When I went we stayed at all inclusive Rui Palace, about 45 minutes north along the coast from Tulum. I felt very safe the whole time but only ventured off property to see husband when he went to ER for his Afib. I can tell you that he had incredible care. This was a few years ago and I think at that time most of the high danger zones/ warnings were far north to the west (I think). There were no warnings near the area I was at but I did see armed guards along a road to a resort on the way to ours in the hired taxi. It looked like a movie.

I'm a bit of a chicken when it comes to traveling with kids so I would probably change it. Dh, who spent 13 years in the Marine Corps going to dangerous places, said a couple of years ago that he would not travel to Mexico for fun.

If you decide to go, I would make sure to have insurance that covers medical evacuation. A friend of mine was traveling with her family in Mexico several years ago and they were in a horrific bus accident. Three of them ended up being airlifted back to Canada (they are Canadian) and she says it was a very good thing they had insurance to take care of that.

I will call my Mexico office tomorrow and let you know what my friends there think. Personally I think it's probably fine.

It is not like the area is not heavily populated and most certainly tourist-focused. There are parts of Mexico I would not care to travel to but a coastal area that is wall to wall resorts is about as safe as you are going to get.

Mexico is a great and inexpensive nearby vacation spot. And one that still has a foreign flair to it. Just stay in the areas that cater to tourists and you should be fine.

Exactly, Beagles.

Localeater, I would think even those there would say proceed with caution.

We have a Dominican friend and he is very honest to us about his home country, where and how to travel within it. Years ago DD had an opportunity to go and he dissuaded us after looking at the itinerary.

The U.S. Department of State warns U.S. citizens about the risk of
traveling to certain parts of Mexico due to the activities of criminal
organizations in those areas. There are good reasons these warnings are issued. You might have a great time with no incidents. People ignore these warnings all the time without incident. Occasionally bad things do happen. If you are willing to take the risk with your family then it is your decision. WWID? I would find another vacation spot. No risk is worth putting my family in danger no matter how slim I think it might be.

Have you seen Mad Dogs? The original British or the new American one both with Ben Chaplin I might add. Sure they're in Belize, but from the many news stories I follow pertaining to Mexico there are lots of similarities. If our government says to be concerned or to skip a location then I would listen to them.

Based on your reasons for going I agree with Beagles - there are other better options.

This is an interesting read just from the perspective that if something were to happen you can't count on the police there.

I know last time we went we ended up bribing a police officer there. This was in 2005 so 12 years ago, but we haven't been back since as there are so many other places that offers the same things, but with less lawlessness. We were brave at that time and rented a car.

http://www.11alive.com/mobile/article/news/nation-now/they-blacked-out-at-a-mexico-resort-they-woke-up-to-a-nightmare/85-464882776

There have been some scary stories coming out of Mexico... particularly the Mexican Riviera coast area.

http://mexicovacationawareness.com/index.html

My dh and I went 10 years ago to an exclusive resort in Playa Del Carmen and had a great time. I would think twice about going there now.

For lovely snorkeling I'd recommend Bonaire. We took the kids 3 years ago and did snorkeling as well as Scuba diving. It's a small very well kept island. We did a vrbo on the beach that was amazing. Excellent food in the area as well.

Some of the best snorkeling in the world is supposed to be in Belize...

Then again the snorkeling is pretty great at St. John and Turtle Bay.

My sister, her husband and teen girls were in Tulum in June. They didn't feel unsafe, but like you, they travel all over the world all the time, so may be somewhat complacent. I have also traveled quite a bit, but having read that warning, I probably wouldn't go myself because there are so many other great vacation spots I'd love to experience. If you do go, don't drink the alcohol. My brother was in Mexico - not Tulum - earlier this year and is quite sure he and a friend had some of the bad alcohol that has been in the news, and blacked out - they woke up the next day not remembering a thing after just two drinks. Thankfully they were with their wives who were not drinking and nothing bad happened. They made it back to their hotel rooms okay and were seemingly functional (i.e. their wives didn't have to carry them or anything), but don't remember anything between when they started drinking and when they woke up.

Not with that kind of warning and not with our children. Yes, I would cancel.

We have been to the Yukacan Peninsula, which is the Western Caribbean coast of Mexico and that is as far as I would feel comfortable venturing into Mexico.

From the East Coast we have so many options, so why even consider a place that could put your family in harm's way? There are safer places to snorkel in the Caribbean Islands. Trunk Bay, for example.

