Tour de Tulum

[trip style = beach + sun + glamping + food/wine] 

Juice shacks line the street. Kite boarders dangle over the ocean blue. Yoga retreats occupy every second hotel. Every cab has sand on the floors. This is Tulum. 

Located 1 hour and 40 mins South of the Cancun Airport {CUN}, Tulum is an impossibly cool eco- retreat planted where the Yucatan jungle meets the Caribbean Sea. Stretching from the Tulum Ruins down to the Sian Ka'an arch along a narrow road following the shore, you'll find a wind-swept complexion, nature-infused physique and Swiss Family Robinson-styled abodes soothing you into a slow-going rhythm set by the endless beach's crashing waves. 

Out for dinner one night, I overheard someone say "we love this place so much, we've stopped going to Hawaii." While you won't find me giving up my obsession with aloha, this comment confirmed Tulum is gathering a large clan of converts ranging from European families to fashion bloggers to wellness gurus (and the occasional free-spirited yogi who practices the downward dog topless). The result? A fetching fusion of gorgeous, groovy and granola neatly wrapped into one 10km package.

Stay
Papaya Playa Project: See my Roam+Board review here. While I didn't rest my head at the following boutique hotels, these also come highly recommended by my colleagues: Coqui Coqui and Be Tulum. 

Papaya Playa Project 

Coqui Coqui

Be Tulum

Do
Rent a bike. Go to a juice bar. Visit the Ruins {bring your bathing suit, there's a gorgeous beach onsite}. Shop at the boutiques. 

Tulum Ruins

Beach at the Tulum Ruins

Shopping—make that buying perfume—at Coqui Coqui

Eat
I ate at a number of restaurants in Tulum. These are the most trip- and food-styled choices:
Hartwood: Easily the top recommended restaurant in Tulum, Hartwood wows with every glance, every texture, every bite, every sip. Shaded by palm fronds and lit by the stars, servers carry local food outfitted in jeans, Ts and canvas aprons, making you wonder if you're suspended in a food nirvana somewhere between Brooklyn and Mexico. The white pebble- and canopy-clad environs is enough to make me drool, but it's the cuisine—displayed like a high-end food market and prepared in a two-walled kitchen sans electrical appliances—that made want to return every night. 
Gitano: If I had a backyard, and I built a restaurant—or simply a place to entertain—in said backyard, it would look like Gitano {with a splash of Hartwood}. Strings of lights hung from marine rope light the open-air space setting the secret jungle garden aglow. The hub, an A-frame bar made of reclaimed wood, is inspiring enough to say "I'll have another" more than once. Add in the Mexican minimalist food—tortilla soup served in a clay bowl or fish tacos neatly placed atop a wooden board—and you'll be sticking around for...another round and some dancing under the disco ball. 
Casa Jaguar: High on the romance-meter, Casa Jaguar is an intimate eatery with enough private quadrants to kiss between every course. It's look, hovering somewhere between the pages of DWELL and House Beautiful, creates a country-meets-modern take on jungle dining, serving up fresh Mexican dishes with an Italian disposition.    

Hartwood {make advanced resos, or if you're a walk-in, arrive early or late}

The scene

The menu

Hartwood's open-air kitchen

Heading into Gitano

The scene

The drinks

The food: Tortilla soup

Casa Jaguar

Trip Styler Tips
- Most hotels, restaurants and shops in Tulum sit within 5km of each other on Boca Paila Road. A cab up or down the road costs between 50 and 70 pesos. Don't catch a cab in front of Hartwood, it will set you back a minimum of US$10. Walk a little up the road to avoid the surcharge.
- Ninety-nine percent of Tulum restaurants and cabs only accept cash (Pesos or USD). 
- It's not easy to find a bank machine in Tulum, and they all charge ridic extra fees. This said, we found one in the entrance to the Ahau Hotel which was pretty reliable and didn't charge an insane fee. Bring money, or grab it in the nearby town of El Pueblo at Scotiabank or HSBC.
- If there's been a recent rainfall, the bugs can be bad at night. Bring mosquito repellant. {If you forget, most restaurants have a courtesy bottle.} 
- Getting to Tulum from the airport via cab will cost a minimum of US$100. The way back should be about US$80. 

