Travel Guide to Riviera Maya, Mexico: Info and Tips

Riviera Maya is one of the most popular travel destinations in Mexico.

It might be missing an authentic Mexican vibe but it has everything else you may ask when it comes to having an awesome tropical vacation.

Crystal clear blue water, white sand beaches, luxurious five-star hotels with unlimited high-end dining and premium liquor, and it is just 3 to 5 hours away from most cities in the US or Canada.

Riviera Maya is also relatively affordable and you can find 5-star accommodations with flights and transfers from the airport for 900-1300 dollars during the low season.

Some people avoid Playa del Carmen and Riviera Maya altogether thinking that it is only good if you want to lay on a beach and drink all day.

However, this is not true because Riviera Maya has much more to offer besides all-inclusive resorts.

If you are more adventurous and don’t mind leaving resort grounds, there are many unique places in Riviera Maya that you can visit during your vacation.

Riviera Maya has something for everyone.

No matter if you are a luxury traveler or enjoy staying in budget hostels, there are a lot of options.

Where is Riviera Maya?

Riviera Maya is the coastal area between Puerto Morelos and Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve located on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico.

Playa Del Carmen is the biggest tourist town located in Riviera Maya around 50 km from Cancun airport.

Tulum is another extremely popular destination located around 60 km south of Playa del Carmen.

How to Travel Around Riviera Maya?

• Taxis – there are taxis available throughout Riviera Maya that for a relatively reasonable price will take you to your destination.
• ADO Buses – there are bus terminals in Playa del Carmen and Tulum that will take you to many tourist destinations in Yucatan. These buses are pretty comfortable and have AC. Playa del Carmen bus stations – 5th Avenue ADO Bus Station and 20th Street ADO Bus Station.
• Colectivos – are the cheapest and most convenient ways to travel around Riviera Maya. Collectivo is just a small shared van that can be stopped just by signaling on the highway with your arm. In most cases, drivers will also signal with their lights to let you know that they have empty seats.

How to Get to Cozumel From Playa del Carmen?

If you want to go to Cozumel for a day of world-class snorkeling, you can take a ferry from Playa del Carmen.

Ferries are departing every hour from the ferry dock at Playa Del Carmen (located near the main square and Walmart).

The trip takes around 50 minutes and will cost you 140 pesos.

How Safe is Riviera Maya?

Riviera Maya is pretty safe and I never ran into trouble even though I been there more than ten times.

Crimes against tourists are rare but you will significantly increase your chances of getting in trouble if you get too drunk or if you decide to buy illegal substances.

1. Alcohol poisonings and drugging

Never leave your drinks unattended if you are out partying.

If you are staying at an all-inclusive resort, resist the temptation to get absolutely wasted to the point where you cannot walk.

2. Roads and driving

Most drivers in Riviera Maya drive well above the speed limit so check the roads twice before crossing.

If you are driving, ensure that you are wearing a seat belt and really pay attention to traffic.

3. Drug-related violence

Like everywhere else in Mexico drugs are the problem so stay away from any illegal activities.

4. Scams in Riviera Maya

On flea markets, people will try to sell you things at overinflated prices so always bargain before paying.

In most cases, you can cut the cost in half.

Also, avoid anything related to timeshares.

You might be offered a free tour if you attend timeshare event but often to get a free tour you will need to share your credit card info with a timeshare company.

Visiting Cenotes in Riviera Maya

Riviera Maya is known for its countless number of cenotes with crystal clear cool water.

Cenotes are formed when limestone gets eaten away and the hole in the ground is created.

Later this hole gets filled with fresh rainwater.

It is hard to list all the cenotes in Riviera Maya and I am just going to talk about the ones that I visited personally.

Cristalino, Azul and Jardin del Eden Cenotes

Cristalino, Azul, and Jardin del Eden cenotes are located in front of Barcelo Maya hotel and if you are lucky enough to stay there you just have to cross the highway to get to the cenotes.

After you cross the highway, on your left you will see the entrance to Kantun Chi Cenote Park and if you continue walking you will soon get to the entrance of Cristalino cenote.

To get to Jardin del Eden cenote you will need to walk a little further until you see a sign.

If you continue walking even further along the 307th highway, in less than a hundred meters you should see the entrance to Azul cenote.

Both Azul and Cristalino are located just right off the highway.

However, to get to Jardin del Eden cenote you will need to walk for around 10-15 min through the jungle.

If you are traveling from Playa del Carmen, you can either take a taxi or just catch a Colectivo.

Collectivo will cost you around 35 pesos from Playa del Carmen to Barcelo Maya hotel.

If you have a bigger group and want to visit a few more places, you might want to consider renting a car.

These three gorgeous cenotes are located just 20 minutes south of Playa del Carmen.

If you have enough time, you can easily visit all of them on the same day.

Cristalino, Azul, and Jardin del Eden Cenotes have cliffs where you can jump into the clear blue water.

Gran Cenote

Gran Cenote is located several kilometers away from Tulum.

It is a big cenote with crystal blue water and a great place for diving with a big network of underground caves.

The easiest way to get to Grand Cenote is to take a taxi from Tulum.

If you are staying in Playa Del Carmen or anywhere else in Riviera Maya, just take a collective to Tulum and then catch a taxi.

What are the Admission Fees for the Cenotes in Riviera Maya?

Below are the prices as of 2018

Cenote Cristalino admission is 150 pesos and includes the life jacket.

Jardin del Eden is 100 pesos.

Admission cost for cenote Azul is 100 pesos as well.

The entrance fee to Gran Cenote is 150 pesos.

When to Visit Cenotes to Avoid the Crowds?

The best time to visit cenotes is in the morning on the weekdays if you want the entire place to yourself.

