We have had the pleasure of meeting lots of New Yorkers and East Coast residents that find Tulum Mexico a nice and easy getaway from the north. We are closely watching the aftermath of the storm that hit the East Atlantic coast this past week and want to share our hurricane experiences and thoughts with our friends and neighbors to the north.

Hurricanes are easy, the aftermath and clean up is where the challenge lies, but we have found that the aftermath is what brings people together in ways they thought were never possible. That is the beauty of a natural disaster, if you can find any beauty in any of this.

Dr Seuss got it right – Oh! the places you’ll go!

We are huge fans for life lessons, which may be one of the reasons we chose to live in another country. Dr. Seuss has written in his book ‘oh the places we go’ some wonderful life lessons that we like to reflect on each and every day. Though this book is generally given to graduates, preparing them for the adventures of life, Sandy the superstorm has brought on some adventures of her own and these great words of wisdom may be the refreshing words that can help all our friends on the East Coast face the day and go with the flow.

Here are some encouraging words from the book Oh! The places we go!

..And when things start to happen,
don’t worry. Don’t stew.
Just go right along.
You’ll start happening too.

OH!
THE PLACES YOU’LL GO!…

…I’m sorry to say so
but, sadly, it’s true
and Hang-ups
can happen to you…

…But on you will go
though the weather be foul
On you will go
though your enemies prowl
On you will go
though the Hakken-Kraks howl
Onward up many
a frightening creek,
though your arms may get sore
and your sneakers may leak…

On and on you will hike
and I know you’ll hike far
and face up to your problems
whatever they are.

You’ll get mixed up, of course,
as you already know.
You’ll get mixed up
with many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
and remember that Life’s
a Great Balancing Act.
Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3 / 4 percent guaranteed.)

KID, YOU’LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!

So…
be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O’Shea,
you’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So…get on your way!

The East Coast will recover!

We know that the East Coast will recover and we know that every single person will do their best to work towards that recovery! WE have done it and will most likely do it again, it is not fun while it is happening but there is an end, really, really there is.

Oh! The places you’ll go! And when it is all over, you know you have a place to go!

This is a favorite pastime and it would be a shame not share. If you are up for an all natural spa day while on vacation in Tulum, we have the process and Tulum stores have the products. In total all of these natural products may cost you 10 usd and there is enough for about 5 spa treatments! Massages are not included, this would have to be done by a certified masseuse but man will your skin feel and look great!

Products needed for your natural beach spa

Before you arrive in at Casa de las Olas or if you want to take a quick trip into town to gather all of these needed supplies, pick up the following items for your full body spa exfoliation.

1. Natural honey – get a bigger bottle in case you end up wanting some for your tea

2. Full grain sugar

3. avocados – buy some super ripe ones about 4

4. Sea salt in its natural form (not the processed you can buy rock sea salt in a bag for 5 pesos!)

5. Baking soda

Head to the beach and get ready for the spa treatment of your life!

Admittedly this is best done in the middle of the day when your pores are open and you have been sweating! Go into the ocean and get wet! Go back to the shore and take the Tulum beach sand and rub your entire body with the sand, you you heard my right, entire body with the fine and beautiful sand of Tulum. Give yourslef a good scrub, ankles, stomach, back, legs and your face. Dive back into the water and get rid of the sand. You will start to feel the difference already.

Go back to the beach and mix the honey with the sea salt and sugar. It should be a paste when you are done. Now rub this mixture all over your body, just like you did the sand and you will start to replace some much needed minerals back into your skin. Your skin is your largest organ so anything that you put on your skin will help your entire body, inside and out.

Run back to the ocean and rinse off your second exfoliation. Now your skin is feeling even better! rinse well and go back to the beach for your final cleaning and moisturizing.

Open the avocado and mush it in your hands. The mushed meat of the avocado is then smeared onto your skin. If you want to put some in your hair as well as it has been getting dry from the sun, go for it! It is great for your body and hair. Wait until the avocado dries, about 15 to 20 minutes. Stand on the beach, it is not recommended to lie on your towel as avocado can stain a bit. Your bathing suit is fine, the towel and beach chairs should be avoided if you have put the fruit on the front and back of your body.