More Mexico
Hola Huatulco
Exploring Mexican Wine Country --> Hotel  // A Guide
Find your calling {San Felipe, Mexico}
Spotlight: Puerto Vallarta

[photos by @tripstyler except for Be Tulum and Casa Jaguar via each website]

Roam+Board :: Papaya Playa Project

[trip style = sun + beach + glamping]  

What
Ever since the Papaya Playa Project {PPP}—a joint venture between Design Hotels and the developer—graced the palm tree-kissed shores of Tulum in December 2011 as a pop-up with a long-term plan, Mr. Trip Styler and I have been plotting our visit. 

As glamping-obsessed travelers, we couldn't ignore the eco-retreat's raw beauty and thatched-roof bones. Plus, the lure of living like beach bohemians sans hairdryers, plush hotel slippers, or do-not-disturb signs in bungalows built from local materials was all-too-alluring from our city-slicker standpoint. 

Stretching over a 900 meter ribbon of private oceanfront just a few kilometers North of Tulum's never-ending beach, PPP's 80 rooms—some casitas, some full-featured casas—dot the seafront edge of the multi-acre property.

Each hut's combo of no-frills furniture, billowing mosquito nets, basket lights and custom-designed textiles is enough to make you love your abode, and yet the lure of the legendary setting is a call outward to the hotel's hub—its waves, restaurant, bar, beach club, and amphitheatre which hosts visiting musicians and DJs. 

We spent most of our days at the beach under our four-post palapa atop a teal beach mattress propped up by a handmade headboard (pictured below). Sometimes at the end of a beach day, you want to wash off the salt and sand and call it a day. At PPP, I never had that inkling, instead, I stayed planted in my palapa until sundown. It's that kinda place. 

Trip Styler approved. 

Where
Tulum, Mexico, about 1 hour and 40 minutes by car from the Cancun {CUN} Airport. 

When
Mexico's Caribbean Coast is postcard-perf most of the year. The only time its endless summer is ever-so-slightly threatened is between June and November during Hurricane season. Note: August and September are the worst-offending months, yet even during this sometimes-tumultuous period, the weather is still beautiful *most* of the time.
Kudos: I visited at the beginning of hurricane season and during check-in I was asked my blood type in case of emergency.  

Who/Why
You value design, minimalism and an away-from-it-all setting (and mentality) that calls for nothing more than bare feet, a bathing suit and a beer. 

Cost
Rates start at $105/night and include bottled water, palm frond-covered beach palapas, beach towels and parking. Complimentary WiFi is available in public areas, though it runs off a satellite, so the signal can be on-again, off-again. Kids welcome. Ladies, BYO hairdryer (or embrace beach waves).

Trip Styler Tips:
- Tulum's sand-meets-jungle whereabouts give way to a breezy beach life and a still jungle life. The absence of wind in the woods means mosquitos and noseeums come out to play, so bring repellant for off-beach explorations. 
- Once monthly the hotel hosts full moon parties, which pump tunes until 4am. I was there during one of these par-tays, and while the beats were partially carried away in the wind, I still heard the music {even with earplugs}.
- Double-check your bill at check-out—a good practice no matter where you stay. Mine had a bunch of charges from other units, which needed correction. 
- There are a lot of old reviews about the hotel, which is in a constant state of growth. Note: all rooms have bathrooms. Some base "cabana" rooms do not have plugs for electronics—which can be charged at reception. The hotel is working diligently to get outlets in every room.
- Book a room with AC as temperatures reach 40+ degrees Celsius in some seasons, and mosquitoes loom at night. 
- There is a kiteboarding school onsite. When the wind fades in the summer months, the ocean repertoire transitions to surfing. Private private surf lesson with rental from $45/hour. Kiteboarding lesson with gear from $80/hour. 
- Bikes are an excellent way to explore the mostly-flat area. They can be rented for $8/day a few hundred meters South from PPP.

