Tulum becoming an enticing Yucatan resort town

With the night winding down in the beachfront cafe, the young Italian hostess was writing in her notebook, working on her Mayan language studies. This little moment perfectly captured the challenges facing Tulum, the rapidly growing exotic resort town on the site of an ancient Mayan city on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula.
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A temple in Tulum stands over one of the area's many fine...Fresh fish and shrimp tacos at La Cueva de Pescador.The restaurant at La Zebra in Tulum, a small resort with ... View More Images

While many of the locals in the state of Quintana Roo still speak Mayan, the town of Tulum, just a little hideaway not long ago, is becoming inundated with newcomers speaking every language under the abundant sun. They're staying because they're falling in love with the place. Bali, who just opened a food lover's corner store and rooming house near the beach, is an expert chef who moved here a few years ago from Hungary. Bruno, who came from his native Biarritz by way of New York City, runs the Hemingway-esque Havana Cafe downtown.