Once dry, dive back into the ocean and rinse the avocado off. Sily may come to mind, moisturized will definately come to mind, smooth as a babies bottom will cross your mind as well. To finish things off, take the baking soda and do a final exfoliation on your face, the fine texture and of the baking soda and the natural chemical make-up of this product will do a fine exfoliation of your face, the dirt that accumulates in your pores and will is used as a finishing agent.

Your body has never felt this good and a spa treatment has never cost so little!

One key portion of this exfoliation is the ocean water. The natural minerals in the ocean helps to rebuild your skin and body. YOu can do this treatment at home in your shower or in your bath tub, it just is not as much fun and the ocean will not be coming through your shower head to give you that extra boost of minerals.

When you do this treatment, there is no harm to the ocean as all ingredients are natural. The ingredients are so inexpensive in Tulum as they are readily available in local fruit stands and corner stores it is really quite incredible. If you do this every day, you will stimulate our most unstimulated organ, our skin. If you want to feel great on vacaton give this a try. This natural exfoliation spa is easy to do, easy to source ingredients and compliments your beach vacation in Tulum!

Susanne writes about her experience at Casa de las Olas – Beautiful!

Soft breezes, soft sand, soft beds,beauty all around, blues and greens and in-betweens stretching to the horizon… Solitude, silence within and around the sound of the waves, generous hospitality, beautiful rooms, impeccable care, delicious food close by, perfect walks: to the left, a variety of cute little bars and restaurants, to the right a wilderness of sand and sea, at night in the summer months turtles emerging from the ocean to lay their eggs on the sand in the starlight…mmmmmmmm… Perfection. We will be back, again and again… Thanks to Jimmy and his staff for ten days of utter paradise. Check out more reviews on Tripadvisor!

Video of our little paradise on the beaches of Tulum, Mexico

So we wanted to share an amateur video taken on a smart phone that gives you a little taste of Casa de las Olas. This will show you a bit of the property and what you can expect from our secret and off the grid property in Tulum. There are no movie stars, or if there are we don’t know, there is no music, there is no sign, it is just a property where you can get away from it all and relax….chill, decompress, hang out, share, sleep……you decide what you want to do and we will make sure it happens!

Looking at booking your vacation and looking for a sustainable property in Tulum. Check it out!

When vacationing, your accommodations are one of the most important parts of your vacation and how you rate the success of your vacation. Choosing a hotel in Tulum is tough as there are many options to choose from and many different types of accommodations to satisfy travelers.

Finding your perfect Tulum hotel is achievable but it needs some thought first. The diversity makes choices difficult and reservations can be a chore. We have looked at some of the important criteria that could make picking your Tulum accommodation easier and faster.

Choosing a Tulum hotel for your next Tulum vacation

1. Determine your budget – Tulum hotels can range from 10 usd a night 800 usd per night. Your personal budget will weed out a lot of the possible candidates and leave you with a handful of possible locations.
2. Determine the area – You have three areas to choose from, by the Tulum ruins, in the town of Tulum or on the Tulum beach. Prices vary considerably, with accommodations by the ruins the least expensive, hotels in the town of the Tulum middle of the road with some very inexpensive options and The Tulum beach accommodations being the most expensive.
3. Define your comforts – Is a hammock sufficient, shared bathrooms and a small cabin for two or is something more concrete with some comforts more your style of vacationing. Budget and accommodations may match up, sometimes it does not. There are hotels for 70 usd a night on the Tulum beach but it is shared showers, public bathrooms and hard beds.  More expensive hotels will provide better quality rooms and private bathrooms.
4. Determine your customer service expectations – You will be able to tell at the booking process or inquiry stage if the customer service at the hotel you are considering is up to your standards. Like accommodations, customer service varies so when making inquiries see how you feel about it.
5. Ease of booking – Tulum is not necessarily in tune with the speed of mobile, internet booking and fast vacation planning. Check out how has online booking and which hotels have invested into easy reservation systems. This could make planning your Tulum vacation easy and secure!