Photos

The 900m beach with its handmade beach palapas

Selfie in front of the sign (because I matched my bike and my bike matched the sign)

Lobby

A map of the property painted on the wall of the lobby 

Walking the grounds  

Beachfront Casita

Our New Casita 

View from our bed to the sea a few steps below

Inside our New Casita 

Note the open shower and the beachy towel rack in the background

Where we ate breakfast every day

One course of our breakfast 

The resort's wind-swept look 

Entrance to the beach from the main restaurant/bar hub

Mr. Trip Styler post-surf

He rented his board from the on-site kite/surf school: Sian Kite

The endless summer beach

More Roam+Board
Banyan Tree Mayakoba - Riviera Maya, Mexico
Painted Boat Resort - Pender Harbour
Villa Samadhi - Kuala Lumpur
Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle
Korakia Pensione - Palm Springs 
La Gazelle d'Or - Morocco
Mandarin Oriental - Las Vegas
Korakia Pensione - Palm Springs
Four Seasons Resort at Manele Bay - Lanai
Hotel Lone - Croatia

[photos by @tripstyler]

Roam+Board :: Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle

[trip style = luxe + glamping + adventure + spa + sun]

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Editor's Note: This R+B is the final part in a series on my trip style = luxury jaunt to Asia. Earlier not-to-miss posts include: flying Cathay Pacific's business class, exploring Hong Kong, checking into the Four Seasons Hong Kong, and a trip into Thailand's Lanna Kingdom {land of a million rice fields} at the Four Seasons Chiang Mai. 
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What
From the lookout at the highest point of the Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle in Thailand, I could see Myanmar and Laos in the distance. As if this scene in my Thai playbook wasn't exception enough, I had just come from meeting a herd of rescued elephants I would trek with the next day. In a state of geographic and animal awe, I stood in silence surveying the landscape—clutching a flute of Champagne {it is the Four Seasons after all}—wishing I had the power to freeze time.  

In the world of glamping, the Four Seasons Tented Camp crosses at the high point of luxury and experiential travel. As the ONLY all-inclusive Four Seasons, no service is spared, not even a trip to the tree house spa, open on two sides to the bamboo jungle below. 

Starting with a splash, your stay begins by boat. My captain picked me up an hour from the city of Chiang Rai and swished me along the Ruak River to camp in one of Thailand’s famous long-tail boats. 

Seven minutes later, over fresh papaya-guava smoothies served in handmade bamboo tumblers, I was greeted with three clangs of a gong {to health, happiness and prosperity}, and guided to my 581-square-foot tent perched over northern Thailand's lush plains. 

Each of the fifteen Bill Bensley-designed tents sit discretely scattered over a half-mile, hidden between palms and bamboo clusters. Inside, dark hardwood floors, elephant-inspired bathtub fittings and an outdoor shower make you feel as though you're a 19th century explorer on assignment for your kingdom.

Though, it was the bed that really beckoned me to take up permanent residence; positioned with a view of the roaming elephants below who would occasionally remind me of their presence by lifting their trunks and trumpeting their position.

When the sky turned from orange to ink, the camp custom I treasured most came in liquid form: Pre-dinner cocktails in the thatched-roof Burma Bar {not surprisingly, overlooking Burma (Myanmar) in the distance}. Here, over lemongrass martinis, I met other adventure-prone guests. Instead of discussing the weather or current events—typical topics when you meet a new friend—we shared our trekking tales and the best way to mount an elephant.

During the day, moments meander between learning how to ride elephants bareback, to practicing serenity-now by the oasis-like pool. Then came my spa appointment—part of the all-inclusive package—a 10-minute walk deep into camp for escape and privacy reasons. 

Inside the wooden-platform bungalow blending into the verdant valley like a chameleon, I changed into my spa robe in the open as if I was a Jane of the Jungle. The setting in and of itself was enough of a spa treatment, yet I welcomed my mahout recovery treatment {the perfect remedy after a day of trekking} with its au naturel soundtrack of chirping birds and wind-blown palms. And again, felt the urge to freeze time. 

Trip Styler approved.     

Where
At the northern tip of Thailand where the country meets Myanmar and Loas, about an hour from the Chiang Rai Airport {CEI}, a 75-min flight from Bangkok.

