The Mayan Riviera

Best Places to Live & Visit in the Mayan Riviera

The Riviera Maya area of the Yucatan Peninsula stretches from Cancun through Playa del Carmen southward to Tulum, and includes the island of Cozumel, located 20 kilometers from Playa del Carmen into the Caribbean. Many people, both visitors and residents, believe this area has the best beaches in the world. If you are into scuba diving, snorkeling, kayaking, fly-fishing, kite boarding or exploring some  7,000 fresh water cenotes, the jungle, or Mayan ruins, this may be the place for you to live.  If you just enjoy hanging out on some of nature’s most impressive beaches and blue water it’s also a nice choice.

Tulum, Playa del Carmen, and Cozumel are all part of this wonderland of water sports.  In the north, Cancun is known for its beautiful beaches and the zona hotelera. A bit pricey for our Lifestyle Rating System, it is nevertheless a wonderful place to shop for a day, or for a weekend of fun.

	Move to Tulum and Eat The Beach! We Came to Tulum for the Beaches, But the food Keeps Us Happy! We started out like many Americans do I suppose when they venture to Mexico for the first time, we stayed at an “all-inclusive resort” on Cozumel based on a tip from a friend.  It wasn’t anything fancy by today’s opulent luxury standards, but the [...]
	Tulum is Booming I want to share an excerpt from an email I recently received from International Living about Tulum. I happen to live in Tulum and I can attest the little beach town on Mexico’s Caribbean is booming. My wife and I have lived in Tulum full-time since 2008 and have seen a lot of changes since. [...]
	Tulum Average Lifestyle rating: B (range  C+ to A+)Tulum is a world apart from Cancun and Playa del Carmen, but it is marching on the “path of progress” and change is in the air.  In 2004, the road to Tulum from Akumal (20 miles north) was dirt and rough.  In 2010, they finished the last leg of what [...]
	Cozumel Average Lifestyle rating: B+ (range B- to A+) How does living on an island in the Caribbean Ocean sound? Exotic, glamorous, stress-free, infrastructure-deprived? Isla de Cozumel, off the eastern side of the Yucatan Peninsula 20 kilometers southeast from Playa del Carmen, may just fit the bill – except for the infrastructure part. With multiple ferries running [...]
	Playa Del Carmen Average Lifestyle rating: B+ (range – B- to A+) Playa del Carmen, only 25 miles south of Cancun, is a universe away in atmosphere. The beautiful, all-star beaches start in this area of the Yucatan coast. Hotels in Playa del Carmen range from thatch-roof bungalows to boutique hotels to the massive, all-inclusive 5-star resorts. There are several excellent golf courses that [...]

¿Qué pasa en Riviera Maya? Places to Go! Parks Xcaret!! What’s to do at Xcaret?  Underground Rivers, Beach, Lagoon & pools, Tropical Jungle Trail, Main Plaza, Stained-glass Plaza,  House of Whispers Rotating Scenic Tower, Butterfly Pavilion, Regional Wildlife Breeding Farm, Coral Reef Aquarium, Living Museum of Orchids & Mushroom Farm, Mayan archaeological sites, St. Francis of Assisi Chapel, Hacienda Henequenera,  Mexican [...]