First time Tulum visitors may find Tulum vacations hard to plan due to the lack of technology that the Area has. Many beach locations do not internet so they travel into town once a day or once every few days to check email. This can make the booking process slow. The nice thing is that some hotels have worked hard to ease the planning and reservation process to match the speed of technology and make reservations easy for mobile users.

Have questions about Tulum vacations and amenities? Let us know on email or Facebook and we would be happy to fill you in.

When the summer months hit in countries outside of the Caribbean, on goes the air conditioning! In many cities world wide, air conditioning is on in cars, in stores, in houses and offices. Windows are closed, no fresh air can be found, and people live in closed environments.

Have a hotel and villa on the beach in Tulum means that air conditioning is not required. Ever! As a sustainable building on the beach in Tulum it would not make sense to use solar energy to fuel air conditioning but it is not even a topic for us. Mother Nature has supplied some of the best fresh air, some the best ocean breezes that keep all accommodations at Casa de las Olas cool, fresh and refreshing.

Reverse geothermal construction makes the building sustainable

When the developer envisioned the building of Casa de las Olas many, many years ago, the architect was truly a visionary making use of all the natural elements to ensure the building sustained the beach elements and harsh conditions of the Caribbean.

The most innovative system is the reverse geothermal cooling system that was built into Casa de las Olas and has made this building one of the coolest concrete buildings on the coast.

Geothermal normally refers heat taken from the core of the earth to create heat in homes, energy etc. Casa de las Olas takes not heat but cool ocean wind to cool the building not heat up the building. WE have named this reverse geothermal cooling.

Large tubes were inserted into the concrete frame of Casa de las Olas. These tubes all start on the ocean side of the property and run through the building to the roof. The ocean wind pushes through the tubes forcing a cooling of the concrete and pushing the warm air up to the exits on the roof. It was ingenious construction 30 years ago and continues to provide a cool environment on some of the hottest Caribbean days.

So we have ensured that air conditioning is not required in Casa de Las Olas and continue to maintain this gift that we have. The ocean breeze does a great job of keeping all of us cool in Tulum but the addition of reverse geothermal cooling is a blessing and makes us one of the most sustainable buildings in the area. Read more Sustainable building articles at Casa de las Olas?

Before we answer that question, as we of course do have a recommendation and opinion, it is important to review what the purpose of  your Tulum vacation is. Are you looking to chill on the Tulum beach, get some most needed sleep, read and just disconnect? Or are you hoping to explore, discover and find out more about the area.

If you want to chill and just walk to the local restaurants (this is a great option with Hechizo next door) then the Director of Possibiities (that being Jimmy) would say, no a car is not needed. If travel is required use a taxi and use your vacation budget for restaurants.

If you want adventure, knowledge, experiences and flexibility, Get…a…..car……

Tulum is laid out a bit differently from other cities in the area. It is broken up into three very distinct areas that have at least 4 kilometers between each area. The three areas are the Tulum ruins to the north, the Tulum pueblo or city on the highway just 3 kilometers south of the Tulum ruins and then The Tulum beach area which is to the west of the main city center. Each area has its own charm and if you wish to experience these three areas easily, a rental car is recommended.

How to arrange a rental car in Tulum

Our experience has been that it is best to make arrangements for a rental car when you arrive into Mexico. Read our blog post about airport transportation options to Tulum so you can decide how you want to get to Tulum. Rent a car in Tulum or if you are stopping in Playa del Carmen first rent a car locally there.

Costs for a rental car depending on the season and type of car you want, can range from 50 usd a day 90 usd a day. Drop off your car before you head back to the airport so you save the drop off charge.

As locals who live in the area, a car is required. The beach road is 10 kilometers long and walking in the heat of the day is not something that we recommend for us or our guests.

Conclusion: rental car requirements are based on the vacation that you choose to have. If you change your mind, you can always rent a car for the day or if you know what you want you can rent it for a discounted rate for the week that you are here.

80% of Casa de las Olas guests rent a car to explore, experience and take in all that Tulum has to offer. The Director of Possibilities makes it hard for guests not to want to explore the area! and he is always ready to help you book the rental car you need!

