“Here the constructions have more than 1000 years or less than 30”. Jose does not need to stop looking at the fried fish that he’s cooking to summarize the secret of Cancún in just a phrase. The city was built in little more than three decades on the natural yucatecan beauties, not far from the main mayan archaeological ruins of Chichén Itzá.
With its international airport and inescapable presence in brochures and travel guides in almost every language, Cancún - already recovered from the 2005 hurricane- is, not only the front door to the roads of the Riviera, but a touristic boom in itself. Its impressive Hotel Zone is a symbol, with hundreds of hotels, resorts and spas distributed throughout the boulevard of Kukulcán.
The landscape helps: The hotel zone of Cancún is placed on a strip of sand with emergent corals. On one side you can see the Nichupté lagoon and on the other one, the Caribbean Sea bathes the popular beaches of Las Perlas, Linda, Langosta or Chac Mool, where the palapas - beach bars with roofs made of palm tree leaves – receive lots of thirsty tourists after they are back from a ride on a jet ski or a long walk on the beach. Meanwhile, diving and snorkel lovers approach the pier from where the boats to the coralline paradise of Isla Mujeres and Cozumel leave.
After sunset, the gastronomical adventure continues in the restaurants of Kukulcan’s boulevard or in the previously mentioned palapas. The offer ranges from restaurants with international food, to fish & seafood menus with a group of mariachis playing in the background. First timers can choose a restaurant that offers good yucatecan food. Lima soup with fried tortillas and motuleños eggs are great appetizers that anticipate the exquisite flavors of this Mexican region. The main dish arrives later as if it were a gift, wrapped in banana leaves, revealing an abundant portion of pibil cochinita (pork meat with rice, beans and chili).
Even though only 68km of highway separate the febrile activity of Cancún from Playa del Carmen, it seems like a whole different world. This calm beach finds a way to balance the sophistication of its luxury hotels and constant affluence of European tourism, with the simplicity of its origins like a simple fishermen village.

So, while some tourists choose aquatic activities - from parasailing to diving sessions in the Great Mayan Reef - many prefer to spend their day lying on their beach-chairs – maybe going two or three times to the crystalline sea – closing their eyes to enjoy the cool breeze under the shade of a coconut palm tree.
From the private zone of the “All inclusive” hotels in Playacar, to the city center with its more discreet inns, the theme seems to be the same all around Playa del Carmen: Spending the day by the sea.
Fun at night, however, is on the Fifth Avenue: there, the bars place their tables on the streets and the tourists take some time to visit clothing stores and craft shops, until they finally sit down and enjoy dinner under the candlelight.
Those seeking for calmer landscapes within the Riviera have several options: between Puerto Morelos and Playa of the Carmen, the beaches of Del Secreto and Paraíso offer the possibility of lodging in cabins, practicing diving, watching the dusk from a hammock and sharing the Caribbean landscape with the sea turtles and crabs that inhabit the place.