Cancun and Playa Del Carmen are our favorite areas to visit in Mexico, because it has so much to do. We have been there a few times and still have so much more we want to explore. For now, here are our top 10 favorite things to do there:

 

1. Swimming with the turtles

Snorkeling tours to see the sea turtles is something you must do. Swimming alongside these beautiful creatures was on our bucket list and we’re very happy that we were able to cross that off.

2. Coco Bongo

Imagine the best nightclub you’ve been to mixed with the best Vegas show and you have this rocking place. Amazing performances including Batman, 300, Michael Jackson, Chicago and Tron. You can have your hotel arrange for table reservations (highly recommend it) and transportation.

3. Xel-Ha Park

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This is another great attraction in the heart of the Riviera Maya. This natural park is complete with ecological attractions, snorkeling, Cenotes, caves and aquatic zip lines you’ll only find at Xel-ha. You can do the extra activities like swimming with dolphins, touching the rays, etc.

4. Chichen Itza

Famous Mayan ruins located on the Yucatan Peninsula and considered one of the mythical great cities. It’s about a 3-hour bus ride on a guided tour from Cancun or Playa del Carmen, or you can rent a car and stay at a hotel near the entrance which is what we did. Get a guide for the day so you can get the background on everything around there. It’s pretty amazing seeing a place with so much history!

5. Cenotes

The Yucatan Peninsula was originally underwater, so the limestone foundation is fossilized coral beds. Eventually the foundation weakened and caused giant sinkholes, called Cenotes. The Mayans used them for drinking water and to make offers to the gods. Now they are great attractions to go swimming or snorkeling. It’s a pretty neat sight!

6. Xplor Adventure Park

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This is a great adventure park with the biggest attraction being the zip lines. There are 14 zip lines complete with almost 2 1/2 miles of trails. Also with activities such as amphibious vehicles, underground rafts and stalactite rivers. Definitely a must!!!

7. Underwater Museum

The Cancun Underwater Museum is a non-profit that dropped over 500 sculptures in the ocean between 2009-2013 to help the reefs grow around and on them to conserve the ecosystem. It is now home to the largest artificial reef in the world.

8. Tulum

This is another smaller version of a Mayan city such as Chichen Itza that is right on the coast, located on 39 foot cliffs overlooking the Caribbean Sea on the Yucatan Peninsula. It’s one of the last cities built and inhabited by the Mayans.

9. Xcaret Eco Theme Park

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Located in Cancun, this is a place where you have access to over 40 attractions and activities. It also has numerous cultural performances to check out as well.

10. Isla Mujeres

Located about 8 miles across the Caribbean from Cancun. It has a famous beach called Playa Norte, numerous excellent bars and restaurants as well as being surrounded by coral reefs perfect for scuba diving or snorkeling. There is also the remains of a Mayan temple, lighthouse and a turtle sanctuary on the southern tip of the island.

We usually either schedule the tours at the concierge desk of our hotel or book it in advance with Traveltrends. For more info, contact Poulina at info@gotraveltrends.com

This time we stayed at the Royalton Riviera Cancun for a friend’s wedding, which was beautiful and so much fun! (Congrats guys!!!)

The trip started out great because we got upgraded to a room with a swim-up pool right off the balcony. It was amazing! This hotel has everything you could want in an all-inclusive: 13 bars (with high-end alcohol), 9 restaurants, a casino, a nightclub, 3 tennis courts and a huge gym. Our favorite restaurants were the Japanese restaurant Zen, which has a great Teppanyaki-style show and Hunters, an incredible steakhouse with a filet that melts in your mouth. There are 11 pools (of course we loved the ones with swim-up bars), a beach area with cabanas, volleyball, kayaks and other non-motorized water sports. Plus, a children’s splash park complete with waterfalls, huts and huge zoo animal slides…It looked like so much fun that we wanted to borrow someone else’s kids to go play in it!

Riviera Maya has so much to offer! You really can’t go wrong when choosing  activities for your vacation! We hope you have a wonderful trip!