Sunday is the busiest day and all three cenotes are quite popular with the locals.

Please keep in mind that Jardin del Eden is closed on Saturdays.

What to Bring to the Cenotes?

Water and light snacks

If you don’t want to pay for a locker don’t bring any valuables

Good snorkeling gear and camera.

Bring GoPro if you want to get cool underwater shots.

Where to Stay in Riviera Maya?

If you are a budget traveler I would recommend you look for accommodations in Playa del Caren.

You will find a lot of options for reasonably priced hotels and hostels.

There are also budget accommodations in Tulum but it tends to be more expensive.

Staying in Playa del Carmen will give you access to anywhere else in Riviera Maya.

There is a bus station on 5th avenue with buses that will take you to different touristy destinations.

If you prefer to stay in luxury resorts, there are numerous options available.

My favorite two are Barcelo Maya and Grand Palladium.

My Barcelo Maya Review

The number one reason why I chose the Barcelo Maya resort was the beach.

The winter before I stayed in Grand Palladium and the beach there was pretty sweet but this time I wanted to try something new.

Barcelo Maya is located around a 20-minute taxi ride from Playa del Carmen.

The entire Barcelo complex consists of 5 hotels:

• Barcelo Maya Beach
• Barcelo Maya Caribe
• Barcelo Maya Colonial
• Barcelo Maya Tropical
• Barcelo Maya Palace

With the all-inclusive bracelets, you can eat and visit any of these resorts except for the Palace.

Barcelo Maya Palace is a VIP resort and unless you are staying there you will not have access to the restaurants or other facilities there.

Pros of Staying in Barcelo Maya

• Great food. Food was amazing and restaurants will make you feel like you are dining in a luxury 5-star establishment. Seafood restaurant served lobsters without any surcharges, unlike many other similar resorts. Going to a Japanese restaurant was a pretty unique experience as well.
• Amazing Beach. The beach was stunning and huge. In my opinion, Barcelo Maya has one of the best beaches in Riviera Maya and if you are all about the beach like me you should definitely check it out.
• Lots of things to do at the resort. Barcelo Maya is huge and feels like a small city. There are two nightclubs, casino, numerous bars, shops, and malls. You will definitely not get bored there.
• Good Location. Located close to Playa del Carmen and Tulum. Just across from the hotel there are 4 different cenotes that you can visit.

Cons of Staying in Barcelo Maya

• Some rooms need upgrading.
• Surcharge for Wi-Fi

My Grand Palladium Riviera Maya Review

Grand Palladium Resort was probably one of the best Mexican hotels I stayed in while in Riviera Maya.

Located about 25 minutes from Playa Del Carmen this large resort complex is composed of 5 hotels:

• Grand Palladium Riviera Resort & Spa
• Grand Palladium White Sand Resort & Spa
• Grand Palladium Royal Suites Yucatan
• Grand Palladium Colonial Resort & Spa
• Grand Palladium Kantenah Resort & Spa

With the all-inclusive bracelet, you can eat and visit any of these resorts except for Royal Suites.

This means that you will never have to eat the same food during your stay.

I didn’t count how many restaurants they have but it was definitely more than a dozen.

Pros of Staying in Grand Palladium Riviera Maya

• Excellent food. I really liked the food and the fact that you don’t have to make a reservation to go to any of the restaurants in the Palladium complex with the only exception of a seafood restaurant by the beach.
• Stunning beach. Palladium has a gorgeous white sand beach. However, some areas do have underwater rocks.
• Great snorkeling both off the beach and in the salt pool.
• Comfy rooms – my junior suite room was big, had an extra table, couch, and a big Jacuzzi.

Cons of Staying in Grand Palladium Riviera Maya

Nightly entertainment was not as good as in other hotels. Nightclub in the Grand Palladium was big and the DJ was doing a great job however it was empty most of the time.

Which is Better Cancun or Riviera Maya?

I stayed both in Cancun and Riviera Maya several times.

Both places are great however there are some differences.

It all depends on what type of vacation you want.

Cancun – is a relatively big city with one long white sand beach.

The beach used to be even better before but was slightly damaged by hurricanes when I was there the last couple of times.

Cancun is very Americanized and it might feel like you are in Miami and not Mexico.

You can think of Cancun as a mini Las Vegas without casinos.

If you want to party, Cancun is the place to go.

It has dozens of huge nightclubs and bars and there is a party every day of the week.

Cancun is located close to the airport while getting to your hotel in Riviera Maya will take much longer.

Riviera Maya

Usually, each resort has its own beach so the quality of the beach is not the same everywhere.

Some resorts have amazing beaches while others might have more rocky beaches with more seaweed.

It is definitely worth doing research about the resort where you are planning to stay if having a nice beach is important for you.

Riviera Maya has a more relaxed vibe and offers a more exotic tropical experience.

What to Do in Riviera Maya?

• Visit cenotes – we already covered this so make a plan to visit at least one cenote if you going to Riviera Maya.
• Visit Mayan ruins – there are a lot of Mayan ruins that you can visit. The most popular ones are Tulum Ruins, Coba, and Chichen Itza.
• Snorkel – many hotels have good snorkeling riffs right off the shore. Alternatively, check out Cozumel that has one of the best riffs to snorkel in the world.
• Dive in cenotes – there are many cenotes where you can dive.
• Visit one of the adventure parks – there are several adventure parks where you can zipline and ride ATVs.
• Swim with turtles at Akumal – here you can see and snorkel with the turtles right of the shore. Arrive early to avoid the crowds.
• Visit Xcaret eco-park – if you enjoy wildlife visit Xcaret for a day to see tropical animals and plants.

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