Many travelers are still confused about sustainable tourism and sustainable travel and we don’t blame you. It is tough to navigate between the messages, hotel certifications and news out there. But really we do know what it is and we love to share what we know! If you know Jimmy, you will know that he is a sharing kinda guy! So if you are unclear, no fault for yours the messages these days are confusing and hard to follow. So lets see if we can shed some light on sustainable tourism. Whether or not you think it is important is up to you. For us it is our number one, numero uno priority.

Sustainable travel and tourism is pretty simple

Sustainable travel is looking out for suppliers who are protecting and taking these four factors into consideration. Environmental, human, financial and cultural factors of the countries that deliver the travel services. The planet. In its totality. Everything that makes up the planet as we know it.

Eco travel is concerned with the environment only, Sustainable travel takes the environment, the people who live and work in the country, economic factors of the local travel area, and cultural factors into consideration.

So when you travel, look after the environment of your destination as if it was your own, buy local, play local, purchase locally and support locally. Do as the Romans do and find out what the culture of your destination is all about.

As the globe gets smaller many visitors expect other countries to mirror their home country. Half the fun of travel is the discovery, the understanding, the learning and appreciation of how other cultures, countries, environments exist. When you dig deep into the cultural psyche of a new country or even a neighboring state, it is fascinating to see how people live, eat, work, and build community.

Sustainable travel and sustainable tourism opens up these experiences to you. It really opens up your heart to other ideas and new ways of seeing things.

How can you apply sustainable tourism and travel principles?

Tree hugging certification is not required. Sustainable travel has been around for a long time and sustainable tourism was a belief held by many generations just not  labeled as such.

From the minute you book your flight to discovering ways get to your hotel, to choosing your hotel and planning your vacation, you can choose the sustainable way or….not. Check the environmental and human resource policies of your airline. Check the building practices of your accommodations and their waste, energy and water management. Find local tours that use local guides. Choose tours that highlight the local flora and fauna. That could be the mountains, the ocean, fresh water systems, snow, sun….your destination will determine the highlights.

Talk to people. Talk to people who live in the area you are traveling to, talk to people once you arrive. Residents and travelers love to share their insights and discoveries. Just because something is number 1 on Google does not mean it is the best sustainable choice. Dig a bit deeper and get real opinions from real people who share similar beliefs.

Casa de las Olas believes in sustainability and practices it

I have never seen Jimmy hugging a tree but he is passionate about sustainable tourism. Local he knows and local is what he chats about and recommends. His continued focus at Casa de las Olas is the environment, the staff, the great guests that add to the culture of Casa de las Olas and buying local; whether it be food, furniture or fruit. If you are at Casa de las Olas on a Saturday, the first thing that comes up is Market Day, organic market day in Tulum and Jimmy will captivate you with his description of the granola, greens and sprouts that are all organic and can only be purchased on a Saturday.Think of Jimmy as your one stop sustainable travel and tourism guy and guide. He has done his research and guests get the rewards!

If you like sustainable travel and tourism do a shout out on Facebook and like Casa de las Olas. We are sustainable in every way and no tree hugging is required. It is just about enjoying a super vacation in a super interesting town in a super interesting country where some of the most beautiful beaches in North America are at your doorstep!

Bird's eye view of the Tulum jungle and eco system

We received an email from a guest a few weeks ago that had a glorious letter attached. One of our guests has recommended Casa de las Olas for Leed Certification, an environmental certification for our villa’s environmental and sustainable building practices. WOW! This certification was developed by the US green Building Council in 2000 and only has 21 Mexican based businesses certified, with only one business categorized as Platinum. Well there will be two Platinum businesses in Mexico soon as the villa scored 90/100 in the application process!

What is LEED certification?

LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is redefining the way we think about the places where we live, work and learn. It is internationally recognized and provides building owners and operators with a framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions.

LEED certification provides independent, third-party verification that a building, home or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at achieving high performance in key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.

Highlights that prove the sustainable development of the villa

The cover letter submitted by our guest sums up our beliefs and commitment to sustainable building and sustainable tourism and sustainable building practices.

