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INTERVAL WORLD Spring 2016
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Huber/Sime/eStock Photo; Fideicomiso de Promoción Turistica de Riviera Maya e Isla Cozumel
A PERFECT DAY FOR:
FAMILIES WITH KIDS
Morning
This day is all about kid-friendly fun that’s easy on the wallet. Make
your way to Kantun-Chi, a small, welcoming ecopark about a half-
hour drive south of Playa. It’s less expensive than better-known
Xcaret and Xplor parks. Sign up for the grotto activity (ages 6 and
up). You’ll don helmets, booties, and life jackets, then wade through
underground river passageways with a guide. Lit by ceiling lamps,
the stalactites and stalagmites are easier for kids to see than those
in darker caves that require snorkeling. Small catfish and bats can
be spotted, too. Wrap up your visit with a ride in a horse cart to an
open cenote, where the kids can swim and kayak. Grown-ups can
join in, or relax in a deck chair.
Afternoon
Akumal Bay is where you snorkel with enormous sea turtles in the
wild. Most people go in the morning, so you’ll avoid the crowds in
the afternoon. Akumal means “place of the turtles” in Mayan, and
here the gentle giants congregate in the shallow bay to chomp on
sea grass growing on the sandy ocean floor. You don’t have to swim
far to spy them. Ask the Akumal Ecological Center about equipment
rentals or a guide.
Dinner
Dinner is at nearby La Buena Vida. This beach bar and restaurant
has a treehouse kids can climb, tables in the sand, a pool to swim
in, hammocks, bean bags for lounging, and bar swings. On the
menu? Shrimp fritters, fresh salads, fish tacos, ribs, and burgers
(so picky eaters won’t go hungry). Parents and grandparents may
appreciate that the margaritas are just over $2 at happy hour.
(5:00 to 7:00 p.m.) Try the tamarind ones.
Evening
For a sweet treat before bed, hit Tepoznieves in Playa. Festooned
from floor to ceiling with bright tropical art, this adorable ice cream
parlor offers more than 40 different flavors, from strawberry cheese-
cake to mango with chile — something to please every palate. The
only problem? Which one to choose.
A PERFECT DAY FOR:
SERENITY SEEKERS
Morning
Greet your day in laid-back Tulum. Along the town’s blindingly white
7-mile beach, eco-chic hotels run on solar power and organic
restaurants thrive. Tulum’s crowning jewel is its Mayan ruins, perched
Once a major crossroads of trading routes, the
Mayan city of Tulum maintains a sense of
grandeur in its unique seaside setting.