High Season Guide to Tulum: La Veleta Edition

A local guide to La Veleta during Tulum’s high season — coffee spots, local food, coworking, wellness, and relaxed evenings beyond the beach.

High season in Tulum is the moment when the city changes its usual rhythm. While the coastline becomes crowded and fast-paced, many locals, long-stay residents, and returning nomads gravitate toward La Veleta. This neighborhood offers something different: space to live, work, and connect.

For those wondering what to do in Tulum beyond beach clubs and one-night plans, team of BACAB Hotel shares their favourite places around the hotel. It’s where conversations start over coffee, routines matter, and evenings unfold socially rather than spectacularly. High season here feels grounded, lived-in, and quietly vibrant.

Photo: La Veleta neighborhood map by BACAB

Coffee, Breakfasts & Morning Spots

Mornings in La Veleta revolve around places where people linger, talk, and ease into the day. These spots shape the everyday café culture of the area and define some of the most authentic cafes in La Veleta.

1. MERA

Located directly inside BACAB, MERA is one of the most social cafés in the area. Always lively, it attracts locals and residents who come for breakfast and coffee and often end up sharing a table. In the evenings, the space shifts into Mera Sera, offering small plates, cocktails, Italian music, and an elegant atmosphere for pre-dinner drinks.

2. Long Time Coffee

Long Time Coffee is not styled to feel like a home — it is one. The café operates inside the owners’ actual house, with coffee served in their living room and daily life unfolding around it. The doors stay closed, and guests need to knock to be welcomed inside. The menu is intentionally simple, designed to support a calm, relaxed state. There is no alcohol and no sweets. Locals value this place for its quiet pace and the rare feeling of being welcomed into a real, lived-in space.

3. Nimeño

Nimeño is a daily ritual for many in La Veleta. Known for its French breads and pastries, it combines consistently good coffee with a relaxed courtyard tucked away in the back. With two locations in the neighborhood, it stays busy from early morning through the afternoon, drawing people who come for quality and return out of habit.

4. Cocos Juices Tulum

A small stand on 5 Avenida Sur offering a wide selection of fresh juices and coconut water. Simple, fast, and always refreshing, it’s a regular stop during warm days. The ginger shot is a local favorite, especially during busy high-season weeks when everyone needs a small immunity boost.

5. Otti Cacao

Otti Cacao is a familiar stop for many locals. Known for its variety of cacao drinks and nourishing bowls, it’s an easy choice to start a day. Located on one of La Veleta’s busiest streets, it often feels like a meeting point — you’ll regularly spot familiar faces just passing by.

Photo: Courtesy of Long Time Coffee

Where Locals Actually Eat 

Food in La Veleta is less about trends and more about places people trust and return to regularly. Good food, fair prices, and an easy rhythm — this is where locals go to eat in Tulum.

6. La Norteña

Just steps away from BACAB, La Norteña is a neighborhood taquería locals return to again and again. Known especially for its barbacoa, it serves classic Mexican dishes with a strong local character. Casual, busy, and always welcoming, it’s the kind of place that feels woven into daily life rather than discovered.

7. Ciao Belli

Set on the rooftop of La Pizzine, another locals’ favourite place, Ciao Belli serves Italian food that feels genuine and unfussy, exactly as your nonna would make. The menu focuses on classics prepared with care, paired with a relaxed Tulum atmosphere. It’s a place where we return for the food, the view, and the easygoing evenings.

8. Canova Cantina

Canova Cantina also brings a familiar Italian rhythm to La Veleta. The menu centers on handmade pasta, wood-fired pizza, and thoughtfully prepared vegan dishes, all served in a warm, candlelit setting. It’s a place for slow dinners, shared plates, and long conversations — equally comfortable for a quiet date or a relaxed group evening.

9. Tierra by Holistika

Set within the grounds of Holistika, Tierra is a natural choice for a slow, nourishing meal. Vegetarian and vegan dishes are served outdoors, with shared tables, shaded corners, and a juice bar nearby. Holistika itself functions as a larger ecosystem — combining food, hotel, wellness, yoga, temazcal and cacao ceremonies — making it easy to turn breakfast into a full morning experience.