The application highlights:

Integrated Pest Management, Erosion Control and Landscape Management Plan: Our on-going gardening is working and the dune will not experience erosion due to the garden that continues to thrive at Casa de las Olas.

Site Development – Protect or Restore Open Habitat: This was too long to share, but we are very proud to know that our efforts to protect and restore open habitat was recognized.

Water Efficient Landscaping: Gray water is used to irrigate the many indigenous plant species on the property.

Minimum Energy Efficiency Performance: Scored very high for this!

On-site and Off-site Renewable Energy and Emission Reduction: Casa de las Olas is 100 percent solar powered (3,000) watts. It is backed up with a 5k Honda generator and supplemented with solar powered flashlights when necessary.

Sustainable Purchasing – Ongoing Consumables: All soaps and shampoos are bio-degradable and locally produced. All food is purchased within 100 mile radius of the site. All lighting fixtures, furniture and décor items were created by local Mayan craftsmen.

Solid Waste Management: Food waste is collected and composted on a daily basis. Seaweed is raked and composted on a daily basis. Staff encourages a high level of reuse and recycling on the property.

Green Cleaning – Sustainable Cleaning Equipment: All cleaning is conducted by hand and green cleaning products are bought locally for all property cleaning.

Innovation in Operations: Irrigation water is also produced through the bio-generator septic system that screens all the waste to create usable gray water. The site has been maintained and restored with indigenous plant species. Plant propagation is practiced through cutting of these native plants. Restoration of the dunes and stabilization of other areas of erosion on the property were achieved with the propagated plants. The Mexican Caribbean coastline is pristinely preserved with daily removal of the garbage that accumulates.

Innovation in Operations #2: Casa de las Olas has 100 percent natural ventilation. The design of the structure incorporates passive air flow within voids constructed in the structures walls. Casa de las Olas is completely cooled and heated naturally by the sun, sea, and wind, which does not impact ozone depletion or climate change.

Sustainable building practices are achievable!

The best part about this application is that we can share what we have done to make Casa de las Olas a sustainable building in the heart of Tulum, Mexico. As we continue to incorporate more projects and refine the building and guest services to reflect our desire to be sustainable in all areas, we will share our stories. The new herb garden is coming along and the organic waste program that we have in the villa has enabled this herb garden to become reality.

We have clearly outlined our policy on sustainable development and sustainable tourism on our website. Feel free to read through how we build upon our sustainable practices in all four areas of sustainability: environment, people, economics and culture.

if you are curious about LEED and what they do listen to the video about the organization.

One of the greatest benefits of Tulum, whether you are here as a resident or a visitor, is the amount of natural cleansers and plants you can use to help rejuvenate your skin. Can anyone say humidity? Can anyone say, salt water, fine sand and warm weather. Tulum beach is a natural spa that will help your skin more than any other store bought beauty product on the market. One item that is purchased is the Mayan clay, a natural cleanser for the skin that takes out all of the impurities in the skin, after you have exfoliated with the sand and added a bit of sun to that body of yours that has been starved of Vitamin D for a few months.

Skin care 101 when in Tulum

The sand, the ocean , the sun and the final touch, the Mayan clay is the best way to give your body a makeover while on vacation. It is a shame to do this just once or twice a year but the difference when you do this regiment is incredible. All of the products are natural, and only two are purchased items, Mayan Clay and avocados. The only additional cost could be a bit of embarrassment on the beach as your home made spa treatment will be public, but bet you a few dollars that once people see  you doing this they just may join in.

Step One of the healthy skin treatment- Open pores and exfoliate

First, dive into the ocean and get wet. Open up those pores with the sun, the salt water and the humidity! Next return to the beach and using the sand on the beach, exfoliate your entire body, scrubbing the sand on your legs, your arms, feet and yes your face. Rinse and repeat!

Step Two of the healthy skin treatment – Clean, clean clean

Use your Mayan clay that can be purchased in the town of Tulum or on the beach road, and use it to clean all of the skin on your body. Clay has been used by the Mayans for centuries as an important medicinal and cosmetic tool. Externally, clays are used to absorb excess oils, toxins and dirt. Clays are high in mineral content and when used externally, minerals enter the body faster as they bypass the digestive system. The Mayan clay, unlike some other naturally produced clays like Bentonite, can only be taken externally. It is not advised to take this clay internally.

