Riviera Maya in my opinion is one of the BEST budget friendly destinations for couples, solo travels, or a girls weekend away. It has everything from all inclusive resorts, quant airbnb’s, gorgeous beaches, and all the activities for the adventure junkies out there.

Here are some  Top 5 MUST DO’s in Cancun/Riviera Maya area. Enjoy!

1. Stay at an All-Inclusive

I had never stayed at an all-inclusive until this trip, and now that I’ve experienced how easy and fun it is, I will definitely return! We stayed at Now Jade Riviera Cancun. We booked from bookit.com with airfare included and only paid $598.00 pp for 4 nights. YES per person! We went in December, the start of their high season and best weather, and i checked daily for weeks until I found a good deal.

Now Jade had everything. All the rooms are suites, cute and very clean. The hotel had shows every night from twirling fire to acrobatics. There were many restaurants to choose from, and every one of them were great. My husband is the foodie between the two of us, and he loved everything he tried! The activities team had something different every hour which made our stay so much more fun. You could go play volleyball, tennis, kayaking, snorkeling, bingo, yoga, tequila tasting, casino nights, you name it! For those that just want to get away and stay at the resort, you wouldn’t even have to leave the resort to be completely entertained.

 

 

2. ISLA MUJERES 

We took a ferry from the port of Cancun to a little island just east of Cancun. It was a 30 minute boat ride, $8 pp, and one of the best things we did on our trip!

Renting a scooter or golfcart is one of the big things to do on the island. It isn’t more than about $30 USD to rent for the whole day, and you can make it around the whole island in probably an hour. We stumbled upon this GORGEOUS beach called “Playa Norte.” It had the best taco stands, chairs to rent, amazing pina coladas, and water that was unbeliveably blue!

When you’re done exploring the beaches of the island, there is some great shopping and art to stumble upon. The best part? you can hop back on the ferry to go back to Cancun, as the ferry leaves every half hour.

3. TULUM RUINS

About an hour and a half drive south from Riviera Maya, you’ll find Tulum. A place with so much history and culture. The Tulum Ruins are a must on your trip to Cancun. As you walk around the ruins and read up on the history, you’ll make your way to the top where you’ll see a gorgeous beach. Tulum has some amazing airbnb’s you can stay in for cheap too!

4. Swim in a Cenote

All over Riviera Maya, you can swim in these random swimming holes that are so deep you couldn’t touch the bottom. Surrounded by forests and deep blue water, these cenotes are a must. There are so many different ones you can dive in, snorkel through, and some go back into caves for miles and miles. One of the cenotes called Kin ha had a zipline over it and different levels of jumps to dive into the deep and refreshing water. We also went to Dos Ojos and Mysterioso. Mysterioso is a cave that goes on forever and we were greeted by many bats! When we arrived, they gave us a snorkel, a helmet with a flashlight, and an experienced guide to help us navigate around this PITCH BLACK cave!  It was scary, the water was cold, and it was amazing! This centote was only discovered 11 year ago, some parts haven’t even been reached yet. But it was a blast exploring the crevices of those caves!

5. Go to Xelha or Xcaret

Have you ever imagined a natural waterpark that was all inclusive where you could snorkel, zipline, cliff jump, AND have unlimited pina coladas? This is your spot. Xelha and Xcaret are beautiful natural waterparks. We chose to go to Xelha because it seemed to be more geared towards the adventure junkie. Tickets were a little pricey, at $80 USD pp. BUT it was unlimited food and drink, offered so many activities, and was one of the highlights of our trip. I recommend booking online, it’s cheaper than paying when you get there! From stingrays, to manatees, snorkeling, rope swings, lounging on a beach of hammocks, this place had it all!

This is only the beginning to all the fun and beauty Mexico has to offer! There is plenty more to do like atving, shopping on 5th ave in Playa Del carmen, zip lining, or enjoying a spa day!

I hope your travels take you to Riviera Maya soon! 🙂