Planning Your Time

You’ll probably want to pick a home base (or two) for your time om the Riviera Maya [1], and make day trips from there. Playa del Carmen [2] is the area’s only real city, with all the expected urban amenities, including nightlife. (It’s also the gateway to Isla Cozumel [3].)

Puerto Morelos [4] and Akumal [5] are smaller but still have a decent selection of hotels and restaurants. (In fact, if you’re a foodie, Puerto Morelos has a surprising number of first-rate restaurants.) If isolation is more important than convenience, the Riviera Maya has some secret getaways, like Xpu-Há [6] and Tankah Tres [7].

If you’ve got a week or more, consider spending half your time in the northern section—around Playa del Carmen, for example—and then move farther south, to enjoy Akumal, Tankah Tres, and even Tulum [8].

A rental car isn’t absolutely necessary but will certainly make exploring the Riviera Maya a lot easier. Cheap public shuttles zip up and down the coast, but they only stop along the highway, which in most places is about a kilometer (0.6 mile) from the ocean. That leaves you to make the hot dusty walk up and down the access roads, especially in more rural areas where taxis are uncommon.