40 years ago, Cancun was still a fishing village of 200 inhabitants… Today there are 1 million! In high season, the Riviera Maya welcomes up to 300,000 tourists per week. But going down to Tulum, you avoid the behemoth hotels with 2,000 rooms that abound around Cancun. The Club Héliades Pavo Real Beach Resort has only 112 rooms spread over four buildings facing the turquoise sea. Here, there's no battle to find a deckchair or a deafening party every night, it's quiet but close enough to the center of Tulum if you want to shop or have a drink in town. My favorite HQ? El Jardin de Frida (www.fridastulum.com).
Some are still climbing, some are not. It is in Coba that you can climb the 120 steps of the highest temple in Yucatan. At the top, the view of the jungle surrounding the ruins wipes out all the effort in the heat. At Chichen Itzà, classified as the fifth new wonder of the world, it is now impossible to climb the pyramid of KuKulcan for security reasons. Hergé would have been inspired by it for Tintin and the Picaros... Despite the flood of tourists and souvenir sellers who squat the place, the charm still operates!
Yes, especially with water at 25° in winter and 32° in summer! It is also a diving paradise. The second longest coral reef in the world, Isla Cozumel, off Playa del Carmen, is thus one of the best spots in the world. But the must here is to dive in the cenotes, natural open-air freshwater wells. They say that with each swim you are 10 years younger… Personally, I preferred my swim in the Sian Ka’an biosphere reserve (classified as a world heritage site, www.siankaantours.org). Astride a lifejacket, I let myself drift for 1.6 km in the freshwater channel that crosses the mangroves, before getting back on the boat, crossing the lagoon dodging the crocodiles and spinning to bathe in the water (salty this time) of the Caribbean Sea. Unforgettable!
And not only. If I get a little lost when I arrive between the burrito, the taco, the tortilla, the empanada and the quesadilla, I quickly remember that you have to be wary of the local pepper, small, green, and very strong! And if it seems that you can taste your Mezcal, an agave-based brandy, best with a handful of grasshoppers, a few crisps will be enough for me. On the other hand, I absolutely love the cochinita pibil (pork) or the pollo pibil (chicken), marinated meat, cooked wrapped in a banana leaf then served rolled up in a tortilla.
I let myself be tempted by the Xel-Ha ("the place where the waters are born", www.xelha.com) and I did not regret it! Underground freshwater rivers mix with the Caribbean Sea. The result:an exceptional natural aquarium where more than a hundred species live, from blue tangs to sea turtles and manatees. You can dive in the cenotes, try underwater caving, walk underwater with a helmet to greet the rays, discover the chewing-gum tree, go down a mangrove tunnel on a big buoy before snorkeling at the in the middle of multicolored fish... You can also test the "Zip Bike", a cable bike that allows you to pedal in the trees, among parrots, and cross natural caves, each one more beautiful than the other.
With Héliades, 8 days/7 n at Club Héliades Pavo Real Beach Resort 4* from €1,599/pers. This price includes return flights, reception and transfers, 7 nights in a double room, the all-inclusive formula, airport taxes and assistance. Info. and reservations on 0 892 231 523 (€0.34/min), www.heliades.fr.
More info:Mexico Tourism Promotion Council:www.visitmexico.com and 00 800 11 11 22 66 (toll free). And www.rivieramaya.com.
