PLAYA DEL CARMEN

Location:

North east of Quintana Roo.

History:

Originally a small fishing town, tourism to Playa del Carmen began with the passenger ferry service to Cozumel.

While passing through, many people realized that it was a nice place to relax away from the crowds of Cancún but with the same quality beaches and turquoise waters.

Today Playa del Carmen, or just 'Playa' as it is colloquially referred to, is the centre of the Riviera Maya concept, which covers from Punta Brava to Punta Allen including the Sian Ka'an biosphere reserve.

There is a significant European influence in Playa, with a number of local business proprietors drawn from the European expatriate community, which makes Playa a little cosmopolitan international boutique town !

Highlights:

5ta avenida, pedestrian-walkway lined with boutique hotels, shops, bars and restaurants.

Nightlife at open clubs and bars

Extraordinary scuba diving

Cenotes

AKUMAL

Location:

Akumal is a small beach-front tourist resort community 100 km (62 miles) south of Cancún, between  Playa del Carmen and Tulum Quintana Roo, Mexico.

History:

Akumal means "place of the turtles" in the Mayan language. The town was officially founded in 1958 as a community for scuba divers by Pablo Bush Romero--a Mexican businessman, diver, writer, historian, and archaeologist.

Highlights:

Nesting season for sea turtles (end of April to October)  Hatching season (from June to November)

The fine white sandy beaches

Snorkeling

Peace

TULUM

Location:

South of Quintana Roo

History:

Tulúm is also the Yucatec Mayan word for fence or wall and the walls surrounding the site allowed the Tulum fort to serve as a defense against invasion. From the numerous depictions in murals and other works around the site, Tulum appears to have been an important site for the worship of the Diving or Descending God.

Highlights:

Archeological site

Colors of the sea

Tranquility

Ambience