Compared to the yet undeveloped Costa Maya to the south, the Riviera Maya is bustling with tourism. Running from Cancun to Tulum, the coast is lined with a number of exotic beaches. Xpu-Ha, Half Moon Bay, Akumal Bay, Tankah, Tulum, Xaac, Xcacel, and Punta Solimon and are among the most popular. 

Xpu-Ha is a wide white-sand beach with tilting palm trees. Half Moon Bay has lots of nice villas, hotels and restaurants as well as wonderful snorkeling. A reef protects Akumal Bay allowing for calm, shallow waters, which make it an excellent place for snorkeling. There are snorkeling facilities, a bar and a restaurant. Tankah Bay is another good place for snorkeling. There are facilities, a bar, a restaurant and a freshwater swimming hole. Just south of the Tulum ruins are the Tulum beaches, another lovely patch of white sand and turquoise water. There is great snorkeling and a small Mayan ruin at Xaac Bay. Xcacel is one of the most beautiful beaches on the coast and home to several species of turtle. Punta Solimon is another beautiful spot with a freshwater swimming hole. Playa del Carmen, Playacar, Xcaret, Paamul and Puerto Avanturas are more developed, but they also have nice beaches.

Posted online 07/09/01.