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Along the coast in the Mayan Riviera you can also find many nice hidden beaches that not many people know about, perhaps only the locals. One of these is a beach called x-cacel. this beach is located between Playa del Carmen andTulum. It’s located right next to the town of Akumal. It’s kind of hard to find this beach because there is no sign for it, but if you ask some of the locals at Akumal, they will be able to tell you where it is.

the reason why I recommend this beach is because it is always empty. you can have a nice picnic with your family right on the beach. You can also swim and it’s pretty safe even for the kids. If you like to snorkle this is a good place to do it beacuse the reef is not to far from the shore. If you are fortunate, you might be able to see some turtles or sting rays, but for sure you will be able to see lots of colorful fish.

There is also a season when the turtles come to hatch and if you come at night, you can help the authorities guarding the beach to release the baby turtles into the sea. 

There is also a nice “cenote” or fresh water natural pool where you can go to get rid of the sand and the salty water after you are done swimming in the sea. You don’t need to pay for this cenote nor the beach but to find the cenote you need to ask. that is because the cenote is kind of hidden in the jungle. Don’t worry it’s safe and it will take you about 10 minutes to get to it.

So remember if you want to relax and spendsometime with your family or friends without too many people, try this nice and isolated beach.  

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The mayan Riviera has 3 natural water parks. These are Xcaret near Playa del Carmen, Garrafon in Isla Mujeres, and my favorite Xel-Ha near Tulum. The natural water park of Xel-Ha is located about 15 minutes north of the mayan ruins of Tulum. There is actually a tour that includes a visit to the ruins and the entrance to the park. Do I recommend this tour? NO. The reason is because if you take the tour to the ruins and then you go to the park, you won’t have enough time to enjoy the park. Why do I say this? Because there are many things to do in Xel-Ha. I have been to the park a couple of times and it was a really relaxing and exciting experience.

To enter the park you have 2 options. You can pay about $30 dollars for the entrance which includes only the entrance, or you can pay for the all inclusive deal. This would cost you about $60 dollars and it includes the entrance, snorkeling equipment, food, and drinks. I would really recommend this deal because if you were to buy food and drinks for the day it would be much more expensive. Xel-Ha is a nice place for the entire family. it is a good place for snorkeling with thousands of colorful fish.

There are different things you can do here. You can snorkle, swim with dolphins, eat and drink all you want, and relax on the beach or the hammocks. There is also a tour called “sea treck” which is a walk under water with special equipment. This tour costs about $40 dollars and it’s rally exciting. When you are under water, you are able to see different kind of colorful fish and you are also able to see how the divers feed the sting rays.

 Anyway take a look at some of the pictures so you can get an idea of what the place looks like.    

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The Island of Isla Mujeres is my wife’s favorite place in all the Mayan Riviera. This is a very small island. It is only 7 kilometers long and 1 kilometer wide. There are 2 ways to get to the island. You can take a fast boat from Cancun and get there in 15 minutes or you can take the ferry from puerto Juarez and get there in about 45 minutes. What would I recommend? Well the fast boat costs about $6 US and the ferry about $1.50 US. I specially like to take the ferry because it is a slow ride and you are able to enjoy the view of the caribbean sea as well as from time to time see some sea life such as sting rays or even dolphins.

The reason why this is my wife’s favorite place is because the beaches in the island are very nice and clean and the water is really calm. She also likes to take a boat ride around the island and feed the colorful fish. What I specially like about this island is the water. It is amazingly clear and really good for snorkeling. The only problem is that if you want to snorkle you have to etheir rent a boat or pay for a tour. There is also a nice natural park called Garrafon. If you are able to pay to get in, you will be able to snorkle as well.

So why don’t you include Isla Mujeres in yor itinerary when you come to Cancun again? If you do, you will have an unforgettable vacation.  

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The island of cozumel also in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico, is only 45 minutes away from Playa del Carmen. It can be reached not only by ferry but also by plane. This island has a lot to offer but it is specially fun for those who love to snorkle and scuba dive. That is because of the crystal clear waters and the variety of sealife that you can see not too far from the shore. The island also has many different stores where you can anything from a t-shirt to an expensive diamond.

The life in Cozumel is more relaxing because there aren’t as many people as in Playa del Carmen or Cancun. This is due to the fact that there are not as many hotels. If you get the chance to visit this island, I would recommend you to rent a car or if you like the adventure you can also rent a scooter. This is the cheapest way to get around because the different beaches are far apart and taking a taxi is really expensive. I had the opportunity to visit the island together with my wife and a cople of canadian friends and I have to say that we had a wonderful time. We rented 4 scooters and toured the whole island. We stopped at every beach that we liked, snorkled for a while and then went to the next one. That was a really exciting experience that I’m looking forward to repeat.

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