What to do in the Mayan Riviera (Cancún, Playa del Carmen, Tulum), or shall I write “what ELSE to do…”
Posted by Roberto on Jun 22 2009 in Eating & Drinking, Travel // Tags: best beaches in the mayan riviera, diving and snorkeling in the mayan riviera, euro chic playa del carmen, euro-chic beach club, mayan riviera history, more than beach, restaurants in the mayan riviera, snorleling soliman bay, trendy beach, what to do after the beach, what to do in cancun, what to do in playa del carmen, what to do in the mayan riviera, what to do in the yucatan peninsula, what to do in tulum, yucatan peninsula historyGranted, you can go to the Mayan Riviera just to do nothing but lying on the beach and relaxing like a lizzard. But that is just a part of the many things you can do is the Yucatan Peninsula. Here are some of my recommendations if you are the hectic type of traveler:
1)Know more beaches. Yours is surely great (as all of them) but some beach variety is highly advisable. The white sands of Cancún are ok, but you may like to explore the deserted and virgin beaches in the Sian Kahn Reserve (south of Tulum, on the Tulum-Boca Paila beach road). The Tulum beaches are less crowded and with small coves. The Soliman Bay beach is like a pool, the best for snorkeling on the continent side. Akumal beaches and the lagoon are also great for snorkeling. The Playa del Carmen northern beaches (like Mamita´s) are the euro-chic beach spots.
2)Eat at the excellent restaurants of the Mayan Riviera: leave (at least for one night!) the all-you-can-eat boring places inside your resort. Cancún, Playa del Carmen and Tulúm have great restaurants, excellent food from around the world, and a lively atmosphere impossible to get in a resort. Try the Puerto Madero in Cancún, the Glass Bar in Playa del Carmen and the Zamas in Tulúm.
3)Experience the history. Visit the Mayan ruins of Tulúm, Cobá or Chichen Itzá. Go to Mérida, a beautiful city that combines colonial history with the more recent boom of the henequen haciendas (old and big farms that produced cord, they were run by very rich families that kept their homes with all the European luxury they could afford). Many of these haciendas are now luxury boutique hotels and restaurants
4)Dive, learn to dive or snorkel at Cozumel: a coral reef with an unique underwater life, and a magic blue/turquoise sea
5)Live the vibrant nightlife of Playa del Carmen, cool people, cool places, avoid the American tourist traps with familiar names. Have a drink at El Diablito Cha Cha Cha, have another and dance at La Santanera.