Mix your clay with water, using 25% clay and 75% water. The salt water is fine and the sun will make this an even more pleasurable experience. Smooth the clay mixture all over your body, let it dry in the heat of the sun. You will feel the tightening of your skin as the clay goes to work! If you would prefer to try a facial first, by all means, try your face only, let the clay mixture dry and rinse off with salt water.If you opted for the facial only, bet you will follow up immediately with a full body clay treatment.

Step Three – put some good oils back into your skin

This is the fun part! Cut a ripe avocado in half and using the meat to the fruit, put this all over your entire body and hair to moisturize the clean skin that you now have. Again you can do this in the sun, but it is not recommended to tan or keep the avocado on all day in the sun. The meat of the fruit will turn from green to brown, in about 5 minutes. Keep this on your body and in your hair for about 15 to 20 minutes. When done, jump in the ocean, rinse off and feel like a new you! Literally!If the avocado is not what you are looking for try some aloe vera, the spiky plant you see in most gardens. Slit open the leaves, scrape out the gel and it will be as beneficial as the avocado.

Natural skin products that provide you with your own home spa

The beauty of this treatment is the environment, hot sun, humid air, the ocean, the salt water and nothing else to do but relax and focus on your various steps. The cool thing is though, you can do this at home at at a 10th of the price of a spa treatment. The skin benefits are glorious! How you feel afterwards, can not put that feeling into words. The stress starts to melt away once you have treated yourself to this spa treatment that you do yourself!

Mayan clay is the secret to this skin treatment

Taking out the dirt, toxins and oils that disable your skin from breathing is the secret ingredient to this self made treatment. Mayan clay will also help you if you get too much sun, by soothing the skin that has been damaged and nurturing the cells that have had a little too much Tulum sun for their liking.

• add natural minerals
• detox your skin
• cleanse your pores
• tighten your skin for a younger look
• heal skin issues
• natural sustainable product that gives back to your skin, the environment and the community
• no chemicals

Looking for some other detox trips while on vacation in Tulum? Have a look at our Disconnect day on March 23 and tell me if this is the ticket to your next healthy vacation?

March 23, 2012 was the official Day of Disconnecting to  Re-Connect, a day we hope people celebrated around the globe. Disconnect Day is a day to turn off your smart phone, computer, television and other electronic devices so you can connect with community, yourself and the environment.

Our disconnect day was similar to the videos we are showing you below. Our commitment to turn off devices meant that we could not video our day, but we did find others who have successfully captured a day similar to ours. Oddly, our days are like this most of the time, not all day, but for a portion of the day. Sorry for the late post but we wanted to complete our first day of disconnecting and share our experience with you!

Navel gazing on the beach in Tulum

So we started with some navel gazing while lying on the beach in Tulum. This video is similar to our experience.

As the day got hotter, and it was hot, we decided to hightail it to the cenote that is located across the road from the beach villa.

Books were read (paper books, our favorite) there was more playing in the ocean, gardening, cleaning and to top off the day, a dinner at Hartwood!

Disconnecting is a great detox activity

We are great believers of sustainable tourism, sustainable building practices and organic foods, but we do use cell phones, computers and other devices needed to communicate with our guests, suppliers and friends. We forget, like we all do how much time is spent on all of these devices. The device detox was great! and comes highly recommended! OUr day was productive, full of energy and rewarding!

A vacation is a great excuse for a device detox

use these photos and videos to inspire your next device detox on a week, day or time that is convenient for you. Detoxing from the stress of staying connected was more rewarding than having a semi-day off. Nothing fell apart, messages will be returned on March 24 and we feel better! IN fact we feel great! And this is coming from people who live in paradise, but our working paradise. I can not imagine what a device detox could do for city living device users who are tied to their devices 24/7. Do you want to find out.

Find out how to create your own device detox vacation (I like the ring to that) and more about the best place to do this, Tulum!