Xcaret is an idyllic location just south of the resort of Playa del Carmen on Mexico’s Riviera Maya and less than an hour from Cancun International Airport. All along the Riviera Maya around Xcaret there are luxury resorts, traditional Mexican villages and amazing white sandy beaches. The area offers luxury all-inclusive family accommodation with on-site restaurants, swimming pools, health spas, tennis courts, mini-

Xcaret

golf, archery, shuffleboard and children’s clubs to name just a few amenities to make your travel deals to Mexico perfect. There are several golf courses in the area for golfers to enjoy.

A wealth of wildlife and stunning scenery await you on your direct holidays to Xcaret. Whilst visiting the Yucatan Peninsula, families, couples and groups will love the Xcaret eco-archaeological theme park. Based around a lagoon hidden in the jungle, the park has attracted visitors to its natural water features, Jaguar Island, marine centre, zoo, botanical gardens, orchid farm, butterfly pavilion, mushroom farm and Mayan ruins since 1992. Visitors can also go scuba diving, snorkelling, pony trekking and horse riding at the park. The park also boasts a sandy beach area, freshwater lakes, lagoons, rivers, underground caves and verdant tropical jungle to explore. Crocodiles, marine turtles, manatees, flamingos, monkeys, deer, bats and tapirs all live in the park. However the ultimate experience of swimming with dolphins is probably at the top of most people’s wish list when they visit the park. Being a dolphin trainer for the day at the park is a memorable experience where you interact with fully-grown dolphins and their offspring and see their performances up close. At night the park offers enactments of an ancient Mayan ball game and a traditional Mexican song and dance show in the open air theatre.

Scuba diving, snorkelling, snuba (a combination of diving and snorkelling) and sea treks (underwater walking) are on offer in Xcaret. Visitors can swim in the beautiful warm Caribbean Sea, in the freshwater lagoons, at the inland cenotes and even in the underwater caves. Interactive shark tours and river rafting are available for more adventurous visitors looking for excitement.

Chichen Itza

There are many ancient Mayan ruins within easy reach at Chichen Itza, Xel-Ha, Tulum and Coba. Xcaret itself was once a major city and ceremonial centre.

Just a short ferry ride from Playa del Carmen is the island of Cozumel which offers some of the best scuba diving and snorkelling in the world.

If you are looking for some lively nightlife you will need to head to the popular beach resort of Cancun in the north of the Riviera Maya.

Xcaret’s main tourist season starts in November when the resort sees 6 hours of sunshine a day and enjoys temperatures around the 30C mark. In the winter months temperatures hover around 28-29C with daily sunshine hours increasing to 8 hours by March. Humidity is lower and more comfortable from December to February, starting to in March until it reaches its highest levels in April. The sea is ideal for swimming and interacting with dolphins during the winter when its temperature ranges from 26C to 28C.

Grand Xcaret Hotel

Click here for a great all inclusive holiday we have found from holidays4mexico.co.uk to the Grand Xcaret Hotel which sits adjacent to the Xcaret Ecological Park.