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Riviera Maya |
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Riviera Maya
Just down the Mexican Caribbean coast from Cancun, but a world apart from it, is the tropical paradise of the Riviera Maya. Stretching 90 miles from Playa del Carmen to Tulum, this part of the Yucatan Peninsula offers dozens of luxury properties where you can soak up ancient Mayan culture in the morning and Caribbean sun in the afternoon.
Activities and Attractions:
With powdery sand and warm, calm Caribbean Sea waters plentiful everywhere, you can’t go wrong choosing a beach on the Riviera Maya. For the quintessential experience, try Playa del Carmen, with its wide swath of sand, tame wavelets, and dozens of restaurants to choose from at mealtime. For solitude, try Xcacel, where the surf is stronger and you will see more sea turtles than people. Divers flock to Paamul, where the outer reef attracts a rainbow of fish species.
This reef, the Mesoamerican Coral Reef, is the second longest in the world, and harbors some of the most exciting snorkeling, diving, and fishing sites you’ll find anywhere. Consider chartering a boat. Whether you want to swim alongside parrotfish or snag a yellowfin for dinner, your captain will know exactly where to find you a world-class aquatic experience.
You don’t have to stray far from the water for the coast’s other magical experience: ancient Mayan ruins. Dating back to the thirteenth century, the august stone pyramids of Tulum are located just steps from the beach. Slightly inland, the even older remains of Xelha provide another haunting glimpse into Mexico’s pre-Columbian history.
Also located conveniently close to the beaches is Playa del Carmen’s Fifth Avenue (Quinta Avenida) shopping district. This half-mile pedestrian-friendly shopping area has its share of sombrero vendors, but it’s also the place to pick up hand-rolled cigars, fine rum, export-quality handicrafts, and authentic Mexican jewelry made of silver, lapis lazuli, or local gem stones.
This area also happens to be ground zero for Day of the Dead festivities each year. This celebration, which actually takes place over several days (usually October 30-November 2) is when Mexicans remember their dearly departed not with tears and somber clothing, but with the music, food, dancing, parades, and fireworks that they might have enjoyed in their lifetimes.
If you decide all this fun in the sun is taking a toll on your skin or muscles, help is never far away. The area’s high concentration of luxury hotels provides some of the greatest spa experiences in Latin America. Whether you want an hour-long Temazcal (rebirth) ceremony presided over by a real shaman, a Mayan herb foot rub, or something as exotic as a Swedish massage, it can be found somewhere in Mexico’s relaxation capital.
Insider Tip:
If we called it a sinkhole, you’d never go. So call it by its Spanish name: cenote. The coastline of the Riviera Maya is dotted with cenotes, depressions in the earth that have filled with crystal-clear rock-filtered groundwater. Some are just deep enough for a refreshing dip, but others, like Dos Ojos, near Tulum, are connected to vast submerged cave systems. These aquatic caverns provide some of the most spectacular freshwater scuba diving on the planet.
-Exclusively for Perfect Escapes by Nicole Clausing |
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