Caribbean Travel Magazine

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The Riviera Maya unfurls along 81 miles of Mexico's Caribbean coast, a ribbon of sun-drenched white sand visited by almost 3 million travelers a year. Over the last decade, development has spread at lightning speed, and the area now has 37,000 hotel rooms (a number expected to double by 2025), ranging from rustic hideaways to boutique hotels and from sprawling luxury resorts to budget-friendly all-inclusives. Don't know the difference between Xpu-Há and Xel-Há or Maroma and Mayakobá? No problema. Getting the lay of the land is as easy as heading south from Cancún International Airport on highway 307, the thoroughfare that leads directly to all the Riviera's best-loved beachy spots.PUERTO MORELOSThe gateway to the Riviera is Puerto Morelos, one of the area's few remaining fishing villages, 12 miles south of the airport and a world away from the high-rise glamour of nearby Cancún. Although the beach here isn't as impressive as others farther south - the salt-and-pepper sands don't glisten quite as brightly, and seas sometimes have turtle grass underfoot - there are plenty of advantages to staying in or near the small, sleepy town, not least of which is that visitors can arrive at the airport mid-morning and be relaxing on the beach here by lunchtime. On Sundays the strand is popular with a local crowd, but it's otherwise quiet, and part of the world's second-longest barrier reef lies less than a mile offshore in a protected marine reserve. Best of all, the village offers an authentic, small-town Mexican experience. South of town, the undeveloped beach just past El Cid Marina is one of the best spots for sandy seclusion (but beware the quicksand-like road).Where to StayAmenities at the 460-room Excellence Riviera Cancún include eight restaurants and 24-hour room service. Guests can even swim from some of the rooms to the huge spa. All-inclusive rates start at $510 in low season ($600 high*). 866-540-2585; excellence-resorts.comCatering to a sophisticated clientele, 88-room Ceiba del Mar occupies six thatch-fringed buildings close to the sand. Refined Mexican cuisine is a highlight there, and the staff provides personalized attention, including delivering coffee and pastries to rooms each morning. From $388 in low season ($430 high). 877-545-6221; ceibadelmar.comAbbey del Sol offers independent travelers 15 rental properties that range from tastefully appointed studios and condos with private pools to two-bedroom homes, all within blocks of the beach and close to town. Studios start at $80 in low season ($95 high). 651-690-3937; abbeydelsol.comWhere to EatLa Canoa is the superb restaurant at Paraiso de la Bonita resort, near Punta Tanchacté. Its specialty is the cuisine of equatorial countries from Asia to Central America (try the lamb masala or vanilla-pod shrimp skewers), paired with vintages from the hotel's 5,000-bottle wine cellar. 011-52-998-872-8300; paraisodelabonita.comJohn Gray's Kitchen is the oldest of a trio of restaurants run by the former chef at the Ritz-Carlton Cancún. It presents specialties such as pork loin with a Roquefort cheese crust in an intimate boîte two blocks from the beach. 011-52-998-871-0665; closed Sunday, reservations recommended.At the center of town, Pelicanos serves seafood and offers a prime view of the iconic miniature lighthouse, leaning since 1967's Hurricane Beulah. Baskets of chips and salsa will satisfy the munchies while you await delivery of delicious pescado a la Veracruzana. 011-52-998-871-0014Hot StuffThe Thalasso Center Spa at Zoëtry Paraiso de la Bonita is the Caribbean's only spa certified to offer thalassotherapy, which harnesses the restorative properties of seawater. Guests can choose from an extensive menu of marine facials, seaweed treatments and anti-aging therapies, and day visitors can also enjoy the resort's swank pool. 011-52-998-872-8300; zoetryresorts.comCheck out Zoëtry Paraiso de la Bonita's Featured Spa pageAquanauts runs daily trips to the barrier reef for both divers and snorkelers. 011-52-998-206-9365; aquanautsdive adventures.comMAROMA and MAYAKOBÁAbout 18 miles from the airport, there's a vaguely defined area called Maroma, where alabaster sand and tranquil waters comprise what is arguably the Riviera Maya's finest beach. Several hotels front the strand, but if you aren't a guest at one of them, you can still get to the beach by turning off at the sign marked Maroma Paradise, which leads to a marina; walk north from the parking lot for maximum solitude.Just south is Mayakobá, a 593-acre development that hugs a mile-long stretch of sand and is shared by several hotels. Most rooms at Mayakobá's resorts (which include a Fairmont, a Rosewood and a Banyan Tree that's slated to open in March) were built a half-mile inland to accommodate the mangrove lagoon just behind the beach dune. With 90 percent of the mangroves untouched, Mayakobá feels like a jungle, complete with cormorants and egrets fishing and preening in the morning sun. A series of channels carved into the limestone connects the lobby to accommodations via electric lanchas; the few beachfront rooms command a hefty premium.Where to StayThe first beachhead hereabouts was established by the exclusive Maroma Resort & Spa, a Mayan-Moorish oasis of 530 mostly undeveloped acres. The menu at the resort's El Sol is a delicious combination of Yucatán, Maya and Creole flavors. You may dine there by reservation; request a table on the beach (closed Sundays). Rooms start at $545 year-round. 011-52-998-872-8200; maromahotel.com.Less than a year old, the chic, 128-room Mandarin Oriental Riviera Maya incorporates natural and man-made water features throughout, including a cenote (natural pool) at the center of the resort. Its beach club, restaurant and a few rooms overlook the sand, and treatments at the spa integrate Maya rituals and Asian philosophies. From $545 in low season ($745 high). 866-526-6567; mandarinoriental.comAt the architecturally striking Rosewood Mayakobá, each of  the sleek, modern rooms faces either the sea or inland channels. The canal-facing rooms with private plunge pools, rooftop sun decks and outdoor showers are splendid. From $590 in low season ($790 high). 888-767-3966; rosewood hotels.comNear Maroma is the Iberostar complex, a 300-acre swath of beachfront containing 2,000 rooms in five hotels. Guests need never leave the vast property, which includes a shopping center, pools, restaurants and a faux Maya pyramid. Low-season prices range from $316 at family all-inclusives Paraiso Del Mar and Paraiso Beach ($592 high) to $708 all-inclusive at the glam Grand Hotel Paraiso ($1,144 high). 888-923-2722; iberostar.comWhere to EatThe AAA-four-diamond-rated Las Brisas Restaurant at the Fairmont Mayakobá occupies a towering beachfront palapa. By day, the appetizing menu features fresh grilled seafood, pizzas and lobster quesadillas served under beach umbrellas; at night the atmosphere is more sophisticated, featuring a continental menu served in the elegant air-conditioned dining room. 011-52-984-206-3000Hot StuffSite of a 2008 PGA Tournament - the first in Mexico - the 7,000-yard Greg Norman golf course El Camaleón winds through Mayakobá's jungle, canals and mangroves on its way to holes 7 and 15, with greens that abut the beach. 011-52-984-206-3088; mayakobagolf.comCheck out El Camaleón's Featured Golf page>>> Continue reading the Beach Lover's Guide to the Riviera Maya