Riviera Maya: Caribbean Beaches, Cenotes & Cozumel

Today you relax and settle into the beautiful Riviera Maya. You spend the morning on the powder-white beach, swimming and floating in the warm, turquoise sea, unwinding beneath the palms and soaking up the Caribbean sun. In the afternoon you might stroll the lively town of Playa del Carmen, whose famous Quinta Avenida (Fifth Avenue) is lined with shops, cafes, galleries and restaurants just back from the beach, or simply continue relaxing by the sea and pool. You could take a boat to the nearby island of Isla Mujeres or Isla Cozumel for a first taste of island life. The beach and easy pace are idyllic. As the day ends, you return to your beachfront hotel. This evening, savour fresh seafood and the Caribbean atmosphere. Rest well on the beautiful coast, ready for the reefs of Cozumel tomorrow.

Today you take a boat across to the island of Cozumel, one of the world's finest diving and snorkelling destinations. You cross the clear channel to Cozumel, ringed by the vivid reefs of the Mesoamerican barrier reef, the second-largest in the world, and spend the day snorkelling or diving its famous reefs, drifting above coral gardens alive with tropical fish, rays, turtles and sponges in gin-clear water. Between dives you relax on the island, perhaps exploring its beaches and relaxed town. The colour, clarity and marine life are spectacular. As the day ends, you return by boat to the mainland and your hotel. This evening, savour a relaxed dinner on the coast, reflecting on the wonders of the reef. Rest well on the beautiful Riviera Maya, ready for the cenotes tomorrow.

Today you swim in magical cenotes and snorkel with turtles at Akumal. In the morning you head into the jungle to swim in the Yucatan's magical cenotes, natural limestone sinkholes where astonishingly clear, cool fresh water pools in caverns and open pools hung with roots and light, wonderfully refreshing and utterly beautiful. In the afternoon you visit the bay of Akumal, whose name means place of the turtles, snorkelling in the calm, shallow water among green sea turtles grazing peacefully on the sea grass, and above the coral reef just offshore. The cenotes and turtles are magical. As the day ends, you return to your hotel. This evening, savour the flavours of the coast, reflecting on a magical day. Rest well on the beautiful Riviera Maya, ready to move down the coast to Tulum tomorrow.

Today you move south along the coast to beautiful Tulum. You transfer to Tulum and visit its dramatic Maya ruins, the only major Maya city built on the coast, spectacularly perched on a low cliff directly above the turquoise Caribbean, its weathered temples and walls glowing against the sea, and you can swim from the idyllic beach directly below the ruins. You settle into your hotel along Tulum's famous beach, a long ribbon of powder-white sand backed by boho-chic palapas and jungle, and spend the afternoon relaxing on the sand and swimming in the warm sea. The history and beach are beautiful. As the day ends, you settle into the relaxed beauty of Tulum. This evening, savour a beachfront dinner under the stars. Rest well on the beautiful coast, ready for a final full day at Tulum tomorrow.

Today you enjoy a flexible day on the beautiful beach at Tulum. You might simply relax on the powder-white sand and swim in the turquoise sea, unwinding beneath the palms in Tulum's famously beautiful and bohemian setting, or you could snorkel the reef, swim in another jungle cenote, kayak the lagoons and mangroves of the Sian Kaan biosphere reserve just south, or enjoy a beachfront spa treatment and yoga. This flexible day is yours to savour the beach and the relaxed magic of Tulum, reflecting on your beautiful journey along the Caribbean coast. The beach and easy pace are idyllic. As the day ends, you return to your beachfront hotel. This evening, savour a final Caribbean dinner under the stars. Rest well on the beautiful coast, ready for your departure tomorrow.

After a final morning on the beautiful beach at Tulum, perhaps a last swim in the turquoise sea or a barefoot stroll along the sand, you are transferred north up the coast to Cancun International Airport for your onward international departure. You leave having savoured the very best of the Riviera Maya, the powder-white beaches and turquoise sea, the world-class reefs of Cozumel and Akumal, the magical jungle cenotes, and the dramatic cliff-top Maya ruins of Tulum, all warmed by the Caribbean sun. The images stay vivid long after you land, the luminous turquoise sea, the coral gardens of Cozumel, the sunlit cenote pools, the grazing turtles of Akumal, and Tulum glowing above the Caribbean. The Riviera Maya offers sun, sea, reef and a touch of the ancient Maya in abundance, and you depart already dreaming of a return to this beautiful Caribbean coast of Mexico.