Playa Mujeres, Mexico

Playa Mujeres is located in the Yucatán Peninsula in the north of Quintana Roo State in Mexico. It features beautiful scenery framed by white sand beaches and turquoise sea, as well as natural reefs and lagoons. It is the most popular Mexican tourist destination. Besides having the best beaches in the world, you can enjoy exciting water activities such as diving, snorkeling, kayaking, sailing on a Catamaran or speed boat, flyboarding, windsurfing and paddle boarding in the Caribbean Sea or the Nichupte Lagoon. Both immense water bodies frame the scenery.

Cuisine & Nightlife

When it comes to food, Playa Mujeres offers a culinary experience through the fusion of Mexican and international flavors which are masterfully developed by the best chefs in the world. It is not possible to have vacation time in Playa Mujeres without being caught by its nightlife, which flows in clubs where international DJs and acrobatic performances can be found.

Shopping

There are two shopping malls in Cancun's Hotel Zone:

La Isla Shopping Village

A glittering, ultra-trendy shoppers’ paradise on the banks of the Nichupte Lagoon. You will find over 150 shops here all under a giant canopy with a series of canals and small bridges.

Kukulcan Plaza & Luxury Avenue

Adjacent to each other in the Hotel Zone. Between them, they boast more than 250 shops and boutiques in exclusive and luxurious surroundings including world-famous brands such as Louis Vuitton and Cartier.

Chichen Itza

It was named last year as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. This is of little surprise as its size, symmetry, and astrological importance are a testament to the Mayan civilization. There are many tours available, many stopping at the beautiful colonial city of Valladolid where you will also get to see some of the cenotes for which this area is famous. A visit to this grandiose Mayan city is a must for anyone traveling to Playa Mujeres.

Playa del Carmen

Playa del Carmen is an idyllic place located in the heart of the Riviera Maya with fine white sand and blue-green waters, you will always find a Hammock and an umbrella to sunbathe and rest, especially in the edge of town that offers the quietest beach areas. Y ou will also find water activities such as windsurfing, jet skis, kayaking, or diving in the impressive Mayan coral reef. Great musicians of Mexican and international jazz offer concerts every year.

Stroll Along Fifth Avenue

Enjoy one of the many restaurants, bars, cafes, and shops. Walkthrough the festive streets and buy local handicrafts and produce. Sit down and have a drink while watching the multitude of people pass by.

Visit the Cultural Centers

Admire painting, sculpture, and artisanal exhibitions. Enroll in a painting, music, dance, theater, or literature workshop. Spend time with the open-minded and multicultural local community.

Take a Picture of the Portal Maya

Learn about the monumental Portal Maya sculpture by Tavarez Padilla, which was conceived to celebrate the beginning of a cycle of light. It foreshadows more than five thousand years of harmonic development, according to the Mayan calendar.

Enjoy the Nightlife

Enjoy the great atmosphere year-round, along with the jazz and electronic music festivals. Don't miss out on enjoying a slice of pizza or delicious cochinita tacos. You will always find something open 24-hours on Quinta Avenida.

Tulum

Tulum is one of the most prized jewels of the Mexican Caribbean, perhaps on account of its 6 miles of white-sand beaches and turquoise waters. It was, after all, deemed worthy of the “Pueblo Mágico” (Magical Town) designation.

Nature

In Tulum, nature is present in all its glory through its lagoons, cenotes (deep natural wells or sinkholes), and beachfront Mayan archaeological sites once used as an astrological and trading center.

Bike rides through the jungle are a quite common and popular way to explore its myriad wonders. Tulum Bike Tours enhance the experience by taking you to local communities, where you can learn about herbal medicine and handcrafting jewelry from seeds.

Boutique Properties

Unlike Cancún, Tulum is devoid of enormous, all-inclusive resorts. Instead, it offers small hotels that blend into the jungle; they can be as fancy or as rustic as you desire.

Things to Do

Tulu's eco-chic atmosphere is clear when you take a walk downtown, which is located a mere 2.5 miles away from the coastline.

For a casual afternoon drink, bars are ubiquitous. If you like mezcal, Gitano is a good option. You can also find small art galleries and hippie clothing stores, as well as places that offer massages, pre-Hispanic rituals, or evening yoga classes on the beach.

Mayan

Tulum is a Magical Town and a unique archaeological area in the world. Today, the ancient walled city of Tulum, which has been operating for 1,500 years, is a protected national park. It floods your senses with the mix of Mayan architecture, the scent of the Caribbean Sea, and the feel of the green grass that surrounds your feet as you climb the Castle and enjoy a panoramic view from which you can identify any boat that approaches the coast.

Puerto Morelos

Puerto Morelos is a place that preserves the essence of a characteristic fishing village of the Mexican Caribbean. It’s one of the most emblematic destinations in the region where tradition is combined with adventure and nature to discover a secret world of wonderful attractions such as mangroves, cenotes and an exuberant jungle.

This destination is a main port in the state of Quintana Roo, located on the Riviera Maya coastline, between Cancun and Playa del Carmen and is characterized by the tranquility of its beaches and its bohemian atmosphere where you can walk without problems.

There is much to do, enjoy the sea breeze when walking along the boardwalk that is in front of the main square, where you can see the pier and the leaning lighthouse, an icon of Puerto Morelos.

Continue your visit in the Hunab-Ku artisan center, which offers products such as hammock spinning, gemstone carving and restaurants with international dishes.

