Puerto Morelos
Location: Puerto Morelos
Located about 15 miles south of Cancún, Puerto Morelos is a cozy beachside village with quaint resorts situated along immaculate white sand. Many tourists flock to Puerto Morelos because it’s just a 20-minute drive from Cancún International Airport. Because it’s so compact, you can easily wander from the shore to the city center and enjoy a margarita or do some shopping.
For those who love snorkeling, Puerto Morelos is home to a flourishing marine ecosystem with over 65 species including tropical fish and sea turtles. The ocean waves are generally calm and serene, so you can get up close and personal with the full array of tropical marine life.
Puerto Morelos ranks among the best beaches on the Riviera Maya because of its chill, laid-back atmosphere. It’s not the best destination for partiers—in fact, almost everything is closed by 11 p.m. But for those seeking a relaxing, family-friendly, or romantic escape, Puerto Morelos is the place to go.
The Secret Beach at Playa Del Carmen
Location: Playa Del Carmen
Travel another 20 miles south from Puerto Morales, and you’ll find yourself in Playa Del Carmen, a top resort town on the Riviera Maya. It’s the unofficial center of the district.
Why It Made Our List: Playa Del Carmen is consistently ranked one of the top destinations in Mexico, and the crowded beaches are a reflection of that popularity. On any given day, you may be one of hundreds of tourists stretching out on the sand.
But there’s a secret beach that the locals prefer. It’s much more relaxed, much less crowded, and still an amazing sight to behold. It’s tucked between the multi-million-dollar Paradisus Hotel complex and Marazul development, so there’s an incredible air of luxury that surrounds you.
Best of all, the secret beach is unique in that it’s located near a massive cenote, a massive limestone sinkhole that gives way to a natural pool of water. The cenote water bubbles up into the ocean along the shore, creating a small freshwater river about a meter deep. It’s like nature’s waterpark.
Bring a picnic basket, splash in the ocean, and enjoy a unique serenity that’s not seen anywhere else on the Mayan Riviera.
Xpu-Ha Beach
Location: Puerto Aventuras
Venture 14 miles south of Playa Del Carmen and you’ll find yourself in Puerto Aventuras, a small community divided between quiet residential living and coastal tourism. There you’ll find Xpu-Ha (pronounced sphu-ha) Beach, another one of the best beaches on the Riviera Maya.
Why It Made Our List: Awarded TripAdvisor’s Certificate of Excellence, Xpu-Ha is a small beach that makes a huge impact with its unsullied white sand and clear, crystal-blue waters. The beauty alone makes it worth the visit, but it offers so much more than just great Instagram opportunities.
The ocean is perfect for swimming, and the beach has an amazing party atmosphere thanks to the nearby Serenity Beach Club. You can grab drinks on the sand, dance to live music, or rent a fully equipped luxury tent complete with king-size bed and Netflix access. The food at the Beach Club is also to die for.
The basic Beach Club services—including access to lounge chairs, towels, public restrooms, and other amenities—cost 500 pesos. Children under 12 pay 100 pesos. Tented camping costs vary between $75 and $500 per night depending on the type of room, the time of year, and the day of the week.
You don’t have to pay the club fee to enjoy Xpu-Ha, but it’s worth it to get the full experience and convenience.
Akumal Beach
Location: Akumal
When you finish your excursion at Xpu-Ha, return to the highway and head south another 10 miles. There you’ll find the quaint beach community and ecovillage of Akumal, Place of the Turtles.
Why It Made Our List: Some people love Akumal for its swimmable lagoon. Others love it for its high-end resort atmosphere. We love it because it has something for everybody: snorkeling alongside sea turtles in calm ocean waters, dining and drinking at casual eateries along the sand, strolling alongside historic hotels and luxury boutiques. It’s like an amusement park for beach lovers.
The entire stretch is only 3 miles long, so you can explore the community on a single day trip. Spend a couple of hours snorkeling in the turquoise waters of the Yalku Lagoon, enjoy a romantic dinner at the Lol Ha Restaurant and Beach Bar, and spend some money at the shoreline boutiques before returning to your vehicle to start the next leg of your Riviera Maya adventure.
Note:Most entry points are free and publicly accessible, but certain parts of the beach have been purchased by hotels and may cost up to 100 pesos for entry.
Playa Ruinas
Location: Tulum
Finally, we end our Riviera Maya adventure at the southernmost point, Playa Ruinas. Located in the historic city of Tulum just 17 miles south of Akumal, Playa Ruinas is perhaps the most unique and exciting stop on this list.
Why It Made Our List: Once a key Mayan territory, Tulum is one of Mexico’s top destinations for history buffs. The beach, Playa Ruinas, is replete with well-preserved ruins dating as far back as the 13th century. The clifftop Castillo overlooks the vast ocean, and numerous other pyramids and ruins line the grassy pathways just above the sand.
While the ruins are spectacular, you don’t have to spend your whole day admiring them. Head to the bottom of the cliff and join other beachgoers along the shoreline. The waters are calm, and you can even swim north to the nearby Boca Paila Peninsula. While Playa Ruinas doesn’t offer the types of resort accommodations found at other beaches, it’s a historic treasure that’s not to be missed.
If you want to visit the ruins and access the quiet stretch of sand below the cliffs, you’ll need to pay an entry fee of 65 pesos. There is an additional fee for parking if you bring your own vehicle.
