Mexico

The Americas

From ancient Mayan sites to 21st century luxury resorts - Mexico has it all...

Overview

Mexico’s coastal resorts have an entrancing mix of pristine white-sand beaches, away-from-it-all luxury resort hotels, and ancient ruins and traditions. The eastern coastline meets the calm, warm waters of the Caribbean Sea, whilst the western coastline greets the Pacific Ocean with dramatic cliffs and bays.

However there’s more than beaches in this vast country of over 100 million people, so side trips to visit bustling Mexico City and its stunning restored colonial buildings, to Merida – a gorgeous colonial city about three hours inland from Cancun and ancient Mayan ruins just a short drive or day trip away from resorts on the Caribbean Coast, are all waiting to be discovered

Highlights

Marvelous beach resorts combine with stunning landscapes and world class heritage.

The Caribbean coast

Lively Cancun, probably the most famous resort, has large hotels, bars and nightclubs, but further south the pace slows down on the Riviera Maya, where luxury hotels hug pristine beaches.


Ancient Mayan ruins and charming colonial cities can also be found in this corner of Mexico – with Chichen Itza with its famous pyramid, the port city of Tulum, the archaeological site of Calakmul and the cities of Merida, Uxmal and Coba – all enjoyable day trips away from the beach resorts

The Pacific coast

Stylish resorts, rugged coastlines and luxury hotels offering superior Mexican hospitality are synonymous with Mexico’s Pacific coast.


From the sparkling marinas and retro Hollywood glamour immortalised in ‘Night of the Iguana’ to the wild open spaces, amazing surfing beaches and phenomenal marine life of Baja California- there’s the perfect holiday spot to suit all tastes here.


Los Cabos offers dramatic scenery with steep cliffs and intriguing wildlife. Riviera Nayarit, a short drive from Puerto Vallarta is a quiet beach resort with impressive lava rock formations and white sand beaches and Marieta Island has fantastic opportunities for scuba diving, swimming with turtles and humpback whale watching

History and heritage

Known as tourism’s sleeping giant, Mexico is making many ‘bucket lists’ for its varied heritage that includes Aztec and Mayan sights as well as a well-preserved heritage from the colonial era.


Mexico City has dozens of parks, galleries, churches, historic sites and museums to choose from – and to keep energised during all this sightseeing, don’t miss out on the churrerías for the deep fried sugar-coated churros, paired with hot chocolate in a variety of flavours.

When to visit

The climate is hot, sunny and humid for most of the year, with average temperatures in the mid to high twenties. With slightly lower temperatures from November to March. The rainy season runs from May to October and although there might be heavy rain for an hour or two in the afternoons, it should not restrict holidays too much.

To ensure the best chances of whale watching, travel to the Pacific Coast between December and April. It is best to avoid North American students' 'Spring Break' in March as the resorts will be busy with 'party-animals'.