The middle stretch of the Tulum beach road, around four kilometres south of the ruins, is where the dirt-road backpacker era of Tulum still lingers in places. Playa Las Palmas runs along this section — narrower than Playa Paraíso, with the boutique cabaña hotels close behind the dune, and a string of low-key bars and restaurants reachable on foot.
The water is the same brilliant turquoise as elsewhere on the coast, and there is a small reef just offshore that makes for decent snorkelling on calm days. Access is informal: walk through one of the public access paths off the beach road, or buy a drink at a beach bar and stay for the day. Quieter than the beaches close to the ruins, livelier than the southernmost stretch near Sian Ka'an.