DK Travel : Cancún and the Yucatán

Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula has a special atmosphere and an immense variety of attractions, including some of the world’s best beaches and diving areas. The modern, glittering resorts of the east coast’s “Mayan Riviera” lie alongside charming old Spanish Colonial towns, sleepy Mayan villages, and the awesome remains of ancient civilizations.

Macanché, Izamal

Izamal is a tranquil town in any case, but the walled garden that contains this B&B, run by the same owners as Hacienda San Antonio Chalanté, is especially soothing. Little bungalows are dotted about the garden, each imaginatively decorated; one has a kitchen.
Maize God

One of the foremost gods, created by the First Mother and First Father (maize was essential in ancient America).
Mambo Café, Playa del Carmen

If you like to dance to classic tropical sounds mixed with brand-new Latin pop, this is the place for you.
Manchones, Isla Mujeres

A fascinatingly varied reef, 1 km (half a mile) long, but only 10 m (30 ft) deep for much of it. The Sac Bajo area, just off the lagoon south of Isla Town, is excellent for snorkeling, and there are spectacular reefs farther from the island (seeIsla Mujeres).
Maní

Now wonderfully sleepy, this town was important at the time of the Spanish Conquest, and contains the oldest Franciscan missionary monastery in the Yucatán, the scene of dramatic events in 1562 (seeManí Monastery). The town was the seat of Tutul Xiu, the first of the Mayan lords to accept Spanish authority in 1542. The monastery and town square occupy the top of an old Mayan temple-platform.
Maní Monastery

The first of all the Franciscan missionary monasteries in the Yucatán, consecrated in 1549, was built very simply, with a massive stone façade and cavernous cloister. Set within the façade was an external altar or “Indian Chapel,” so that open-air services could be held in the square. In 1562, after the Franciscans discovered that many Mayans were practising their old religion in secret, an auto da fé was held in the square, during which the friars burned hundreds of Mayan manuscripts and pagan relics(see Maní).
Manolo’s, Isla Mujeres

In a pretty garden patio, this charming, family-run restaurant is delightfully relaxing. On the menu are classic Yucatecan seafood dishes.
Marganzo, Campeche

Bright and comfortable, this popular restaurant is an excellent place to sample the distinctive, sea-based cuisine of Campeche.
Marganzo, Campeche

The city’s own fish and seafood specialties headline on the menu – juicy pan de cazón , and impressive platters of manitas de cangrejo (crab claws, served with a mix of other seafood, sauces, and salad).
Margarita’s Villa, Chicxulub

One of the most attractive hotels on the north coast also has a very comfortable, airy bar-restaurant with a lovely terrace on the beach.

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Hotel price categories

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