Even Belize, as Annie mentioned, has good snorkeling and also has the reef and the ruins, which we have visited. However, overall it is just not a safe enough place.

I would probably pose the question on the TripAdvisor Tulum forum, and find out what people who frequently travel there think.

In fact, there is a recent thread on the topic

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g150813-i155-k10792424-New_Travel_Advisory_what_are_your_thoughts-Tulum_Yucatan_Peninsula.html

I would not go. I don't consider myself an alarmist and have been to Mexico in the past, but no, I would not go today. The stories of people at five star resorts being slipped drugs into their drinks and needing medical attention really scares me. Add to that the questionable practice of resorts only bringing these guest to the hospitals that they have contracts with. According to the stories, you have to pay tremendous amounts before they will see you. Seems like a well orchestrated tagteam of corruption. Even if what I've read is grossly exaggerated and only 50% true, well, that's enough for me.

upstate New York is lovely that time of year… :-)

Didn't someone from the forums go to Tulum for a wedding a few months back? Am I thinking of the same area? It did not sound like anything I'd like.

I wish I had visited Mexico when I was younger, but I really have no desire to go there now. Even for us to visit Cabo Wabo, I don't think I'd go, and it wo uld be hard to convince DH. I agree with others on risk/reward for Mexico.

Thanks for everyone's input, and links.

I suppose to many people Tulum may not seem special, but I did a lot of research before choosing this spot and to me it is not just another beach town. We can snorkel right from the beach, swim with turtles, explore the cenotes and ruins. Plus Tulum is very much a foodie area (a popup of a restaurant considered the best in the world was there this summer) and yoga mecca (both DD are into yoga). I have selected places to stay that I am really happy with as well. I don't actually like mega resorts taht much, I like luxury but I also like intimate, local character, and quiet. Also, I have never been to that part of Mexico. Funny, I chose Tulum over Cabos in part because of Cabos' crime.

As far as snorkelling, i did a lot of research on places where the snorkelling is good without necessitating a boat ride. Where we can explore at leisure everyday. I looked at a lot of sites, read a ton of articles, and even looked at photos from people who snorkelled in certain spots. We have already snorkelled in many places. My research showed that the best place in the Caribbean is actually Honduras, but that place is extraordinarily dangerous. There were also many good snorkel spots that were national parks (no hotel on site) or in places where there are no luxury hotels. ( I don't want to snorkel *that* badly, LOL)

As far as how we would spend our time, with a family of 5 we always pre-arrange a driver and car; otherwise you cannot be sure to get a vehicle to fit all of us (at least not all of us AND the girls' shoes). We are not planning on visiting Cancun or PDC or Cozumel or any of the largest resort towns. Our kids are too young to drink or go to clubs or walk around alone anyway. And DH and I pretty much do not drink. I think these factors make it less likely that we might end up in harm's way.

We do have medical evac insurance (it is part of our credit card protection, but we had to get a letter verifying exactly what it covered when we went to Antarctica; since airlifting from there can be 100k!) and health insurance for foreign travel; and BTW Mexico is far from the only country that demands payment up front in ER.

We spent time this summer in France, Spain and Morocco. Paris *feels* to me to be the most dangerous city in the world for a tourist; the terror threat was on my mind 24/7. Moroccans were very friendly but their countrymen include terrorists, for sure. Spain, I thought of as less in peril, but a week or so after we left Spain ...Las Ramblas happened. To me the difference is, the terror threat is designed to kill citizens and tourists. Warring drug cartels benefit from tourism just like legit businesses; they may get out of hand accidentally but as a rule the evidence is they don't *target* us. Petty thieves target us, but that we can handle.

Lastly, there are gradations of warnings, and this warning is still relatively mild.

No risk is worth putting my family in danger no matter how slim I think it might be.

I can understand thinking that, but that is not my thinking. If I felt that strongly, I would not travel anywhere that was not necessary. Highway miles in the US are the biggest statistical risk I can take.

I'm going to give it some more thought. Maybe I will mark the cancellation deadlines on my calendar and re-visit it. I might also contact the hotels(a biased voice of course) to see their spin/counter arguments , etc.

