September 26, 2023
I love the Riviera Maya area in Mexico, which is south of Cancun. I really like to encourage travel to this destination because, when people think of relaxing on vacation, they think of turquoise blue water. The city of Playa del Carmen is often what I recommend, and it’s fairly easy to get there from anywhere, including the west coast! People don’t always think of Mexico for luxury, but they do have the gorgeous blue water there, which isn’t easily found on the Mexico’s Pacific beaches.
Most of my clients are looking for an all-inclusive resort with beach, sun, and that beautiful water for snorkeling – or really anything water related – including diving, fishing, and sailing. They’re often surprised to find that there’s a few fun excursions they can take to get a taste of Mexican culture too. The Mayan ruins are nearby, there are quite a few different ones to go to; the most well known of course is Chichen Itza. If you want an adventure, you can find things like zip lining, 4x4s, and underground caves. There’s quite a few ecological parks, butterfly gardens, and jaguars too.
They’ll stay on the resort for most meals, but a few of my clients have raved lately about this little walking tour that takes them to the non touristy local restaurants. They’ll give them a taste of some traditional cuisine dishes, and they’ll match it with some tequila sampling so you learn about different types of the distilled agave juice.
I also learned, from a client, about a great cooking class there, which is run by local people that teach you how to make tamales or something else from the region. You’ll learn history about food and cultures, while making the meal, and they usually have beverages too. Cooking classes aren’t just for Italy, which is a really great option for when the weather doesn’t cooperate for doing your favorite water sports.