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Quintana Roo
QUINTANA ROO
PLAYA DEL CARMEN
Playa del Carmen, a coastal city on the Caribbean Sea, is fast becoming a popular tourist resort. Located in the heart of the Mayan Riviera, 68 km (42 mi) south of Cancun, its climate is sub-tropical with an average temperature of 25º C (77º F) and sunny days throughout most of the year. During the summer, the maximum temperature can reach 35º C (95º F).
Playa del Carmen’s tourism began with a small passenger ferry service to the island of Cozumel and quickly became popular for its relaxing atmosphere and wonderful beaches. The local government has passed certain building and development restrictions in order to maintain the city’s traditional fishing village atmosphere. Playa del Carmen is popular for a variety of water sports, especially diving, windsurfing and kite surfing. There are regular boats departing from Playa regularly, which offer exciting outings to the Great Mayan Reef, the second largest coral reef (system) in the world. The tourism centers around the Quinta Avendida, or Fifth Avenue, which is a pedestrian walkway located one block from the beach, where you will find all the boutique hotels, restaurants, bars, and shops. Here you can experience Playas European influences, with many expatriates from Italy, France, Spain, and Argentina.
Within easy reach of Playa del Carmen you can visit two beautiful beaches with calm waters and gorgeous ecological parks, Playa Paamul and Playa Paraiso. Also nearby are a number of sinkholes where you can go cave diving and rappelling while exploring the amazing depths of the underground river systems.
CANCÚN
Cancún is a world renowned tourist resort, and Mexico’s most important tourist destination. Located in the state of Quintana Roo, the climate is sub-tropical, with warm temperatures ranging between 27º C (81º F) and 35º C (95º F) and sunny days throughout most of the year.
Cancún, on the coast of the Caribbean Sea, offers the unparalleled beauty of turquoise-blue water and white-sand beaches, mixed with the Caribbean’s perfect warm sunny weather and Mexico’s traditions and flavour. The selection of water sport activities abound, and the fine services and amenities offered in the hotel and resort areas are first class. Along the hotel strip, which spans more than 30 kilometers (nearly 19 miles), you will also find modern shopping malls, hundreds of fabulous restaurants offering the best in national and international cuisine, and numerous bars and nightclubs where the parties rage all night long.
COZUMEL
Cozumel, the largest Mexican island in the Caribbean, is located 20 km (12 mi) off the coast at Playa del Carmen on the Yucatán Peninsular. The average temperature is 26º C (79º F) and the climate is warm and humid.
Cozumel, meaning Island of the Swallows in Mayan, is most renowned for its scuba diving, where its mixture of rocky coastlines, white-sand beaches, lagoons and mangroves make it an ideal destination spot. Stunning groups of coral reefs that make up part of the Great Mayan Reef, which is the second largest reef system in the world, surround the island. The. Parque Marino Nacional Arrecifes de Cozumel (Cozumel National Reef Marine Park) and Parque Natural Chankanaab (Chankanaab Nature Park), are two particular marine reserves set up in order to protect and preserve the diverse marine life within these waters. In 1959, the famous Jacques Cousteau, discovered the coral reefs of Palancar, to the south of Cozumel, and considered this to be one of the best places in the world to go scuba diving. The Cenotes, which are deep water-filled sink holes, also make a great place for diving, snorkeling and swimming.
The island’s main town is San Miguel, where the vast majority of the population of Cozumel live, where you will experience the relaxed Caribbean atmosphere mixed in with the interesting history and culture of the Mexican people. The island is densely covered with lush vegetation, Cozumel is Mexico’s most important international cruise dock, where large numbers of tourists arrive for a peaceful, quiet and comfortable holiday experience. For this reason there are a large selection of excellent hotels, resorts, spas, golf courses, and restaurants serving up a wide variety of regional seafood dishes.
The Festival of El Cedral, held each April/May, is one of Mexico’s most historical festivities, said to have been going for over 150 years. The festival, which lasts 5 days, includes colorful fairs, craft and food markets, traditional feasts, music and artistic displays, competitions, rodeos, and bullfights.
THE MAYAN RIVIERA
The Mayan Riviera, a beautiful coastal stretch of land that lines the waters of the Caribbean Sea, and stretches more than 120 km (75 mi) from Puerto Morelos to Punta Allen, in the state of Quintana Roo. The climate is subtropical with an average temperature of 25°C (77°F) to 30°C (86°F).
Incorporating the tourist destinations of Cancun, Puerto Morelos, Isla Mujeres, Playa del Carmen, Cozumel and Tulum, the Mayan Riviera is considered one of the fastest growing tourist destinations over the past decade. The coast is lined with luxurious resorts, posh hotels with exclusive golf courses, spas, and top quality restaurants. The endless white sandy beaches offer all kinds of water sports, and the warm waters generally remain around 26°C (78°F) all year round. At El Secreto and El Paraiso, you can scuba dive off the coast at a depth of more than 10 meters (33 feet) as you take in the spectacular sights of the Great Meso-American Barrier Reef. Sail and marlin fishing is also very popular of the coast of the Mayan Riviera.
In the cities of Coba and Tulum can discover ancient Mayan ruins. What’s more, you can visit incredible ecological reserves such as Sian Ka'an, which was declared a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO. There are also the Xcaret and Xel-Há parks, where you can see fascinating indigenous wildlife and live the unforgettable experience of snorkeling in underground rivers.
ISLA MUJERES
Isla Mujeres is located off the coast of Cancun, in the Caribbean Sea. The island is small, being only 8 km (5 mi) long and 2 km (1.2 mi) wide. It has a pleasant tropical climate, with an average temperature of 27º C (81º F).
The island is reached by regular ferry boat services each day from a number of ports on the mainland. The island attracts visitors for its strong surf and rocky inlets on the east coast, and for its calm warm waters with beautiful views out towards Cancun on its west coast. The Parque Marino Garrafon (Garrafon Marine Park) is an ideal place to go scuba diving or snorkeling in coral reef areas inhabited by hundreds of colorful fish. With top quality hotels, sumptuous restaurants serving only the best seafood cuisine from the local area, exciting markets and shops offering all kinds of souvenirs, beach ware, art, and crafts.
Isla Mujeres is rich in culture and natural resources, its name means ‘Island of Women’, named by the Spanish because of its many cult images of the ancient Mayan moon goddess Ix Chel, which the island was sacred to in pre-Columbian times. The archaeological ruins of the Templo de Ixchel, and historic buildings, such as the Hacienda Mundaca make for an interesting visit.
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