When the State Department issues warnings like that, I pay attention. I guess after years of traveling for the Government, where we actually had trips cancelled because of such warnings a couple of times, I am a believer in caution. Since I know these warnings are only issued when reliable information has been received and vetted, I would heed and cancel. I'm not an alarmist either and odds are good nothing would happen. But why risk it when you could go somewhere else and not have that worry? If I have to travel somewhere where I am within a gated, guarded compound, I don't think I would enjoy it all that much.

edited to add: I did not see your post before I wrote. Yes, if you still have some leeway on time before you can cancel, by all means, re-visit and see what the threat situatuon looks like before your deadline. I just worry something could happen, even with the best of precautions you can take with a driver, etc.

There are without doubt areas in the country that are very dangerous and where you should avoid, and take heed of the warnings. Of the warnings in the various states of Mexico, the Quintana Roo warnings appear to be moderate and mostly isolated to areas where you could be caught up in an incident. (And some states have no warnings in place)

I tend to believe the areas that are the most heavily touristed are among the safest. Simply, the locals will not tolerate the activity. In this case, there seems to be some history of the opposite, in particular, as you noted to major gathering areas where you will not frequent. But, you never know . You understand the statistics and have not shown fear in the past -- just monitor the situation.

(Like you, I've been in areas where I've had an armed escort and entrance to your hotel was through a metal detectors. Or, where major incidents have also taken place. But yes, there is the family to think about as well.)

Mtn, I checked with my co-workers in Mexico about their thoughts on the QRoo warning and on Tulum specifically. They said it was totally fine to go to Tulum. One had actually camped on the beach last weekend with his kids.

A friend went to Tulum last February and said it had been "taken over by NYC hipsters"...so...

She said she and her daughter thought it ruined the "local flavor" a bit and that there were some pretty rude people (affluent tourists) in some crowded restaurants and cafes. I guess you can get that anywhere!

I also went to Tulum, to a resort, and we only left the resort to go visit the ruins on a planned tour. It was our 4th trip to this area and we have left the resort more on other trips, but as long as we arrange our transportation through the resort we have felt safe.

Yeah, sadly, I would not consider Paris (or probably London) right now either. I realize anything can happen anywhere, and there are soft targets everywhere, even here.

Gscience, rational or not, I was kind of holding my breath in Paris. So sad.

Outside, unlike some parts of Mexico, it is not a "defer non essential travel warning".

Jmck, lol, well after the hipsters come the next wave, the middle aged wannabes with kids in tow! My work friend who went is a hipster... she went 2-3yrs ago and it was the first I'd ever heard of it. I recall looking at hotels then and finding nothing I liked. Already that has changed.

local, that is so very kind of you! Thank you!

Gooster, I am going to keep gathering info. Until the cancellation deadline. A friend of a neighbor is there this week!

I'm not that risk averse. Anything can happen anywhere including at home where you think you're safe.

The practice of paying up front at the hospital is common across the world and is practiced in the US as well to some degree, unless you come in by ambulance.

I would travel to Paris and London, Morocco, Spain, etc. now. What concerns me with Mexico is not that something could happen. It is the care and help you would receive if something did happen and I don't want to have to go through a bribery scheme again just to get what is needed. I need to make sure that in case my family will need care that they will be taken care of. I'm not convinced that is the case in that area of Mexico. So that would be my reason for selecting somewhere else. Not just the threat itself.

Tulum is a beautiful area with a lot to offer and wasn't super touristy when we visited 12 years ago.

Lyfia's post reminds me of when I had a student a couple of years ago who was almost obsessed with the idea that he could play professional basketball in a foreign country although he didn't even play on our college team. He brought me some information about him going to Colombia, and the whole deal seemed very shady because it seemed there was no work visa included with it. I had to tell him if there are any problems there is no way to guarantee SEAL Team 6 was coming to get him and that if he broke any laws in Colombia or was found to be undocumented that would be it for his freedom or worse. That pretty much did it. Just grateful he saw me as the knowledgeable adviser in this situation. We still keep in touch, and it seems with maturity, this obsession has gone away.

LOL, Gscience! All kidding aside your job must be very rewarding. Lucky you (and them!).

The irony was that the places in the Caribbean I was planning on before I decided on Tulum are probably in shambles. Itis horrific and so sad.

Years back we rented a home on the beach in North Captiva a couple years after they had hurricane Charlie, and everyone said things were "back to normal" but there was still debris in some places and the vegetation had not grown back. It was 3 or 4 yrs later iirc. This will be a problem for the tourist areas; TBH i found N captiva a tad depressing and felt I had been misled. I want to support areas that are hit, but vacationing there, even some time later, can be suboptimal.

