Tulum really has 3 parts

As you enter Tulum, you first pass a sign to the hotel zone. This is an old, misleading sign that actually leads to a dead end road. If you want to park at the ruins for free, park on this road and walk in on the right, you will be right at the shops for Tulum.

After the gas station, is a large entrance on the left for the Tulum archaeological zone, with parking, shops and restaurants clustered around the ruins.

To find the real Tulum hotel zone entrance, go left on the road marked to Cobá. A right turn will take you to the Cobå ruins and past some of the larger cenotes.

Continuing straight on highway 307 brings you into Tulum Pueblo. The town is spread out along both sides of the highway, but nothing there is on the beach.

The Maya (Ancient Peoples and Places) A clear and intelligent description of Mayan development.