PLAY | REFINED
No one ventures to Cancún without logging plenty of leisurely hours on the powdery sands, but for a respite from the rays – and to find out the secret to avoiding “tequila burn” – visit the new Herradura Tequila Museum (52-998-176-8202; herradura.com). Interactive exhibits explain the history and production of Mexico’s famous liquor, generous tastings are included in the admission, and the store downstairs sells a gazillion brands.
For rainy-day family fun, skip the pricey dolphin and shark encounters at the Interactive Aquarium (52-998-883-0411; aquariumcancun.com.mx) and visit the jellyfish, “invisible” flounder, piranhas and seahorses on display in the compact but fascinating aquarium exhibit.
Party hearty at CocoBongo (52-998-883-5061; cocobongo.com.mx), the notorious and cavernous hotel-zone nightclub where celebrity impersonators, acrobats, live bands and dancers perform in a riotous nightly bacchanal. The cover charge (around $45, depending on the night) is pricey but worth it.
PLAY | RUSTIC
A half-hour drive south of the hotel zone, Selvática (866-552-8825; selvatica.com.mx) offers plenty of thrills for rough-and-ready jungle lovers. All of the outfit’s adventures include a 12-cable zip line through the canopy, which may be combined with either Segway or dune buggy tours through the bush, snorkeling, cenote swims or horse riding along the beach.
A handful of sculptures have already been submerged at Cancún’s new Underwater Museum, and when it’s complete, snorkelers and divers will be able to fin amid more than 200 eerie, life-size concrete figures that form an artificial reef.
Quaint and colorful Centro Naturista & Spa (52-998-887-7853; xbalamque.com), the tiny spa at Hotel Xbalamqué, enjoys a loyal local following. Sweat it out with a steamy session in the brick temazcal (a traditional Maya sweat lodge), or work it out with muscle-melting massages that start at just $30 an hour.
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