Photo: Courtesy of Ciao Belli

Work, Wellness & Daily Rhythm

High season doesn’t interrupt routines here. Many people in La Veleta balance parties with work, movement, and recovery seamlessly.

10. Digital Jungle

Digital Jungle is a spacious, two-story coworking hub that balances productivity with community. Unlimited coffee and fruit keep people going throughout the day, while presentation rooms and soft lounge areas make it easy to shift between focus and rest. The atmosphere is open and friendly — a place where working often turns into meeting new people.

11. Gypsea Market

Gypsea Market is a grocery store located near Digital Jungle, making it an easy stop for a quick snack between work sessions. The shelves are stocked with organic, vegan, gluten-free, and keto-friendly products. It’s a practical place for daily essentials, as well as a simple option for a light, health-focused meal at their organic café.

12. Jungle Padel

Only a couple of minutes from BACAB, Jungle Padel blends sport with social life. Open classes run several times a day, attracting both locals and newcomers, and the atmosphere stays easy and welcoming. After a match, people linger for burgers, tacos, and conversation — making it a natural extension of the neighborhood’s daily rhythm.

13. Lokah

Lokah is a community-focused yoga and wellness space rather than just a studio. Classes, workshops, and practices range from movement to meditation and breathwork, all held in a calm, intentionally designed environment. It attracts people looking for consistency, connection, and a deeper rhythm during high season.

14. Moku Wellness

Moku Wellness introduces a Japanese-inspired approach to rest in the heart of La Veleta. Saunas, jacuzzis, and spa treatments create a calm counterbalance to an active season. Day passes invite slow afternoons, while evenings around the fire under the stars turn the space into a quiet oasis.

Photo: Courtesy of Gypsea Market

Evenings in La Veleta

Conversations, music, and atmosphere take priority in La Veleta over loud nightlife.

15. Raum

By day, Raum is a casual ramen spot where locals come to work, eat, and spend a few unhurried hours. On Tuesday nights, it becomes one of La Veleta’s most atmospheric gatherings. Down-tempo music sets a slow, sensual rhythm, attracting a relaxed crowd that comes to move, not rush. It’s a place for people who enjoy dancing, but prefer sound, mood, and flow over loud, high-energy parties.

16. Anonymo

One of La Veleta’s newer additions, Anonymo combines a stylish interior with an open patio perfect for warm nights. Good cocktails, DJs and music, a well-paced evening crowd make it an easy choice for nights out that don’t feel overproduced.

17. Local Holy Wine

A small, intimate wine bar and neo-bistro focused on carefully selected bottles. Wines are handpicked and best enjoyed slowly, under the palms, paired with simple market-driven tapas. It’s a quiet, cozy option for evenings that call for conversation rather than noise.

18. El Bodegón

El Bodegón is an evening spot made for dressing up a little and settling in. Tapas, oysters, and bubbles set the tone, with Spanish flavors running through the menu. Karaoke nights and Sunday DJ sessions bring an energetic but relaxed crowd, making it one of La Veleta’s go-to places for social nights out.

19. Asian Bodega

Asian Bodega brings Thai and Southeast Asian flavors into La Veleta’s evening scene. The menu includes dumplings, curries, and plates meant for sharing, while the open kitchen and central bar keep the space social. Lively but relaxed, it’s a place where locals gather, eat well, and often stay longer than planned.

Photo: Courtesy of El Bodegón

The Heart of La Veleta

20. BACAB Hotel

At the center of La Veleta’s daily life sits BACAB Hotel. Every day, it welcomes guests from all over the world for a week, a month, or an entire season, while also remaining a long-term home for locals. Life here moves around shared moments: community events, art exhibitions, open-air cinema, garden dinners, wellness sessions, and relaxed gatherings by the pool.
Art is part of the everyday rhythm, present in small details and quiet corners. Upon request, the team can arrange a private rooftop evening with champagne and a selection of small bites, starting at sunset and slowly turning into stargazing above La Veleta.

Photo: Courtesy of Bacab Hotel