Zen Mexico Beach Escape!

When I was twenty-two I first went to the Mayan Riviera and fell in love. I wanted a perfect white sandy beach, turquoise blue warm water and I wanted to not wear shoes for a week. I found this perfect simplicity at a little collection of beach cabanas near the ruins of Tulum.

While in those days I was happy tying my hammock to a palapa structure and eating bean tacos for the week, I am looking for a little bit more luxury at this point in my life. Enough to make it comfortable, not enough to take away the simple charm of getting away from it all.

With today's mega resorts taking over much of the sand beaches of my beloved Mayan, there is still some refuge of that old beach vacation to be had at the Shambala Petit Hotel, a no-frills yet bewitching spot at the southern end of Tulum.

When people imagine a thatched-roof, swinging-hammock, beach-bum vacation in Tulum, this is the place they dream of. Imagine a carefully maintained beach, with its impossibly soft, white sand; and the small, delightful details such as the tassels and mother-of-pearl ornaments hanging from the white beach umbrellas, and the splashes of orange in the form of throw pillows, beach towels, and pole-mounted flags throughout the property.

The casitas are simple, meaning a bed and a ceiling fan, and not much else. In fact, the casitas are not decorated at all, but even the world's greatest interior designer couldn't compete with what's right outside the doors. Eight of the ten rooms have private baths, lit only by candlelight.

Breakfast is included in the room price; there are numerous restaurants for lunch and dinner within walking distance. Shambala offers yoga classes, meditation classes, and Spanish lessons for those who can drag themselves from one of the comfortable beach mattresses.

Tulum doesn't have the nightlife of Playa del Carmen or Cancun, but for those who linger on the beach past sunset, the stars above and moonlight on the ocean are breathtaking. Rooms from $110 (with private bath), includes breakfast.