an hour, or bike to get to the beach, but in the summer
on a hot or rainy day that may not be so great. We stayed in a place close to Kukulkan
Avenue, a newly completed road to the beach. Unfortunately, this new road was built just for
cars with no room for bikes or pedestrians. It was hair raising to see the locals trying
to walk on this road as vehicles sped past. The road that runs along behind the beach is also
very narrow and filled with potholes with little room for walking. Walking along it did not have
the laid-back Beach Town Vibe we had imagined. We don't see the traffic in Tulum improving
as sidewalks and bike lanes can't be added as condos are built so close to the road. The
roads are narrow and the number of tourists visiting keeps going up. There is a plan
to build a train that will link to Tulum, however even it is plagued with controversy. We
usually Love trains but it appears they didn't do the proper planning and environmental
assessment before breaking ground. Number Four - Water Pollution
Tulum does not have the infrastructure to deal with all the pollution generated by
the huge influx of tourists. With upwards of over 2 million visitors there's no system in
place to handle all the wastewater and sewage. According to earthjournalism.net
this lack of a drainage network has forced businesses and homes here
to create their own sewage systems. Many flow directly into the underground aquifer
that provides the water for drinking and home use. We read that in Tulum only 15% of the
buildings are connected to the sewage system. It's upsetting to know that raw sewage
eventually flows directly to the sea where it kills the coral. The Reef has lost 80
percent of its Coral due to human contamination. With all the money made from the new construction
of condos and the tourist dollars being spent in Tulum, there should be a firm plan
to clean up and control the sewage output. Even some of the cenotes here are polluted.
Cenotes are sinkholes with freshwater pools that were considered sacred by the Mayans. They
have become popular swimming spots for tourists. Business Insider Mexico reports that
over 80% of the cenotes are contaminated. The Cancun sun reported that recently
three Tulum cenotes were contaminated with high levels of contaminants including Ecoli. They were ordered to be shut down so they could
be decontaminated, but they remained open! Number Five - Trash Everywhere you look in Tulum there
is trash. It overflows the dumpsters, lines the streets, and is piled up near homes. Even the brand new condos in the new fancy
neighborhoods in Tulum were surrounded by garbage. The Aldea Zama neighborhood looked nothing
like the sales brochures. It is populated with half-built condos, construction waste,
empty plastic bottles, and trash everywhere. The new neighborhoods need to come up with a
system to ensure they are maintained and cleaned. It was such a contrast to Mexico City where
they took pride in keeping their City clean. Number Six - Land Ownership Ownership of some of the properties in Tulum
beachfront areas is unclear. As prices have increased tenfold, disputes have escalated.
When we visited in February 2023 three hotels were served with eviction orders due to a dispute
over who owned the land. One of the three hotels managed to come to an agreement but the other two
hotels were evicted, guests, furniture and all! Over the years there have been many other
evictions and land resold to the highest bidder. Owners have been threatened to make payments
to people who may or may not own the land. To say it is a mess is an understatement. We
certainly won't be buying property here! Number Seven - Seaweed Seaweed, known as sargassum, is a persistent
problem for beachgoers on the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Usually, it covers
beaches from March to October. However, when we visited Tulum in early February
2023, it was already covering the beaches. Researchers say the increased levels of sargassum
are due to increased water temperatures. Hotels on the beach shovel the seaweed into
wheelbarrows and put it into large piles, before using front-end loaders to finish the job. As Sargassum decomposes it gives off
a substance called hydrogen sulfide. Hydrogen sulfide has a very
unpleasant odor like rotten eggs. Although the seaweed is harmless tiny
sea creatures that live in sargassum can cause skin rashes. Hydrogen sulfide can
also irritate your eyes nose and throat. It doesn't make for a great Beach vacation
when the beach smells and is unswimmable. Number Eight - Drugs and Violence With tourists flocking to Tulum to party, drug
use has skyrocketed in the area. With that comes the drug dealers. The Courier Journal
reported that the cartels have moved into the area and that people were constantly being
detained by the police on drug dealing charges and when rival cartels battle it out innocent
tourists get caught in the line of fire. We saw the National Guard patrolling everywhere
we went in Tulum toting ominous-looking guns. The thought of potentially getting caught in a
crossfire and the constant presence of heavily armed guards made us feel unnerved.
Before I show you the final reasons why we'll never live in Tulum, and some
of the reasons we enjoyed our time there, please do me a favor and hit subscribe. It really
helps me to bring you videos about more cities. Number Nine - Expensive We found that Tulum is very expensive.
From rent, to food, to things to do, everything costs more than other places in
Mexico and often more than in Canada or the US. Hotels in the beach area will cost between 500
to 1000 U.S per night. Food was also expensive, especially along the beachfront. Burgers sell
for around $30 U.S and smoothie bowls for$15. This is more than double the price as
we found in nearby Playa del Carmen. Even taking a taxi was more than triple the
cost in other Mexican cities we have visited. Now I know we are in a town that caters to
tourists and shouldn't be shocked at the high prices, but Mexico has many other beachfront
locations that are more reasonably priced. Number 10 - Instagrammers I must admit I enjoy Instagram however in
Tulum, more than anywhere we have ever been, many people were spending hours taking inauthentic
videos and photos just to post on the Gram. For example, there was a huge lineup of
people paying the fee and then waiting in a long line just to have their photo
taken inside this famous sculpture. You can even find numerous Instagram tours
where you visit various spots to have your photo taken in front of stunning scenery.
When I look at Instagram photos I expect them to be documenting their fun on vacation.
I don't envision the hours they spent in lines and crowds to just get a photo. It took
away a bit of the magic of the place. So as promised there are some things we
loved about Tulum. Of course, you can have a great vacation in Tulum, but isn't similar we see
ourselves living. If you want to relax on a lounge chair and listen to the waves with a drink in
your hand Tulum could be a perfect place for you. Tulum does have gorgeous white sand beaches,
when not covered with sargassum. It also has a very active nightlife. The Mayan ruins on the
beach are a must-see. Inhabited 564 A.D. the city was important for sea trade. It was here that
they worshiped the Great Descending God [Music] And there are some great hotels and resorts in
Tulum, many with an alternative bent. for example, Holistika, a hotel with a healthy restaurant
and Yoga Retreat, caters to those looking for peace and happiness through Wellness. Their
art walk there is especially enjoyable. [Music] Plus Xel-ha Park is a short drive from Tulum
and is really a place that shouldn't be missed. We liked how they keep the
area as natural as possible. From floating down a lazy river through the
mangroves, riding bikes through the jungle, and snorkeling in the bay to see all sorts
of fish, it was a perfect day for us. If you do end up deciding to come to Tulum for
a beautiful beach vacation, try to support the locals. However, for living, there are many other
areas in Mexico that are higher on our list. Next week we'll show you some other
places in Mexico that we preferred in the meantime check out these
other cities here. [Music]
