Headed to Mexico (Mayan Riviera)

exactly where? the myana rivierra is a fairly large.

if you want general sugestions
i would say go to campeche it is low key but well maintained small city. it is nice to relax mainly because not many tourist go there.
playa de carmen if you want drunk and party.
price wise you would proabaly consider campeche cheap and playa exspensive.
but there are dozens of other places

Hey, I just took off my Puerto Aventuras baseball cap!

Anyway, it was a while ago when I went but it was a gorgeous area as I recall. Be sure you get some Maya ruins in (Chichen Itza is the most impressive but really deserves a full day, which means spending the night including drive time, or you could do Tulum.

I haven't personally been down to Riviera Maya yet, but my folks spent a month down there last winter and raved about a restaurant called John Gray's Kitchen. It's in that general Puerto Aventuras/Morelos area. I recommended it to another friend and he liked it a lot as well. The place has a pretty good reputation online too...

Chitzen Itza and Tulum are very nice. Coba is a largely unrestored ruin site and well off the beaten path if you want to see something different. If you really want to get off the beaten path you could go to Punto Allen but there's not much to do there. Tulum has some fun night time beach life and is popular with the backpacker set.

Highly recommend Tulum as an authentic town. The beaches (and beach bars) there are superb and very laid back. Where you are, by PA, the best beach is a place called Xpu Ha. Coba is very cool to wander through the jungle ruins. Be sure to snorkel a cenote - but don't dive unless you're a certified cave diver.

Get a car a drive around - its easy. But, remember how they turn left - they signal left and then pull off to the right shoulder to wait for traffic to clear. Seriously, watch out.

Puerto Aventura has too many large, all-inclusive hotels for my liking. Aside from being an architectural marvel the general concensus with Chichen Itza seems to be that it certainly isn't worth the 6 hour roundtrip bus ride from Tulum, etc. Unless you're REALLY set on seeing it. Tulum is phenomenal. Considering its proximity to the shithole that is Cancun, its a wonder that, aside from the temple/ruins, the beaches, etc are relatively quiet 24 hours a day. Most of the hotels are really nice, small boutiques. No frat guys, no mega resorts, no one hawking shit to you on the beach, crystal clear warm water, white sand. It's amazing. Having been to beaches everywhere from Egypt to Malaysia to California I can tell you that Tulum is one of the best in the world. I stayed here when I went and loved it. 7 rooms total, excellent service, amazing food, and run by an Australian couple: http://mezzanine.com.mx/hotel/index.html I think the only night time beach party in Tulum is the Mezannine's thing on Friday nights. I was there for a week and would go walking on the beach for miles at night without seeing another soul. There are a few $5 per night hammock backpacker hotels on the outskirts of Tulum's beaches but I wouldn't say it's particularly popular with backpackers; the town of Tulum (about 12-15 miles from the beach) does attract some European stoner hippies but that seems to be it. Most of the hotels around the beach are pretty pricey.

Forgot to mention, for incredible food try Zamas on the beach in Tulum. Finest food I've had in the area and we've been down there 5 times. they also have some beach bungalows.

http://www.locogringo.com/tulum/zamas.htm

Sorry to revive an old thread here, but I'm actually going on a trip to Tulum during the second half of May with my girlfriend. EnglandMJ7's post helped to make the decision. In the end we decided to go with a smaller boutique place called Playa Mambo, (website only in Spanish) the price is right and should deliver the simple R&R we're looking for.

Thanks for the tip on Mezzanine and Zamas. Will try to check out the party on Friday night.

I'll update after the trip. Looking forward to it.

If heading into Cancun, got to the high-end hotel of the palace resorts- Le Blanc Resort and Spa. I'm pretty sure they have the stay at one play at all deal. Get a reservation to eat dinner at one of the restaurants in as much advance as you can (pants and no open toe shoes).

In Mayan Riviera, spend a day snorkeling at Xel- Ha. I'd avoid all of the Mayan ruins.