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.

Teatro de Cancún

This comfortable theater hosts two colorful, all-singing, all-dancing shows each weekday night: Voces y Danzas de México showcases Mexican traditional music and dance, while Tradición del Caribe is a more wide-ranging show with the rhythms of Cuba, Venezuela, Santo Domingo, and other spots around the Caribbean.

Dancer, Teatro de Cancún
Tekax

Completed in 1692, this huge yet finely proportioned church was built in a lighter style than those of the early Colonial period. The churches at Teabo and Oxcutzcab are similar (see Teabo).
Telart, Playa del Carmen

Fine quality Mexican textiles (telas ), in traditional or original designs, can be found here. A more original shop than most around Playa’s Quinta Avenida.
Telchac and Uaymitún

Far west of San Felipe, a road joins the coast to run along it through quiet fishing villages. Seaward, there are endless, often empty, Gulf Coast beaches, while on the landward side is a lagoon full of birds. Telchac is a fishing harbor with fine beaches and a few low-key restaurants and cheap hotels. At Uaymitún there is a free observation tower for bird-watching in the lagoon (see Uaymitún).
Tennis

Many Riviera resort hotels have tennis courts. In Cancún, the hotels Krystal and Omni have courts open to non-residents, and the Club de Golf Cancún has two courts.
The Campeche Petenes

This huge mangrove and forest wilderness is home to a spectacular range of wildlife, including flamingos, pumas, and turtles. Trips can be arranged from Campeche or the village of Isla Arena.
The City

This huge, modern nightclub also contains a beach club, bar, restaurant, and lounge.
The Cozumel Reefs

Cozumel’s greatest glory is its 20-plus coral reefs, an awe-inspiring undersea world of caves, canyons, and coral “forests” teeming with life – from sea cucumbers and brilliantly luminous angelfish to graceful rays and the occasional shark. The water boasts almost perfect clarity, and Chankanaab and Paraíso reefs are close inshore, so can be appreciated even by inexperienced divers and snorkelers (see Cozumel).
Ticul

The epitome of the slow-moving, unfussy, friendly atmosphere of a small Yucatán country town, Ticul also makes an excellent base for visiting the Puuc ruins (see The Puuc Cities). Shoes are the town’s traditional product, and it also has the Almendros Restaurant, credited with presenting Yucatán country cooking to the outside world (seeLos Almendros, Ticul).
Ticul

One of the most charming of Yucatán’s country towns, and an enjoyable base in the Puuc region, Ticul is also a historic center for ceramics.