Riviera Maya: Best Thing You Ever Did?
 

We (husband, 2-year-old son and me) will be there in less than 4 weeks for one week (yes!). We're planning to rent a vehicle for just 2-3 days and relax the rest of the time at the resort.
I've done all the research there is to be done. I'm just interested in finding out from you what is the one thing you did during your Riviera Maya stay that you rave about and would recommend to anyone and everyone? It could be a place you visited, a snorkeling, a restaurant, etc...
Thanks!

For beautiful scenaries go to Sian Ka'an, it's very near Tulum, and it's the largest biosphere reserve on the peninsula, and a UN World Heritage Site. You will see jungle, a lot of coconuts, mangrove forest, sand and deserts beaches, cenotes, coral reefs, and Mayan ruins (small buildings).

Our visit with photos:
http://community.webshots.com/album/136622633YIEBSY

That sounds like an excellent plan!

To me, *my* personal favorite place in this area is Coba. Admittedly, I'm a bit of an egghead, and I really dig experiencing the majesty and mystery surrounding ancient cultures (especially those that are *VERY* different from the Angle/Euro perspective that we've got in the U.S., or even in colonial Mexico, for that matter).

Climbing 1,000 year old pyramids, ducking into ancient temples of Mayan priests, trying to decipher the glyphs on the worn stelae --- these are the kinds of things *I* like to do, and in my opinion, the dense jungle location and the less-visited nature of Coba make it more appealing to me than the more popular (but smaller and far less historically significant) Tulum, or the much more developed and accessible Chichen-Itza.

It's all a matter of preference. My wife will tell you that nothing compares to just hanging out in the bar at Zizil Ha on Playa Norte in Isla Mujeres, sitting in the hammock swings under a palapa, sipping icy cold margaritas and basking in the beach atmosphere of the wide open white sands and brilliant turqoise waters....all a matter of perspective.

Have fun!
Mark
www.tiogringo.com

My Top 5 (in no order)

1. Visiting the ruins at Tulum, Coba and Chichen Itza
2. Diving or snorkeling Palancar Gardens or Paradise Reef in Cozumel
3. Strolling along 5th Avenue in Playa del Carmen, watching the live mariachi bands in front of La Parilla, trying to decide where to go for dinner while window shopping
4. Venturing to go "topless" on beautful Playa Norte on Isla Mujeres
5. Riding horses on the beach at the Eco park Tres Rios

Thank you for sharing your pix, caribbeanguy.
We'd love to do Coba but I think with a 2-year-old, that might be a bit unrealistic (correct me if I'm wrong), so we might just stick with Tulum.
Thank you all for your replies! And I'll definitely post a trip report when we're back.

We love the snorkelling there but it could be difficult with a 2 year old.

If you go to Coba, you can rent mountain bikes or a pedicab to go through the ruins. When we went, we rented 4 mountain bikes for me, husband and older 2 kids, and our then 5 year old, a non bike rider, rode in a pedicab. The pedicab driver was a helpful guide as well and thrilled to have such a light burden. But 2 adults + small child could do the pedicab which is good because there is a fair amount of ground to cover there. And your 2 year old might enjoy the ride.

cinepez: the pedicab idea is a great one! thank you for that. i'll definitely look into that.