1. PLAYA DEL CARMEN – GORGEOUS BEACHES, WITH WHITE SAND AND TURQUOISE WATER
I didn't have high expectations from the beaches of Mexico. Not at all. I went curious to see what this part of the world that I had not been to before had to offer me. I imagined I would see a beach, two palm trees and good bathing water and that was it. Until I arrived in the Cancun area, and with the first step in Playa del Carmen, on the Riviera Maya, I realized that it is paradise. It is perfectly illustrated in the pictures on Instagram: a generous beach with fine white sand that you feel is only yours, the Atlantic Ocean of an unreal turquoise and palm trees beautifully drawn against a blue sky. Pure Caribbean. Only the timid waves and seagulls screams are heard.
2. COZUMEL ISLAND (island of swallows) – is the largest Mexican island in the Caribbean, the right place to go diving, if you are passionate, or to laze on a white sand beach. I liked it a lot because it was quiet and somehow resembled our Old Customs House in its glory days. Cozumel Island is 50 km long and 16 km wide and can be reached quickly from Playa del Carmen by ferry in about 40 minutes. It costs $20 round trip. TIP : The best way to explore the area would be to rent a car, for 40-60 dollars a day, because taxis are very expensive. They asked us for 10 kilometers to the beach 30 dollars.
3. TULUM – When you say Tulum you say, first of all, the Mayan civilization. The Mayan temples were built right on the ocean, with waves of an unreal turquoise, and the view is downright incredible. When I got here I couldn't believe what I was seeing in front of my eyes. I kept thinking: what a strategic and beautiful place the Mayans chose to build their temples. After seeing the archaeological site, a bit crowded, admittedly, I took my breath away at a chill bar on the beach. Tulum is about 150 km away from Cancun, you can easily get there by local buses, which are very cheap.
4. CANCUN CITY AND BUSY NIGHTLIFE – COCO BONGO – Cancun's hotel zone is impressive. It stretches for 21 kilometers, along Kukulcan Boulevard, where all the luxury hotel chains of the world are, and rightly so, because the beach is sensational: lots of white and turquoise. In addition to hotels, there are parks, shops, monuments, but also the place where you can see the famous Coco Bongo show – an exciting and high-tech show, with acrobats, live bands and famous DJs.
5. ISLA MUJERES – Another beautiful and unmissable place located 13 km from Cancun is the Island of Women (Isla Mujeres), or rather, the sanctuary of the goddess of love, fertility and the Moon. It is the paradise of those who want to see marine life, go diving, but also of those who want to stay in the sun, away from the hustle and bustle of the streets of Cancun.
6. CENOTES – They are greenish pools of water in the jungle – the natural swimming pools of Mexico. The Mayans saw them as the open gate to the spiritual world. Here, at the cenotes, they made sacrifices to the Mayan rain god Chaac. What can you do at the cenote? See them by boat, swim, scuba or snorkel or participate in a purification ritual performed by a Mayan priest. I, for one, was satisfied with the look.
7. CHICHEN ITZA – Chichén Itzá is one of the best preserved archaeological sites in the Yucatan Peninsula. The perfectly built pyramid, the masterpiece of the modern world, was included in the UNESCO heritage. It is 24 meters high and is dedicated to the snake god KuKulkan. Legend has it that on the days of the equinoxes – March 21 and September 23 – the snake appears as a shadow and descends from the top of the pyramid. There are thousands of tourists who come to see the wonder. It can be reached in about 2 and a half hours from Cancun, because the site is more than 180 kilometers away.
8. COBA – The main pyramid of Coba, Nohoch Mul is 42 meters high and is the tallest in the Yucatan peninsula. It's fun to climb it and see what the jungle looks like from above. Coba is considered one of the most important cities of Mesoamerica, a kind of junction of the Mayan roads.
9. LUXURY HOTELS AND EXCLUSIVE ACCOMMODATION
Playacar, in the south of Playa del Carmen, is a huge residential area with five-star hotels, golf courses, chic shops, colorful holiday homes, where you can only enter if you are a resident or are staying at a hotel in the area. It's safe, with barriers, where even the taxi drivers have to show their ID, and if you don't have a wristband from a hotel inside they won't accept you.
10. DELICIOUS FOOD AND TEQUILA
If you're still in Cancun, don't miss out on a healthy serving of guacamole, tortillas, tacos and burritos, obviously washed down with a shot of authentic tequila. Until I came to Mexico, I didn't like tequila at all, but here I discovered, in fact, that it's a really nice drink and you don't get a headache the next day even if you don't remember the number of glasses consumed.
