Beach Holiday in the Land of the Maya

Once a tiny fishing village, Cancún is, today, a hugely popular tourist destination. Its popularity is largely due to its ideal location in the northeast of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. Featuring beautiful beaches, coves and cultural treasures, Cancún ticks all the boxes for a perfect holiday.

The Yucatán Peninsula lies in a sub-tropical climate zone that guarantees year-round warm weather and water temperatures that rarely drop below 24 degrees Celsius. So, the best time to enjoy a beach holiday in Cancún is: any time!;;; ;;; Cancún is surrounded by three bodies of water: the lively Caribbean Sea, the calm Bahia Mujeres bay – which is ideal for family holidays – and Nichupté Lagoon. Basically a “jungle on the water”, the lagoon is best visited by way of a spectacular water scooter tour.

The big “7“

Cancún is famous for its thirteen miles of unspoiled sandy beaches that are shaped like a ”7“. The holiday region of Riviera Maya stretches from Cancún, through the glamourous Playa del Carmen, right up to the Maya ruins of Tulum situated on the seashore. Yucatán is home to a wealth of ancient settlements, one of which is El Rey right in the heart of Cancún. A tour of Yucatán is highly recommended and should, on all accounts, include a visit to Chichén Itzá. This pre-Columbian Mayan city in the west of the peninsula is one of Mexico’s largest archaeological landmarks.

Diving with whale sharks, swimming with dolphins

The region’s gorgeous islands are as famous as its cultural treasures. The island of Isla Mujeres off the northeast coast of the peninsula is a ferry boat ride away from Cancún and can be explored by rental scooter or bicycle. Holbox island in Yucatán‘s north is located in the middle of a biosphere reserve where scuba divers can attempt to befriend whale sharks.

Swimming with dolphins in Xel-Há Park guarantees yet another holiday highlight. Rich in coral reefs, the entire peninsula coast is something of a paradise for scuba divers and snorkelers. But anglers, yachtsmen, kayakers, boaters, personal watercraft riders, cyclists and golfers will certainly get their money’s worth, too. Why? Because the Yucatán Peninsula leaves nothing to wish for.