Have been hearing good reports back on Tulum from people there recently and FOF who own houses there. Everyone agrees that armed military presence is not uncommon, which can be spooky. But hey, I see that most of the time I go thru Grand Central Station, and it certainly was everywhere on our European trip this summer.

We (family of 4, 2 adults, 2 teens) were in Tulum this past April. I wasn't aware of warnings then, but maybe these are more recent events? We stayed in the city and cycled daily to the beach, hired a driver to take us to some cenotes and Solomon Bay. We had a wonderful time, but we may be more adventurous than average. I never felt at risk.

I had lunch yesterday with a friend of mine that is of Mexican heritage. He is a naturalized citizen but still has family and owns property in Mexico and travels back and forth multiple times each year and usually spends a month or so there over the holidays. Since this topic came up here and my family is also planning a Christmas time trip to the area, I asked his opinion.

Even with his background, he is cautious about traveling in Mexico. He suggests one stay in heavily populated areas with a big tourist presence. He suggests avoiding a lot of travel at night, so pick nearby restaurants. And go with a group. He also suggests being conservative with alcohol intake when out in public (seen as being more vulnerable to mugging, etc.) and whatever you do, do NOT talk about the situation. The citizens are extremely sensitive to the topic (drug cartels and associated violence) and resent any discussion from foreigners. Daylight tourist attractions do not seem to be an issue. And he says you are perfectly safe if staying at one of the big resorts - most are gated and with their own security staff that patrols for trespassers.

Thanks Gardengal and Daisychain. Good advice.

DH and I could easily go a week without drinking at all, but on vacation I usually have a girly drink or two. Maybe not this time!

We were in Tulum several years ago and it's absolutely beautiful. The beaches, the ruins, the opportunities for yoga, cave diving, snorkeling, etc. are all top notch. But the last time we went to Mexico, we stayed in Akumal (just north of Tulum), we got so sick that a family member had to be hospitalized, so we swore of Mexico for a while. I vomited the entire plane right home. It was awful.

You seem rightly concerned about traveling there right now. This is not a well-written article, but it details a few of incidents that have happened at resorts in Mexico. Unfortunately, they seem to be preying on tourists:

http://www.wusa9.com/news/nation-now/they-blacked-out-at-a-mexico-resort-they-woke-up-to-a-nightmare/465583191

Hi Pip,

Thanks for your input. I have read a lot of the articles. My conclusion is that I would definitely not allow any kid to go there for springbreak. It is not a place to go out on the town and party, for sure ....

But a pretty common thread in the stories I have read is drinking and going out at night. We drink rarely, not an issue for us to just abstain, and we certainly aren't going to clubs. I also think, all else equal, higher end hotels are safer (if only because there is a bigger investment to protect). We also take Ciproflaxin with us and it has prevented/cured intestinal distress.

Not to mention, our other choice was Malliouhana in Anguilla and I think that island was hit very hard.

We are back from our Tulum trip and we *loved* it. It is such a cool and special place.

We are not really tropical vacation types, because none of us like to spend all day on a beach for days on end. But we had a super time. It is a very unique place and felt sufficiently exotic to us.

Tulum beach has about a 5-6 km stretch of town. The best way to describe it is if Brooklyn took over Gilligan's Island, which is probably about what happened. This gorgeous stretch of beach and jungle is filled with very cool bars, hip and unusual restaurants, and great boutiques. The jungle meets the ocean here, and there are no high rises or huge resorts. The infrastructure could not support it. No bargains to be sure but beautiful things and really excellent food too! We also loved the people, and where we were the vibe was very warm and pleasant and far away from the mega-gated-community feel that is popular in many other areas. We felt very safe to boot.

One thing that seemed unusual to me, and it may be a difference in zoning, EPA, or insurance, but our hotel villa was very very close to the water'd edge. Like maybe a 10 foot walk over the sand? We had two levels, with the kids on the first and us on the second story. We had a large L-shaped outdoor living area with a hot tub and 270 degree ocean views.

We rode bikes and shopped (and swam and walked the beach). Chartered a boat for a day, snorkeled in open water and from the shore, swam with turtles, toured ruins and dove the cenotes. It was a great time and I highly recommend it, the sooner the better before it is ruined. Tulum on the beach can be noisy; we spent 5 days there and 5 days at a very private resort outside of town; it was a good mix for us.

Fabulous views from our room, so close to the water

10 steps to the beach

"downtown" streetscape

Lots of smoothie bars and bar-bars, with swings for seats

Indoor-outdoor dining was de rigeur

And indoor-outdoor retailing!

