Cancún

Cancún divides opinion in a way that most beach destinations don't. The Hotel Zone — a long spit of land between the Caribbean and a lagoon — is unapologetically built for tourism, with resort hotels stacked shoulder to shoulder along Kukulcán Boulevard. But dismiss the city on those grounds and you miss what surrounds it. The water along this stretch of the Yucatán Peninsula is, by almost any measure, extraordinary: a specific shade of turquoise that comes from the shallow limestone shelf beneath, so clear that the seabed is visible at depths where you'd expect nothing but blue.

The real reason to base yourself in Cancún is access. The Mesoamerican Barrier Reef — the second longest in the world — runs along the coast to the south, and the diving and snorkeling off Isla Mujeres and the Underwater Museum of Art (MUSA) are among the best in the Caribbean. Inland, the Yucatán Peninsula is riddled with cenotes: freshwater sinkholes formed when the limestone karst collapsed, revealing underground rivers and caves of startling clarity. Swimming in a cenote — sunlight filtering through a hole in the ceiling above still blue water — is an experience that has no equivalent.

Chichén Itzá is two hours west by road, a UNESCO site of genuine power even now, when the crowds are considerable. Cobá, deeper into the jungle, is less visited and allows you to climb the main pyramid — one of the last major Maya structures in the region where this is still permitted. The city of Mérida, the Yucatán's elegant colonial capital, is a full-day excursion that rewards the drive. Cancún works best as a base rather than a destination in itself — the beach is excellent, but the peninsula is the point.