ResortHatch

Looking for places to visit on your next trip to the Mexican Caribbean and Yucatan? Here are four places that should be on the must-see list for your Royal Resorts vacation.

Muyil

Twenty minutes to the south of Tulum, the archaeological site of Muyil, also known as Chunyaxche, is on the shores of a lagoon in the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve. Once a Maya trade center, it received goods brought by canoe from the Caribbean and shipped them overland to other cities in the Yucatan. A tiny temple still giuards the winding canal through the mangroves that the Maya dredged and widened a thousand years ago for the vessels of the merchants.
Nowadays, you can combine your exploration of Muyil’s jungle temples with an unforgettable boat trip through the Sian Ka’an wetlands to see birds, crocodiles and other wild creatures.

Valladolid

A one-and-a-half-hour drive from Cancun, the colonial town of Valladolid is the perfect spot to spend the day learning about the history and traditions of the Yucatan. Stroll through the center visiting San Servacio Cathedral on the main square, colonial churches, restored casonas (houses) and a Mexican Clothing Museum and the City Museum in the town’s different barrios or neighborhoods. Shop for crafts and sample the local cuisine, watch chocolate being made using artisanal methods, visit cenotes, and even a distillery on the outskirts of town making a tequila-like liquor from the blue agave.

Cozumel

Take the ferry across a narrow stretch of the Caribbean to the island of Cozumel, once known as Kuzamil, the “island of the swallows” in Maya. While most famous for its chain of majestic coral reefs rich in marine life, Cozumel also has palm-lined beaches on the leeward coast and breezy, wave-lashed strands on the windward coast, jungles and wetlands teeming with wildlife, and is rich in history.
Cozumel was a sacred island for the ancient Maya as the shrine of Ixchel, the goddess of the moon, fertility and childbirth, and pilgrims would make the crossing from the mainland to worship her. The island was also an important port on Maya trade routes through the Caribbean. In the 16th century, conquistador Hernan Cortes made landfall before embarking on his voyage towards the west that would take him to Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztecs. Pirates would later hide in the remote lagoons. The Island Museum offers an overview of the island’s past.

Xcacel

A Riviera Maya treasure, Xcacel is a crescent-shaped beach that is a designated protected area and turtle sanctuary. Xcacel-Xcacelito is one of the world’s most important nesting areas for the green turtle. The beach can be visited in the winter months and to reach it follow dirt track through the jungle to the palm grove and the turquoise Caribbean beyond.

Explore the Yucatan

Thomas More Travel can help you arrange trips to these spots and to all the natural and historical wonders in the Mexican Caribbean and Yucatan. Visit the website or the travel desk in the lobby of your resort.