Imagine having the best of both worlds: the crowds, the shopping and the nightlife of downtown Playa del Carmen, and a quiet, secluded place where to relax and recharge your batteries. Sounds great, doesn’t it? Well, with its numerous upscale hotels and houses for rent, all in a gated, safe community, that’s exactly what you…
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Punta Maroma Beach is a well-kept secret in the Riviera Maya. It is considered one of the most beautiful beaches in the world due to its white sand, tropical landscape and turquoise waters. Why is it a secret? Because it is one of the few beaches that are accessible only if you pay a small…
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Not to be confused with Xcalacoco, Xcalak Beach is one of the most remote beaches in the whole of the Riviera Maya. This sleepy little town is the perfect place to escape civilization, hide away in a secluded corner of Mexico, and just rest. What and Where is Xcalak Beach? Would you like to visit…
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Feeling adventurous? Pay a visit to the recently opened Xplor park, just south of Playa del Carmen. Explore the caves, drive through the jungle, and ride one of the longest zip line circuits in the world. Then, do it all over again—in the dark. The activities at Xplor park At three stories high and 2…
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If you’re planning to visit the Riviera Maya, it’s no secret you’ll be doing mostly aquatic activities—some of which, under the surface. If that’s the case, Xel-Ha Eco Park is a great place to start. Besides being fun, many of the park activities can be a great first try at going below the surface in…
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Out of all the many eco parks in the Yucatan Peninsula, Aktun Chen, 10 miles north of Tulum and only 4 south of Akumal, is on the smaller side—and cheaper side, too. As it features many of the same activities—zip lines, cave-exploring, cenote-swimming—, Aktun Chen is a great place to try out the eco park…
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Here—you quickly learn—time slows down. Only discovered in 2007, the Rio Secreto underground river has been carving out this 8-mile-long cave system for centuries—or even millennia. Though most cave systems in the world are underwater, Rio Secreto is only partially flooded, making it possible to enter and visit the Mayan underworld. The Gods at Rio…
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Xel-Ha is another port settlement from where Mayans sailed to the nearby island of Cozumel to ask Ixchel, the goddess of fertility, for happy marriages and healthy pregnancies. Because this settlement is not directly exposed to the sea, ships launched from the small inlet, thus giving the place its name: Xel-Ha—”water entrance” (or something along…
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While some would describe their experience at some of the sites in the Riviera Maya as “mind-blowing”, that should be taken literally here. Just a few miles south of Playa del Carmen, Xenses park is something of a hybrid between an aquatic park and a science museum. And, as the name implies, it will mess…
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Though very different from Chichen Itza, Chacchoben represents serious competition for the big Mayan celebrity. Not many have heard of it, but it is actually the most popular Mayan ruins south of the Yucatan Peninsula. There has to be a reason, right? Chacchoben was not a small town by any means Chacchoben is one of…
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