A Journey Into Paradise

For some travelers, nothing beats a day at the beach and Mexico is home to some of the best beaches in the world! Here’s a roundup of the top five trending beach vacation destinations in Mexico for this year, along with some insider tips on the best times to travel, where to stay and what to do. 

The new list of 2019-2020 Blue Flag Beach Certifications makes it easier than ever to find the best beaches in Mexico’s Riviera Maya, with 20 white-sand beaches in the Mexican Caribbean making the coveted list this year! About half of the Blue Flag Beaches in Mexico’s Riviera Maya are located in Cancun, with the others located nearby in Playa del Carmen, Isla Mujeres and Puerto Morelos. 

Situated in the heart of Mexico’s Riviera Maya just south of Cancun on the Caribbean Sea, downtown Playa del Carmen is a growing, vibrant city with a distinct international feel that serves as a hub of activity in the region. Travelers can choose from a seemingly endless array of exciting tours and activities, including a variety of eco-friendly excursions designed to bring you closer to nature and help all travelers develop a deeper understanding of the fragile natural beauty that has made the Riviera Maya coastline one of the world’s top vacation destinations.

Tulum is the ideal Caribbean vacation destination for some time alone with your significant other, but it can feel daunting to plan a romantic getaway from afar… Especially once you delve into the overwhelming list of activities in Mexico’s Riviera Maya that are perfect for couples looking to spice up their relationship! Here are four fun, fabulous and - of course - romantic ideas to make your next vacation in Tulum with bae feel extra special: 

They say “necessity is the mother of all Invention,” and that is certainly proving to be true when it comes to how beaches in Mexico’s Riviera Maya are combatting the sargassum seaweed problem, with the celebrated local fishing village of Puerto Morelos leading the charge. The Mexican Federal Government is also busy working out a course of action and has assigned massive resources to remove sargassum from the beaches of the Riviera Maya and throughout the state of Quintana Roo.

If a Mexico beach vacation is on your travel bucket list but you’re stuck in the planning phase, Expedia has you covered with the inside scoop on the best time to visit Mexico and how to find the best deals on hotels, flights and more! According to the travel booking website, late summer or early fall is the best time to visit Mexico if you’re looking for a great deal, as revealed by its virtual treasure trove of vacation booking information, which offers helpful money saving advice and helps pinpoint current travel trends.

Sometimes we all need a moment to recharge and this mesmerizing aerial video of the Tulum jungle by architect and photographer Dimitar Karanikolov is a great way to refresh your spirit and soak up the ancient energy of Mexico’s magical Riviera Maya region! This ultra soothing must-see video of Tulum is part of a larger series titled Mexico From Above, which shows a unique take on some of the country’s most interesting destinations and out of the way gems that are sure to delight the latent traveler in all of us. 

The Mexican government has officially inaugurated its first sustainable-energy wind park in the Yucatan as part of a bold plan to combat the effects of climate change and invest in green power. The new wind farm is located on the coast northeast of Merida in Dzilam de Bravo and will provide six percent of the total energy consumed in Yucatan state. It is the first of 27 planned green energy parks coming to the region, including one that is already under construction just to the south in the town of Tizimín. 

A brand-new luxury water park concept is coming to the Vidanta Riviera Maya resort in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico, this summer. Set to open June 22, 2019, Jungala will feature the longest lazy river in Latin America and promises to offer a more glamorous, boutique take on the typical water park adventure.  

The Puerto Aventuras marina offers easy access to many delicious restaurants, local shops, boat tours and a wide variety of other exciting activities, including sport fishing charters, snorkeling and diving excursions, to name only a few. Situated in the heart of this exclusive gated beach, marina and golf community, the docks are easy to reach on foot or via golf cart from any of the various resorts, private condos, villas and other vacation home rentals in Puerto Aventuras, which is popular among locals, international travelers and expats alike for its safety, walkability and the diverse array of activities available at your fingertips.

The first sea turtle of the 2019 season has already been spotted on Cozumel island, which lies just offshore from downtown Playa del Carmen and offers easy access to the world’s second largest barrier reef. Her arrival came nearly three weeks earlier than usual, when the female turtle was seen digging in the sand at Punta Sur by la Fundación de Parques y Museos de Cozumel (the Cozumel Parks and Museums Foundation). 

If you’re wondering where to travel this spring (or summer, or fall, for that matter…) look no farther than Mexico, which has snagged five out of the top 15 vacation destinations for Americans this year, according to Condé Nast Traveler - more than any other country! From Cancun to downtown Playa del Carmen and Tulum in the Mexican Caribbean, to the thriving inland metropolis of Mexico City and the rocky shores of Cabo San Lucas on Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula, this list has something for everyone and offers plenty of exciting vacation ideas that you simply can’t find anywhere else in the world.

The Caribbean coast of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula is a verdant paradise of white-sand beaches, lagoons and mangroves, with ancient ruins and lush tropical jungle, but the region is also home to the world’s second-largest barrier reef, which lies just offshore. Now, visitors can take part in preserving the reef for generations to come, thanks to an alliance between Fairmont Mayakoba and Oceanus A.C., which offers a $49-per-person snorkeling tour to underwater nurseries where guests can gather and help transplant coral to the sea bottom, where it can continue to grow.

There are few places on Earth that can dazzle travelers like the idyllic beach towns of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula! Millions of visitors come here every year to enjoy an adventure like no other and relax on the picture-perfect white sand beaches of the Riviera Maya. From the big-city vibe of Cancun, all the way south to the eco-chic atmosphere of Tulum and beyond, here’s a quick guide to some of the best places to visit in Mexico’s Riviera Maya!