The place is truly stunning. Paraiso beach in Tulum is just magnificent. It's never busy like some other places can be here, and the water is the clearest and most beautiful you'll ever see!
Paraiso Beach is such a breathe of fresh air compared to the town of Tulum. I'm not very fond of Tulum itself. Sure, its nature is stunning and it offers some of the most beautiful places on earth, but the town itself...meh. It's overpriced to begin with. Somehow the expat community that made Tulum their home is just...different. It's hard to explain if you haven't been there. People from other places in the area, like Playa del Carmen where I live, call these expats 'The Tuluminati', and with a very good reason which I won't get into now.
But then, when you get out of the center of the town (I call it a town, but it's vastly growing into a city, as there are new builds everywhere), you can find true gems like this one: Paradise Beach, or Playa Paraiso.
During the low season, this place is just amazing. It gets a little busier in the high season, but still not crazy because this beach is quite secluded, and not close to the center, so people just haven't found it yet.
Paraiso is located in a national park, so you will come across national guards, who will check your bags before you enter. Not always, but they can. Plastic bottles, cigarettes, and other things that can be littered aren't allowed. They don't check pockets, but just be aware of this if you go there. The entrance fee to the park is 61 pesos, which comes down to about US$3.00, which isn't bad.
The place has a special tour on offer. It's a trip to the reef for a short snorkel session, and then to the Mayan ruins in Tulum to see the place from the water. Most tours are by speed boat, but one is by catamaran. Since it's an eco-tourist haven, you'd expect most of those people to take the catamaran tour, but nope...it seems like they only care about the environment if it doesn't hurt their wallets, so most choose the smelly speed boats. It's unfortunate.
To get to Tulum and to this beach from Playa del Carmen, I only have to take a colectivo (small van) for 50 pesos. Then one could choose to either walk (4.5km) to this beach, or take a taxi, which can be costly. But with a few people, it's worth it. Taxi drivers tend to try and have you pay a lot, but it shouldn't be more than 150 pesos to get here.
The water here is magnificent! When you wade into the water, it takes a little while to get to the deeper parts, making it quite safe for children. However, once you swim out a little, it gets deeper, about 3 meters. But you can still see the ocean floor. That's how clear the water is!
The clouds didn't matter. It was still amazingly beautiful, and with hardly any people there, it's the best place to be. There are a few hotels along the beach, and all have a beach club. Be prepared to pay 70 pesos (US$3.50 approx.) for an American coffee though. And that's just the coffee... Definitely not local prices! Tulum is expensive. And it won't get any cheaper with all the new resorts that are being built.
If you ever visit Tulum, then Paraiso beach is a must! The town can become a bit overwhelming at times. There's too much traffic for such a small place, and on a busy weekend, there will be cars everywhere, and a traffic jam going into Tulum. The beach makes for a nice change. So if you don't mind paying a lot for your food and drink, or are bringing your own, then this is definitely the place to be.