When
Weather in the Golden Triangle ranges from warm to hot year round. In this part of the world there are three seasons: hot {Mar - Jun}, rainy {July - Oct} and "cool" {Nov - Feb}. The cool season is the most popular due its lack of rain and average of 25-degree Celsius temperatures.   

Who/Why
Venturing "off the beaten path" is your middle name, but you like to do so with a dash of adventure and a spoonful of style.  

Cost
Rates start around $2400/night (for two people) and include Chiang Rai airport pick-up and drop-off, all meals and drinks, an elephant trek with mahout training and a spa treatment. Kids above the age of 12 are welcome.

Trip Styler Tip: I know this property comes with an haute couture price tag, but rest assured, in the realm of luxury trip styling, this experience is WELL worth the save-to-splurge investment.

Photos

Taking a long-tail boat to camp

The first sight I see when docking

Entering camp

Welcome drinks served in hand-carved bamboo tumblers

My tent

My tent's rope-secured veranda

Meeting a two-week-old elephant

Learning elephant-riding commands. Note the amazing denim getup: Traditional crop pants, a short-sleeve button-up shirt and a waist sash. If you spot Crocs on my feet, you're not mistaken. Each guest is given a pair to use while trekking. This is one of the ONLY instances wearing crocs is remotely acceptable in my trip stylin' lookbook. 

My elephant and mahout

Trekking

Nearing the end of the trek

The pool 

The spa

Burma Bar

Nong Yao, the camp's gorgeous restaurant

More Roam+Board
Four Seasons Chiang Mai
Four Seasons Hong Kong
Korakia Pensione - Palm Springs 
La Gazelle d'Or – Morocco
Mandarin Oriental – Las Vegas
Hotel Lone – Croatia
Four Seasons Resort at Manele Bay - Lanai

[photos by @tripstyler taken as a guest of the hotel]

Roam+Board :: The Sou'Wester

[trip style = budget + weekend getaway + glamping + beach]

Editor’s Note: When I told my friends I was spending my summer vacay at a trailer park, they thought I'd lost my trip styling marbles. In all fairness, my stay-by-the-sea is only part trailer park; it's mostly a collection of vintage travel trailers. Throw in an 1892-built manor and cabin quartette, and you've got the The Sow'Wester.

What As I lined up to check into The Sou'Wester, the Portlandia resident checking out mused to the front desk gal "The Sou'Wester is Portland's Hamptons." As my week away progressed, I discovered her description could not have have been more apt.

Overnighting in the one of 10 vintage travel trailers at The Sou'Wester recalls a time when motor hotels and Spartan Manors---a retro version of today's mobile mansions---topped travel. I feel like I should have packed pearls, a power blue suit and pumps as a sat in my stationary time capsule sipping a tumbler of whiskey listening to eras of records from Johnny Cash to The Beatles to Willie Nelson.

A retro expo seasoned in boho and purist midcentury finds, the Sou'Wester is miles away from a hotel-cation. Indie bands play in the lodge. Artists-in-resident work on projects. Hip families roast marshmallows at fire pits in aluminum alley. Hipsters read classic American literature.

MORE PHOTOS BELOW

A 28-mile long Hampton's-style beach decorated in massive waves and low-bank dunes covered in wispy sea grass is a five minute walk away. Portland's Hamptons indeed. Trip Styler approved.

Where Seaview, WA, three hours South of Seattle by car, or 1.5hrs Northwest of Portland. Don't miss the paved, multi-mile biking/walking/jogging path winding through the dunes. Oh, and you can drive on the beach.

When The summer is your prime opportunity to sun-seek. The rest of the year is famously stormy and foggy---there's 100+ days of fog---but the inclement weather is part of its misty, wind-swept charm.

Who/Why Because you can't resist telling your friends you're vacationing at a trailer park. Think of it this way: it's as if you're rolling with the 'Stones in their tour trailers.

Cost Rates start at $58 for trailers and $68 for cabins and include WiFi and parking. Everything from linens to kitchen utensils to space heaters is provided. BYO shampoo and conditioner, or end up washing your hair with dish soap...