You will love swimming in its beaches of fine, white, and soft sand; here you can practice some watersports such as diving, snorkeling, kayaking and windsurfing. Other activities you can do is riding an ATV and cycling.

A place that you should know is the Dr. Alfredo Barrera Marín Botanical Garden, one of the largest gardens in Mexico. Here you will find several collections of plants from the region, as well as several species of wildlife.

Try the Cenotes Route and immerse yourself in the great variety of underground rivers, which are connected to each other. Explore the Arrecife de Puerto Morelos National Park and Selvática Ecological Park.

Isla Mujeres

A 20 minute ferry ride from Playa Mujeres and you will arrived at Isla Mujeres, one of the three Magical Towns in Quintana Roo.

This piece of land of barely 4.3 miles long. It's the 1st place in Mexico to be touched by the Sun every morning. The dimensions of Isla Mujeres allow it to be traveled from one end to the other, walking, on a bike or on golf carts. So you will have no problem getting to Punta Norte, where Garrafón Natural Reef Park is. It has a zip line that takes you across the sea and the option to snorkel in the coral reef with sites you cannot miss. It also has a biological center to protect the turtles. In September there are even massive releases of young ones.

If you're looking for bars and restaurants with a Caribbean feel look no further than the boardwalk of Isla Mujeres.

Río Secreto

This nature reserve is categorized as part of Playa del Carmen's natural heritage on account of the beauty of its underground cavern system, which is partially flooded with crystalline turquoise water.

Tours of Río Secreto (Secret River) are led by expert cavern guides. A short hike brings you to the dry cavern area, which is profusely decorated with stalactites and stalagmites that join together to form columns wrapped in the roots of the ceiba trees growing on top. This path leads to the network of partially flooded caverns where you'll need to wear a wetsuit and a flotation device while swimming in the caverns.

According to the history of this natural reserve, Río Secreto was discovered by a farmer who was chasing an iguana. The clever reptile hid between the crevices of the giant rocks that covered the network of caverns. When the farmer moved the obstacles in search of the reptile, he discovered the otherworldly underground river.

Ecological Parks

You can get to them easily by car or bus or take one of the choices of tours on offer. The most popular ecological theme park near Riviera Maya is Xcaret. Xcaret is a huge eco-park so it is worth getting there early in the morning to take full advantage of its beauty. You will get to see wildlife in its natural habitat surrounded by the most beautiful flora and fauna. There is safe snorkeling in the calm inlets, and there is even a natural underground river you can swim along to cool off. Don’t miss the spectacular Mexican Folkloric Show in the evening. A must-see for all the family!

Another very popular day out is to Xel-Ha, one of the world’s largest natural aquariums which are made up of a series of inlet and lagoon systems. Xel Ha means ‘the place where water is born’. For those of you that love snorkeling, El Garrafon will amaze you with its natural beauty and its plethora of coral and multicolored fish found in the crystalline ocean.

Golf

The golf courses of Playa Mujeres are the perfect combination of the magic of the natural landscape and the dynamism and modernism of its designs.

Year after year, Cancun hosts important national and international tournaments, consolidating itself as one of the favorite destinations for lovers of this exciting sport.

There are 7 golf courses in Cancun - in total, the Mexican Caribbean has 14 - all of them framed by spectacular natural beauties.

GOLF COURSES IN CANCUN

Playa Mujeres Golf Club: 18 holes, Par 72. Designed by Greg Norman.
Puerto Cancun Golf Club: 18 holes, Par 72. Designed by Tom Weiskopf.
Cancun Golf Club at Pok-ta-Pok: 18 holes, Par 72. Designed by Robert Trent Jones II.
Iberostar Cancun Golf Club: 18 holes, Par 72. Designed by Isao Aoki.
Riviera Cancun Golf Club: 18 holes, Par 72. Designed by Jack Nicklaus.
El Tinto Golf Cancun: 18 holes, Par 72. Designed by Nick Price.
Moon Golf Club: The only course with 27 holes. Designed by Jack Nicklaus.

Snorkeling

Because of the shallow reefs, Mexico's snorkeling is the perfect alternative for those that are not so keen on scuba diving. You will still get to see the beauty of the reefs close up. Snorkel trips will astound you with the array of tropical fish you will encounter. Grouper fish who change their color to match the background, flashing from spots to stripes to solid colors as they move from sand to coral is truly amazing to watch. The varieties of invertebrates turn this into an underwater kaleidoscope of color with corals and sea anemones, jellyfish, octopus, crabs, and lobsters.

Scuba Diving

Playa Mujeres scuba diving is famous because of its shallow reefs alive with the dazzling colors of fish and coral. Scuba diving is so popular because of the Great Mesoamerican Reef (the Gran Arrecife Maya). This is the largest reef in the Western Hemisphere and the second-largest coral reef in the world. The Great Mesoamerican Reef stretches from Punta Nizuc, which is at the tip of the Cancun Hotel Zone, all the way to the Bay of Islands in Honduras. This is an amazing 450 miles of the coral reef!

The coastline is home to nearly 100 coral species, 350 mollusks, and 164 species of reef-dwelling fish, as well as the hawksbill sea turtle, crocodiles, lemon sharks, and manatees. When scuba diving in Playa Mujeres, you can expect to encounter some of the most beautiful sea creatures you are ever likely to see.