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Tranquility in Tulum
A peaceful hideaway along Mexico's Riviera Maya
On a quiet stretch of beach along Mexico's Riviera Maya, a peaceful hideaway is carving a niche for itself amid verdant jungle surroundings.
The flight to Cancún arrived well after nightfall. But even then there were parrots rustling in the trees outside the airport. The tropical air was alive. Five of us piled into a family sedan sent by the hotel and set off into the night on our way to Azulik, a small new resort on the Caribbean coast of Mexico near Tulum. Napping, gazing into the darkness, making small talk with strangers—we passed the time, arriving after a little more than an hour, pulling into a candlelit driveway that was carved out of the thick tropical vegetation. Bags were whisked, smiles and handshakes were shared, and then we were led to the door of our palapa. Perched between the sandy jungle path, a rocky sea ledge, and the Caribbean (its shocking turquoise a surprise withheld until sunrise), the thatch-roof villa was romance itself.
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Spa Magazine A massage in paradise |
Tastes vary, of course, but if your relaxation response reacts to rustic surroundings, you would appreciate this sandy enclave. Using traditional building methods, materials, and concepts, Azulik’s palapa-style villas are both spacious and intimate, a sweet marriage of vernacular and comfort. A king-size bed is draped in white linens and mosquito netting, and a separate queen-size daybed swings from the ceiling on thick ropes. Hardwood floors gleam with fresh varnish, windows take in ocean vistas, and the bathtub—charmingly carved from a tree trunk—sits temptingly in full view, a curtain of dream catchers its only partition.
As an escape from the stresses of the holiday season (I am now committed to making a trip to some kind of paradise an end-of-year ritual), I found this earth-friendly destination an easy fit. Beaches here are brilliantly white and, paired with the intense blue waters and lush green jungle that border them, the scenery is pretty spectacular.
The entire area of the Yucatán—just south of the Maya ruins of Tulum—is a work in progress, one wisely embracing environmental and ecological concerns. Azulik and its neighboring properties, the more casual Cabañas Copal and Zahra hotel (all part of a group called EcoTulum Resorts), are a growing part of this new tourism that balances the beauty and pristine character of the landscape with enterprise. To their credit, the brains behind Azulik—Eduardo Neira and Holly Worton—seem as interested in breaking new ground as luring a great mix of guests. There is no electricity save that produced by the buzzing diesel generator that feeds the dim, outdoor restaurant lighting in the evening and the occasional—and wildly out of place—boom box background music. Instead, life is conducted with the rhythms of the sun—much like the Maya civilization that once thrived in the area.
In fact, I had a habit of watching the sunrise here, stepping out onto the deck while the world was still. Settling into its hammock to savor the rosy glow of the morning, I looked out over sand swept clean by the tide, its untrammeled white surface standing in elegant contrast to the surf. Down on the beach a comfortable distance away, a woman practiced tai chi, her fluid motions a mesmerizing dance. Dressed in loose white silk Chinese pajamas, her long dark hair high up in a ponytail, the connection of earth and sky was evident and the ability to bridge it inspiring.
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