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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

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).

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).

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).

Along these seven gracefully sweeping bays, 3 km (2 miles) south of Puerto Aventuras, are some of the Riviera’s most idyllic beaches, with exuberantly alive reefs and some of the most exquisite turquoise waters. Several are now occupied by resort complexes (the Xpu-Ha Palace, the Copacabana, Robinson Club). However, two (signposted X-4 and X-7 from the Highway), are still open to anyone, and at X-7 there are some small cabañas , a camping site, and a dive shop.

Long a favorite dive destination, with fabulous reefs and places for cave diving, Akumal has grown a good deal without being overwhelmed. It spreads over several long, lovely bays – Media Luna is the most beautiful, with the delightful Yal-Ku lagoon (see Laguna Yal-Ku, Akumal). There are more apartments, villas, and small hotels than big developments, so it’s still quite easy to find secluded spots – certainly the turtles try to, and the beaches near Akumal village are favorite breeding grounds.

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).

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

This huge Mayan city – once home to around 50,000 people – was the great rival of Chichén Itzá. It’s a very different place to visit from Chichén Itzá or Uxmal – it’s unusually spread out around several large lakes, and to find its massive buildings you follow fascinating walks through thick forest full of birds and plants. Among them is the Yucatán’s tallest pyramid.

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).