Guides that start with the map, not the list
Most trips here go wrong for one reason: the plan ignores the distance. These guides group each destination by zone, say what a day really holds, and are honest about what belongs on a different trip.
20 articles
Best time to visit Tulum: month by month, and when not to go
Best time to visit Tulum: December to April is driest; September and October are the worst. Month-by-month weather, sargassum season and crowds.
Where Punta Cana is on the map, and which zone your resort is in
Where Punta Cana is on the map: the eastern tip of the Dominican Republic, 2.5 hours from Santo Domingo. Bavaro, Cap Cana and Uvero Alto, located.
What to do in Playa del Carmen, sorted by whether you need a taxi
Everything in Playa del Carmen is either a ten-minute walk or a proper excursion. Sorted into those two piles, so you know what fits in an afternoon.
Six things to do in the Cancun Hotel Zone, and where on the strip they are
The Hotel Zone is 22 km of one boulevard. Six things worth doing on it, with the kilometer marker for each, so you stop crossing it twice a day.
Cancun shopping centers, ranked by the problem they actually solve
La Isla, Kukulcan Plaza, Luxury Avenue, Puerto Cancun, Las Americas and the craft market solve different problems. Which is worth the ride, and which is not.
Cancun do’s and don’ts, limited to the ones with consequences
Not a list of manners. The specific Cancun mistakes that cost people a day, a deposit or a flight, and the check that prevents each one.
A Cancun guide that starts by telling you where you actually are
The Hotel Zone, downtown, Puerto Juarez and Costa Mujeres are all called Cancun. Which one you booked decides almost everything else about the trip.
The City Cancun is closed, and nobody has said when it comes back
The biggest club on the strip has been shut since May 2025 with no reopening date. What the operator says, and how Punta Cancun works without it.
Cancun and Playa del Carmen: one base, or two?
They are an hour apart on the same road and they are not the same vacation. When splitting the stay is worth it, and when one base and a day trip wins.
Tulum on a budget, starting with an honest look at the prices
The room is the cheap part of Tulum. Transport, beach clubs and the beach-road premium are what break the budget, and all three are avoidable.
Visiting Mexico’s protected areas without getting it wrong
INAH and CONANP protect different things under different rules. What changes for a visitor, and the restrictions people break without realising.
Why to spend an afternoon in downtown Cancun
Half a million people live in Cancun and almost none of them are in the Hotel Zone. What downtown is good for, and how to spend an afternoon there.
Cancun with kids, planned around the age of the child
A toddler, an eight-year-old and a teenager need three different Cancun trips. What each one can actually do, and the two attractions that are gone.
Ten cheap things to do in Cancun, honestly priced
Free attractions are rarely free once you have got there. Ten genuinely low-cost Cancun plans, grouped so the transport does not cost more than the day.
Ten things to do in Tulum, and how long each one really takes
The ruins, the cenotes, Coba, Sian Kaan, the beach road. What each one takes out of your day and which of them actually earn it.
A Playa del Carmen guide for somebody who has not been before
Downtown, Playacar, Mayakoba and the southern corridor are all sold as Playa del Carmen. Which to choose, what things cost, and how to move around.
What to do in Cozumel, and which half of the island to do it on
The reef is on the west side and the surf is on the east. What to do in Cozumel depending on how you arrived and how long you have.
La Isla Cancun, and the one thing to know before going
An open-air center on the lagoon at km 12.5, open 11:00 to 22:00. The aquarium, the cinema and the canals — and why the time of day matters here.
Three days in Playa del Carmen, hour by hour
A day for the town, a day for Cozumel, a day for one thing south. Written as an actual schedule, with the times that matter.
Playa del Carmen in December is two different months
December is the best weather of the year here and the most crowded fortnight. What changes, what closes on the 25th, and which half of the month to pick.
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