Plus, her insider tips to for visiting the popular Mexican beach town.
Siff Haider, founder of holistic supplement company Arrae, has been going to Tulum for just shy of a decade. “I’ve always been really into travel and in 2015 it was a little bit off the beaten path and I just thought that it looked really interesting and cool,” says Haider. Read on for our full conversation, plus Haider’s recommendations on where to stay, where to eat, and what to do.
Kristen Maxwell Cooper: When did you start going to Tulum?
Siff Haider: My husband and I started going to Tulum in 2015 and it just became this yearly thing for us. We literally went every single year up until the pandemic. That was the first time we missed a year going to Tulum. It’s been a nice through line in our relationship. It was just something special that we did together.
KMC: What prompted you to go there in 2015?
SH: I’ve always been really into travel and in 2015 it was a little bit off the beaten path and I just thought that it looked really interesting and cool. We’ve been to Cancun once, but it just wasn’t my vibe. I really gravitate towards places like Tulum with really beautiful and interesting boutique hotels. And I’d heard there were a lot of really great chefs there as well. I’m very into food and it seemed like a lot of these chefs from New York and LA who wanted a quieter life were going away to Tulum. There were also these random weddings that were happening there. And I was like, ‘what’s the deal with this place?’ It seemed really cool and all of that kind of attracted me to it.
KMC: What do you love most about Tulum? What keeps you returning?
SH: What has really appealed to me about it over time is the fact that it has that beach-jungle vibe, but at the same time you have all the bits and pieces of the city that you love—the really great food and restaurants with amazing vibes; the stunning hotels. Plus, it’s right on the beach. I just love that Tulum has this boutique kind of feel to it while still having the luxuries you love from a city like New York.
I love to experiment with hotels. It’s like my thing. Even if I love a hotel, I’ll probably only stay there for one trip. Because I want to see what else is out there! Casa Malca is an insane property. It’s so, so beautiful. It’s also quite large, but still feels small and intimate. They have prime beach area as well. Kanan Tulum is another one of my favorites—you can’t go wrong staying there either. I was just there with friends last summer and we stayed at Radhoo Tulum—it was truly amazing. -SH
It really depends on the purpose of the trip, which is why I like Tulum so much because it offers a vast variety of options. So I love going to the cenotes. That’s kind of what Tulum is known for. So we either rent a little scooter or we take our rental car and just explore the cenotes—-it’s more of an adventurous thing to do if you want a break from just chilling on the beach or eating or whatever. But outside of that, to be honest, I like to hang out on the beach, catch up on reading, and do light Pilates. And then I love to obviously go out with my friends if I’m there with a group. But another great thing about Tulum is they usually have something happening. The last time we were there, the chefs from Pujol were in town and so they did a pop up restaurant, which I thought was so cool. And now that we’ve been going there for a really long time, we are friends with certain locals and they’ll let us know if something is happening. I think another good tip is to make friends with the manager of your hotel or someone at a restaurant and ask them questions about where to go and what’s going on. The locals are so friendly and they’ll give you tips if you’re open to it. It’s also one of the more authentic ways to get to know what a city or a town has to offer. – SH
@katiefresca ARCA Tulum is probably one of my favorite restaurants in the world. It is unbelievable. They have this bone marrow dish and believe me I never thought I’d be someone who would enjoy bone marrow, but I tried it and it is unbelievable. Literally anything on the menu is phenomenal. And the vibe is amazing, and the cocktails are insane. Gitano is really good too. Not only is their food great, but it’s just a fun night out with friends. That’s definitely the vibe they usually have on Friday nights—they have a DJ and everything. Mur Mur is amazing for tacos and it’s just a chill place to quickly grab some food as well. Bal Nak is an incredible dining experience. You want to sit, take your time, and have a bunch of courses. It’s just really, really good food. For lunch, I would recommend La Popular at Nomade Hotel. It’s just really beautiful. It’s on the beach and has an elevated, bohemian vibe. Their tacos are so fresh—it’s just really great seafood. And lastly is Casa Jaguar, which I think everyone knows now, but it really is just such a good place that everyone should know about and visit. – SH
Walk if you can
Over time Tulum has gone from this secret place to a bit tourist central. So the traffic can be a bit bananas. The best thing you can do is pick a hotel that is close to all the places you want to go so you can walk. Another option is instead of driving around, I would rent a little scooter because you can kind of beat the traffic that way.
Consider weekdays
This is obviously not possible for everyone, but if you can go there on weekdays versus a weekend, the traffic is going to be a lot better. Especially when you are trying to get from Cancun to Tulum.
Ask your hotel for the nightlife scoop
Restaurants and places have certain nights they are known for the whole town kind of knows when those big nights are—they might have a live DJ or something and it’s the obvious place to go. So as I mentioned, if you’re at a hotel or a restaurant, ask where you should be going on each night. And definitely makes reservations around three weeks in advance if you can. – SH
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