You can find plenty of swimming holes or so-called cenotes around Cancun, and if they are not on your bucket list yet, you’ll have to add them asap. The word cenote comes from the Mayan word ‘ts’onot’, which can be translated as ‘hole with water'.

These turquoise-shimmering cenotes are created when underground limestone caverns fill with water from the sea underneath and rainwater from above. Vines, stalactites, or stairs complete this magical setting for you to frolic and splash around in.

La Ruta de los Cenotes (the path of cenotes) runs from Puerto Morelos to Leona Vicario and is densely packed with various swimming holes. Cenote Zaci, Cenote Aktun Chen, Cenote Elvira, Cenote X’keken, Cenote Samula, or Cenote Oxman are just a few of the many options. You’ll find thousands of cenotes across the Yucatan Peninsula, so why not make a day of it and visit some archeological ruins along the way?!

Cancun offers all the ingredients for a relaxing yet stimulating holiday. Next to seeing beautiful beaches and picturesque swimming holes you can travel back in time and visit Mayan ruins, before indulging in the local cuisine and sinking into your heavenly bed.

The 5* Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun in Cancun’s Hotel Zone offers you spacious rooms and suites with a private balcony or patio and a rainfall shower in your spa-inspired bathroom. 17 on-site restaurants showcase different cuisines for every taste, from French and Mediterranean to Thai and Japanese. The hardest decision you need to make all day is whether you feel like beachfront yoga, a rejuvenating spa visit or a frozen margarita at the swim-up bar.

Another hotel option is the Ritz Carlton Cancun. Set on an enviable strip of Cancun’s most beautiful coastline, the 5* hotel offers traditional luxury with spacious guestrooms and an impressive array of dining. For a romantic evening, you can’t beat the resort’s Casitas: private dining rooms set directly on the beach that are lit by candles and draped in swathes of gauzy fabric, creating the most intimate atmosphere for a memorable dinner accompanied by the sounds of the ocean.

With white sandy beaches as far as the eye can see bordering the turquoise Caribbean waters, Cancun offers the picture-perfect beach holiday you’re after during your relaxing retreat. And you can choose your beach of the day depending on your mood.

If you’re after a proper beach party, head over to Playa Forum in the heart of the Hotel Zone. You’ll find DJs pumping their music at various beach clubs. Join a pool party at Mandala Beach Club and dance like nobody's watching! On the other hand, you might look for the exact opposite, a quiet beach in paradise to read your book and work on your tan. In this case you will find your go-to laid-back beach in Playa Pez Volador.

And if you’re trying to get away from the hustle and bustle of Cancun and the Hotel Zone, Isla Blanca, north of downtown Cancun, will tick all your boxes. You’ll find a saltwater lagoon on one side and a thin strip of white sandy beaches on the other. Relax at one of the small cabañas with some freshly grilled fish and a cold beer and enjoy this blissful moment in paradise.

Cancun is like an open-air museum showcasing the ruined temples of the Maya. You don’t even have to leave the Hotel Zone to soak up some history. The Maya Cancun Museum exhibits 350 Mayan artefacts across an expansive space that allows you to browse for hours providing you with a good base knowledge before you visit one of the two archaeological sites in the city of Cancun, El Meco and El Rey.

El Meco is located in the northern outskirts of the city. This settlement was an important commerce hub trading with areas like Coba or Isla Mujeres. El Rey is a small archaeological site close to the Hotel Zone showing the ruins of a small Mayan village with a temple dating back to 250 AD. It is a tranquil oasis in the middle of the buzzing tourist area giving refuge to different bird and reptile species.

Another archaeological site on the peninsula is Ek Balam, which can be translated to dark jaguar and can be found 173 km west of Cancun. The most famous archaeological sites on the peninsula are Chichen Itzá, one of the New 7 Wonders of the World 240 km west of Cancun, Uxmal in the state of Yucatan between Merida and Campeche, and Tulum located 128 km south of Cancun, which is one of the oldest sites on the coast.