On the east side of the beautiful state of Quintana Roo, there is a new tourist destination comprising well over 100 kilometers (80 miles) worth of the most beautiful beaches in the world, which could be referred to as astonishing; The Riviera Maya, a totally different place that starts some 20 minutes south of Cancun's International Airport up to the picturesque Punta Allen fishermen's village.

For years, Playa del Carmen, opposite the island of Cozumel, was merely a launching-pad for the ferry across to the island. Today it has become a booming resort town with a lot of pedestrian streets around the Quinta Avenida (5th avenue) entirely devoted to visitors. Only 68 kilometers south of Cancun and 30 minutes by ferry from Cozumel, it attracts day trippers for its wide, powdery beaches and lively atmosphere. Hundreds of kilometers worth of gorgeous shoreline, nice villages, huge reefs, ponds, cenotes, underground rivers, rain forest, exotic animal species and hundreds of archeological sites from Mayan Culture, take part of the peculiar beauty of this area that carves to be visited. In order to satisfy all sorts of tastes and budgets, tourists can stay at 5 stars hotels or rusty cabins in the forest, and enjoy international cuisine specialties or the local flavors under a palm tree shade and surrounded by a variety of activities in the area. Mellow and fun-loving, its beach bars blasting 1970s rock music and mixing endless Margaritas (typical cocktail), Playa makes an easy stop-off on the Caribbean trail.