Trip Styler Tip :: No need to knock on the next trailer for a cup of sugar, there's an honor system shoppe where you can pick up flowers, butter, beer, thrift finds and local crafts.

Photos {Aluminum alley.}

{Us, trailering.}

{Inside our Spartan Manor trailer.}

{The living room.}

{The record playa.}

{The music selection.}

{The bedroom.}

{Flowers for sale.}

{Sou'Wester's resident dog.}

{Beach near Sou'Wester.}

{In case you want to shower off after the beach. Note that most of the stationary trailers have showers too.}

More Roam+Board Cama Beach Cabins – near Seattle The Pearl Hotel – San Diego The Templar – Toronto Encuentro Guadalupe – Mexico Hotel Havana – San Antonio The Ampersand Hotel – London Mount Engadine Lodge – Canadian Rockies Lava Lava Beach Club – Hawaii Island Ace Hotel – Seattle The Wickaninnish Inn – Tofino The Burrard – Vancouver  Hotel de Glace – Quebec Alcazar Palm Springs – California Jumeirah Zabeel Saray – Dubai Makena Resort – Maui Find more R+B hotels featured here, plus our it list of worldwide hotel picks.

[photos taken by @tripstyler]

Roam+Board :: Cama Beach Cabins

[trip style = budget + weekend getaway + glamping]

Editor's Note: While we normally cover styled stays and plays, summer calls for a more relaxed, chilled out approach to vacation time. Just you, the basics and the beach. With a few weeks remaining in the Pacific Northwest's sunny season, I feel compelled to tell you about a set of 32 seaside cabins I met up with when I was weekending between Seattle and Vancouver. The best part? They start at $52 a night, so bring your Trader Joe's two buck chuck, or go BIG with a bottle of Opus One {I mean, you're saving a bundle on your accoms}.

What Glamping in the cabins at Cama Beach feels like camp, sans counselor. There's a cafe-slash-gathering space that's like a mess hall, central heads {aka washrooms}, wooden boat center to paddle or crab, volunteer-run tuck shop, and grassy field for wide games. All that's missing is a group of guys streaking to the flag pole at 4am. {If you went to camp as a kid, you'll pick up what I'm putting down.}

This woody cabin collective is sunset-situated along Cama Beach State Park's pebble and shell-topped beach, and in true beachfront form, each cabin has a front porch.

MORE PHOTOS BELOW

A living room, kitchenette including fridge, microwave, sink AND coffeemaker, and bedroom round out the most basic space. In case you thought I was kidding about glamping, this cabin type has no bathroom - a central set is a stroll away. Lavatory lovers, don't despair, there are seven deluxe waterfront cabins and two bungalows each including a toilet, shower and sink {plus all the other stuff}. Trip Styler approved.

Friends: if you are reading this, shall we book a bevy of Cama cabins and roast marshmallows by the seaside?

Where Cama Beach on Camano Island, about two hours from Vancouver and an hour from Seattle by car - no ferry required. Once you arrive, a shuttle takes you and your glamping stuff from the parking lot to the cabins.

When The cabins are open year-round and can only be booked---gasp---by phone up to nine months prior to your arrival date: 1 - 360 - 387 - 1550.

Who/Why What's camping? A cabin by the sea is as basic as you'll go.

Cost Rates start at $52 in winter and $69 in summer. Find free WiFi at the cafe perched on treed bluff above the cabins. Dogs are allowed for $15 extra per night. BYO linens, pillows, kitchen utensils and hibachi {or charcoal for the on-site BBQs}.

Photos

More Roam+Board The Pearl Hotel – San Diego The Templar – Toronto Encuentro Guadalupe – Mexico Hotel Havana – San Antonio The Ampersand Hotel – London Mount Engadine Lodge – Canadian Rockies Lava Lava Beach Club – Hawaii Island Ace Hotel – Seattle The Wickaninnish Inn – Tofino The Burrard – Vancouver  Hotel de Glace – Quebec Alcazar Palm Springs – California Jumeirah Zabeel Saray – Dubai Makena Resort – Maui Find more R+B hotels featured here, plus our it list of worldwide hotel picks.

[photos taken by @tripstyler, except top photo flickr/larrymyhre]