Best places to stay:
Split between a downtown party hotel and a more intimate beach house, the Thompson feels very Miami.
In the downtown hotel catering to a singles scene, rooms sit behind a sinuous rooftop sundeck and infinity pool looking out over the skyline to the ocean, with a sultry bar. In the couplesy beach house, the best have private balconies and Jacuzzis.
In both locations interiors are clean, modern showcases for ocean views – seen through wall-high glass. And both areas are poised to catch the sunset and serve hangover-cure-large breakfasts.
Frida Kahlo art and Panama hats are sprinkled across the walls in the public areas and the bar – which offers tequila tastings and great margaritas – to get guests in the mood.
Playa del Carmen is small. Both parts of the hotel are a stroll from both nightlife and beach. But the downtown hotel is in the thick of it, with thumping bars and clubs on the doorstep.
With pristine beaches to the north and south and a lively urban centre, Playa del Carmen offers the intimate back-to-nature feel of Tulum and Puerto Morelos and Cancun’s urban amenities and nightlife – albeit on a smaller scale. The town is close to Cozumel island (for reef dives) and the big Xcaret and Xel-Ha adventure parks.
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Bucket list experiences our writer says you must do in this destination, closest first
Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico[2.8 miles]
An adrenaline-pumping close encounter with this top of the food chain predator, in glassy-clear water.
Best for ages: 16+ | £150 | 6-8 hours
Tulum, Quintana Roo, Mexico
A stunning cenote with spectacular cave formations and glassy water, passing through caverns encrusted with stalactites. Mind-bogglingly beautiful for both snorkellers and PADI divers.
Best for ages: 8+ | £12
Tulum, Quintana Roo, Mexico
Lily-covered, glassy-clear and filled with terrapins and tropical fish, this cenote near Tulum is easy to reach and fabulous to swim in. Big caverns make for spectacular cave diving.
Best for ages: 6+ | £7
Quintana Roo, Mexico
An authentic, atmospheric and less-visited Mayan site, set in lush, wildlife-rich forest. Climb to the summit of the 126ft-high Nohoc Mul pyramid – the tallest on the Mayan Riviera.
Best for ages: 13+ | £5
Other worthwhile experiences in this destination if you have the time or the interest, closest first
Playa del Carmen, Mexico[7.3 miles]
With glassy pools and shallow lagoons offering dolphin, nurse-shark and manatee swimming, tame jungles, and spectacular Mayan dance shows, this huge eco-theme park is a Maya World, and a snorkel-friendly Disneyland.
Best for ages: 4+ | £80
Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico[8.2 miles]
Designed by Greg Norman, the course weaves its way through dense jungle, beautiful stretches of white sand and mangrove forests, with cenotes – natural sink holes – providing natural hazards.
Best for ages: 13+ | £125
Cozumel, Quintana Roo, Mexico[22.1 miles]
Small, touristy and mediocre aquatic theme park offering swims with dolphins, sea lions and manatees. Fun for kids.
Best for ages: 4+ | £21
Akumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico
A simple nature-based theme park with a safari-park zoo, a cenote for swimming, a spectacular cave and a rainforest canopy zip-line adventure.
Best for ages: 4+ | £30
Destination guides including or relevant to this place to stay
Mexico
Talc-white beaches, reefs teeming with life, ruined temples in misty rainforests – the Riviera Maya offers a family or romantic beach holiday with a dash of Indian Jones adventure.
![Cenote Dos Ojos [swimming, snorkelling & scuba diving]](https://familyhotelfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/Yucatan-Cancun-and-Tulum-Cenotes-Dos-Ojos3-SH.jpg)
