Ryan and I recently went on a trip to Tulum, Mexico. It’s probably one of my favorite trips ever taken to Mexico, which even trumps our Honeymoon in Cabo (where we got sick) – no need to bring that up again! Tulum is just a quick 1.5 hour drive south of Cancun. We stayed at a new spot called Sanará. I actually found the place searching “yoga Mexico” + “gluten free Mexico” on Instagram. (Follow me! @hsrphoto) What really got me was the menu. Everything was GF, dairy-free + refined sugar free. We pretty much tried everything on the menu, brekky, lunch + dinner! We definitely found our favorites + even left with a few recipes in hand (compliments of Chef Eric!). I can’t wait to make the plantain pancakes! Ryan loves gluten, dairy aaand sugar, but he fit in just fine. He even went back to hang with the chef one morning in the kitchen. (Wanna-be!)

We did all things you do on a vacation – relax, day-drink, read, yoga, shop, spa, day trip + eat. This place is mecca for yummy food. You just walk the sandy path on the beach road and take your pick. Many restaurants don’t use electricity so they’re dark + romantically lit with candles and food is prepared in a wood-fired oven. Shopping is cute + quaint. Not your typical sombreros + painted skull ceramics. We brought back a chair hammock + a dream catcher. It was interesting trying to explain the wrapped-up dream catcher to the security officer at the Cancun airport.

I really enjoyed my crystal healing massage at Sanarà. I like going all cultural for a spa service when we vacay. He was this darling little man named Mauricio. Afterwards, I literally had dogs following me. I must have been so grounded + in tune with nature. There were several turtles nesting along the beach and the locals take this very seriously. We just caught Sanará’s Insta feed – the eggs that were laid while we were there are hatching now!

We did rent a car and take a day trip to the Mayan ruins, but we were a little hot + bored with the crowds. We also hit a cenote (which is a big sinkhole filled with fresh water) where you go snorkeling in freezing cold water. That was fun, but my lips were blue and we didn’t see any fish, so maybe not that fun, but worth going?

At the time, there was a weird oceanic phenomenon happening so the ocean was full of seagrass. Every day, I felt guilty slurping my morning smoothie watching the men at our hotel take shovel after shovel of seagrass away. You had to step over the mound of seagrass in order to get into the water, which was not so turquoise-y anymore. It’s apparently uncommon for this section of the Yucutan to experience a seagrass infestation, so hopefully it’s only temporary.

I brought along my Contax and shot a few film images here + there. I’ve recently had several potential clients (who already had a photographer booked) say oh, I didn’t know you would travel or do destination weddings. (Sigh.) Um, YES! Please take us. Please.

¡Diviértate!

xox

HSR