| When looking to vacation with the family, | | | | window in the morning. He was soon thereafter |
| accommodations are arguably the most important | | | | accompanied by his brother (who we, in an attempt |
| factor. Sure shopping, sights, and weather play | | | | to rhyme, called Obsceney). The feeling of sitting |
| important roles, but in the end, if you're staying in a | | | | with my boys on the porch, looking out over the |
| less-than-acceptable place, the negativity will rub off | | | | ocean with the two iguanas was an everyday |
| on every member of the family. | | | | occurrence. To such an extent, that we ended up |
| In researching places to stay in Tulum, Mexico, I first | | | | doing photo shoots with them: posing under their |
| did a simply Google search where very little came up. | | | | branches (it was amazing, they didn't run away) and |
| There are a number of smaller hotels which all look | | | | making silly faces. |
| nice, but not quite what we look for. We prefer to | | | | The ocean in Tulum is close to perfect. We're used |
| have the space and privacy of a vacation rental | | | | to the Pacific Ocean where waves crash hard and |
| home when we travel, but in Tulum, the good ones | | | | tides can be rough. But this shallow ocean was just |
| are hard to come by. | | | | like out of a movie: always calm (yet loud enough to |
| As a family of four (me, my wife, and two boys in | | | | woo you to bed at night). For dinners, we'd often |
| their early twenties) we get a chance once a year, | | | | buy local lobsters from a man down the beach and |
| between everyone's busy schedules, to get away | | | | grill them on a griddle that came with our house |
| for a week. We've had gorgeous vacations in the | | | | rental. With the sunset and a few bottles of wine, |
| Bahamas, Hawaii, and virtually every popular | | | | our family felt closer than ever. |
| destination in the tropics. But our favorites, by far, | | | | I would highly recommend visiting Tulum, and not |
| are our winter weeks in Tulum: where white sand | | | | necessarily staying in a hotel, but rather a Tulum |
| beaches and unmatched ocean views welcome us | | | | vacation rental house. It allows for far more space |
| the same every time. | | | | and privacy for the family, as well as bringing it's own |
| There was one vacation in particular, that we rented | | | | personal charm: in the form of nice linens or funny |
| a home in Tulum over Christmas and New Years. The | | | | iguanas. The region is far more reserved and |
| home itself was wonderful (a difficult thing to find in | | | | sophisticated than the nearby (and overrated region |
| Tulum, as there is not too many private homes for | | | | of Cancun) and being extensive travelers ourselves, |
| rent) but the days that unfolded were simply | | | | we constantly are in awe of Tulum -- this great |
| spectacular. | | | | getaway so close to our home, yet so far from |
| There was a resident iguana who we named Greeny, | | | | ordinary. |
| always perched himself outside my younger son's | | | | |