December is the month Tulum looks the way people picture it. Dry, bright, the water clear. It's also the month the beach road books up first, so the question is less whether to come and which week.
We spend our December at kilometre 8.5 of the beach road, between the Tulum ruins to the north and Sian Ka'an to the south. Here's what we tell people who write to us about it.
The weather: dry, around 28°C, with the odd norte
Expect dry, sunny days around 28°C (about 82°F). Nights are pleasant rather than hot, and the humidity drops compared with the summer months. The sea is usually at its calmest and clearest.
The one thing that changes a day is a norte. That's a cold front coming down from the north, and it brings wind, cloud and rougher water for a day or two, with cooler evenings. It passes. Pack one light layer for the evenings and you're covered.
Hurricane season in the Atlantic ends on November 30, so December sits outside it.
Seaweed: usually very little
Sargassum is usually minimal from November through April. It ramps up in May and peaks in the summer, and it follows the currents rather than the calendar. December is typically one of the cleanest months on this coast. If you want to be sure, look at recent beach photos the week before you fly.
On our stretch, that mostly means a morning swim off the sand before the beach club opens at 11am.
Which week: early December is the easy one
The weather barely changes across the month. The price and the crowd do.
| Dates | What to expect |
|---|---|
| December 1 to about 19 | Same weather, high season but ordinary rates, easier to find the suite you want |
| About December 20 to January 2 | The peak fortnight: top rates across the beach road, the most booked weeks of the year |
| From about January 3 | Rates ease, the weather stays the same |
If your dates are fixed on Christmas and New Year, book well ahead. If they move, the first half of December gets you the same sea for less.
Christmas and New Year on the beach road
The last week of December is the busiest on the beach road, by day and especially by night. In town, Nochebuena on the 24th is a family dinner, the 25th is quiet, and the ruins and cenotes stay open through the holidays.
Our beach club is open every day from 11am to 7pm. For holidays and special occasions, write to us by email and we'll tell you what's planned. Weekends bring a DJ down to the beach club, as they do the rest of the year. Calm by day, a little louder by evening.
What we'd do with a December week
The good weather makes this the month for the things that depend on it. Go early to everything.
The Tulum ruins at opening. It's a Maya walled city on a cliff over the sea, and it fills with tour groups as the morning goes on. December is when the coaches are heaviest, so be there when the gates open. We've written up how to get to the ruins from the hotel zone.
A boat day in Sian Ka'an. The biosphere reserve starts further south along our road, and a calm December sea is the time to be out on the water. Our team arranges day trips, and we've put together what we tell people before they go.
Gran Cenote, before the day trips arrive. It's a cenote off the road to Cobá, west of town, and like the ruins it's best first thing. Our team can set up transport.
Tulum Pueblo for an evening. Town is where most people who work on the coast live, and it's a short drive inland from the beach road. It's the easy way to see how December is spent locally, especially around the 24th.
If you'd rather a plan than a list, our 3 days in Tulum itinerary strings these together.
Back at the beach
Mornings here start with breakfast, which is included every morning and served from 8am to 1pm. Thursdays at 8am there's a beachfront workout class, and yoga and Pilates run through the week. The beach club opens at 11am, with towel service and no minimum spend. From Thursday to Sunday, fire-grilled fish is served by the beach.
Steps from your suite to the sand.
Getting here in December
Tulum International Airport (TQO) is 30 to 40 minutes from our door, and we can arrange a private transfer. Cancun International Airport (CUN) is about two hours by car. Holiday flights fill early, so it's worth sorting the transfer when you book the suite.
Where you'd stay
Fourteen suites, oceanfront or garden, nothing in between. Six are rooftop suites with private terraces, and a few have their own rooftop or ground-floor pool, if you'd like one of those. For the peak fortnight, book directly on our site or write to reservations@hotelesumi.com.