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Gleaming jewelry stores along the waterfront in San Miguel combine with an easygoing, small-town charm that has long made this island a favorite with families. It’s a great place to settle into at a leisurely pace, maybe going diving one day, then exploring a little the next: around the island are Mayan ruins, windblown cliffs, a fascinating natural wildlife park at Punta Sur, and lovely beaches and snorkeling spots on the west coast.

Snorkeling

The biggest, most opulent resort on the southern Riviera, a specially created vacation village around an inlet that’s now a pretty pleasure port lined with shops and restaurants. The nine-hole golf course is attractive, and the marina is the best-equipped on the whole Riviera, making it a popular base for serious deep-sea fishing enthusiasts. In another part of the harbor you can swim with dolphins (see Dolphin Discovery).

The ruins of the Mayan capital of Cozumel, conquered by Cortés and his Spanish soldiers in 1519, are in the middle of the island. Its buildings are small compared to the great Mayan cities, but there are many of them – and discovering them, through woods full of scents, flowers, and birds, involves a lovely walk (see Cozumel).

Mexico’s largest wetland nature reserve, Sian Ka’an brings the Riviera to an end just south of Tulum. Its vast area of nearly-untouched mangroves, jungle, and beaches contains an extraordinary range of birds and wild-life, and the one-day tours run by local organizations give a glimpse of the intricate, constantly surprising interplay of nature in this rare environment. The few inhabited spots along the coast are wonderful for fishing, and have a feel of tranquil isolation (see Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve).

A ruined temple of a Mayan city, the Castillo, rises up on a crag above a long, long palm-fringed beach, interrupted by rocks and curving headlands as it stretches 11 km (7 miles) down to Sian Ka’an. All along it are clusters of palm-roofed cabins. There’s good diving and fishing offshore, and around it is one of the best areas in the world for cave diving (see Cenotes and Caves).

Tulum

One of the most luxuriant coral inlets on the coast has been made a “snorkel park” that’s one of the Riviera’s most popular attractions – experienced divers may find it tame, but it’s great for easy snorkeling, especially for families. Around it there’s a forest park and a beach. Just outside the park and across the Highway are the Mayan ruins of Xel-Ha (see Xel-Ha Ruins).