One of our favorite cenotes for diving, in Valladolid

drat no idea why my photos are small; if you click on them they r bigger

Thanks for sharing the pictures! What a lovely vacation you had! very glad it worked out for you. I'm guessing you're saying you would do it again :-).

I am so happy you had a wonderful vacation with your family. What a nice variety of things to do and see in such a beautiful place. Thanks for the great review and gorgeous pictures.

Thank you Mtn for sharing pictures of your trip! This area truly looks fabulous.

Glad you all had so much fun.

Looks lovely! Oldest DD just returned as well. This was her second time there.

So glad you had a wonderful trip.. 10 ft from the water sounds about perfect right now!

Wow, great photos!

We spent a day exploring in Tulum a few years ago as part of a longer trip to the Mayan Riviera. Swimming with the sea turtles was definitely a highlight. Your pictures are great - sounds like a fantastic trip. The place you stayed looks amazing!

Thanks everyone. We don't usually go back to places, but I'd certainly recommend the trip to anyone.

SMH, we spent 5 days there and 5 days at a very quiet, secluded spot that used to be the home of an Italian duchess. A very different feel; but quite lovely. Tulum beach can be noisy, that was why we divided our time.

It must be very different now from when I was there in 1977, as the beach was pretty much deserted back then, and there were no hotels that I can remember. If there were, they were very small and primitive. I've considered going back, but I think it would be quite a shock to see it now.

Glad you had a good time, and the home of the duchess must have been nice. Do you have photos of that? Did you go to Xel-Ha? That was my favorite place for swimming and snorkeling, but again, there was hardly anyone there when I went, and Quintana Roo had just become a state and was largely undeveloped.

Lars, Indeed, i can only imagine what it was like in 1977! Paradise. Did you camp, or stay elsewhere? I think in '77 the Mayan ruins (the only oceanfront ruins from the Mayans) were not yet open to the public.

The infrastructure along the 5-6km of Tulum beach "town" physically could not allow any big resorts (plumbing, water, electric) unless they scrapped everything there first. So even though it is now "developed" it is one of the least developed beach areas I have seen ... zero big hotels in the area I describe.

The second hotel we went to is on the outskirts of Tulum in Xpu Ha. The only photos I have of the hotel buildings are really photos of us, but the website does a good job. http://hotelesencia.com/  Under "gallery" click on "property" then "30 photos".

We did not do Xel-ha. Today it has a zipline, and things like manatee or dolphin or stingray encounters. Water-park like. Or fave cenote was one we reached by boat, a freshwater cenote meeting the sea. Great marine life and very pleasant water, no one there but us.

Mtn, were you even born by 1977? lol.

Tulum sounds very magical. You describe it so well I really want to go there.

LOL

You had me with the views from your room. So glad a good time was had by all. Beautiful spot!

Here are the photos I found of your resort. It looks like a wonderful place.

When I went to Tulum, I caught a bus there and back, which stopped on the side of the road. I can't believe it's been 40 years since I was there! The ruins were open to the public, but I do not believe there was an entrance gate or anyone keeping track of who was there. I think they were still reconstructing some of the ruins back then. Anyway, my favorite Mayan ruins were Uxmal and Tikal, and I spent a lot more time in those places.

Nice that you had a cenote to yourself. I went to what looked like a freshwater cenote in Chiapas (Misol-ha) that had a waterfall, but I was not the only person there.

I'm still considering another trip to Cozumel, and I can fly there via Houston, although it would be just as cheap to go to Curaçao, and so I'm considering that also, but that would be off in the future, as we plan to go to Greece around the same time you will.

It would be somewhat nostalgic to go back to Tulum, however.

One place I did camp (several times) was Agua Azul, Chiapas, which is a Mexican national Park. We put up a tent on an island in the middle of the waterfall, and when the sun went down, all we had was starlight. The last time I went there was in 1981, and it was already beginning to change a bit, as there was a building that had electricity, which was not there when I had visited before. It's very close to Palenque, and I got off the bus to walk down to the park, as there were no buses going there when I visited. I hitchhiked down one time and got a ride with a guy that I had gone to high school and graduated with! Normally I never run into anyone I know when traveling, and so that was the only time.

You take great pics, mtn! Also loved sneaking a peak at the home of the Italian duchess.

So glad you enjoyed it. We almost went back this year, but it would have just been my youngest DD and me and I just didn't feel up to doing it on my own. Your pics make me wish we had.