I have had a lot of questions re: car rental vs. taxi.
Here is some info to help you make a decision on what works best for your travel plans.
To get to Tulum Pueblo (where some restaurants, the ATM, the supermaket are) from the Tulum beach road (where the hotels are) you need a car. Taxis are available but they definitely run on Tulum time. It costs about $6 per trip, but if you call a taxi to pick you up from your hotel, don't count on a car being there on time or being available right away.
It costs about $120-$140 per trip from the Airport in Cancun to Tulum.
The last time Gary and I were in Tulum, our car rental for 5 days was less than $150 (without the extra insurance).
If you do decide on a car rental, definitely ask it's it manual or automatic. Most tend to be manual.
Transportation will be provided to/from the wedding ceremony and reception.
Along the beach, you can walk to most of the other hotels and restaurants.
Many people will be renting cars, so think about car pools!!
For airport transfers, contact your hotel (as they may offer you a good price) and we also recommend making plans through locogringo.com.
We're renting!
We're renting a car, but I think our flights are way different from everyone else's. We're arriving Friday the 4th at noon and leaving Tuesday the 8th around 1pm. Anyone else have the same timing?
MY TRIP DETAILS
I am staying at Los Lirios with Amy (bridesmaid!) from Thursday the 3rd through Sunday the 6th. My flight info is below. We have not made any decisions on car rental yet. I'd like to rent one since it seems affordable but would prefer to coordinate to have some other people ride with us so we are not alone! Amy and I get into Cancun within 20 minutes of each other on Thursday but our flights back home are many hours apart.
Flight: Mexicana Airlines flight 861 (Non-Stop)
Depart: New York-Kennedy, NY (JFK) - TERMINAL 8
Thu, Jul 03 at 9:00am
Arrive: Cancun, Mexico (CUN) - TERMINAL 2
Thu, Jul 03 at 12:10pm
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Flight: Mexicana Airlines flight 860 (Non-Stop)
Depart: Cancun, Mexico (CUN) - TERMINAL 2
Sun, Jul 06 at 6:10pm
Arrive: New York-Kennedy, NY (JFK) - TERMINAL 8
Sun, Jul 06 at 11:00pm
We rented a car
Jeff and I rented a car when we were in Tulum last year. It's relatively cheap (even more so if you share) and easy to get around. Just make sure you double check all the rental details and print out your car reservation email for the rental counter. And DON'T let the gas attendants chat you up - watch that gas meter or else you run a good chance of being seriously overcharged.