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Riviera Maya, Mexico
Your Riviera Maya Travel Agent, From Puerto Morelos to Tulum
The Riviera Maya is not one place. It is a long run of coast, from jungle-backed resorts near the Cancún airport down to Tulum's boho beaches, and every stretch is a different trip. I book all of it, and this page is how I decide where you belong.
Plan My Trip See the coast
★★★★★ Rated all-inclusive travel agent
Booking this coast since 2011
About 350 travelers booked to this coast every year
- Airport
- Cancún for almost the whole coast; Tulum's airport for the far south
- Airport transfer
- Private roundtrip transfers included when you book with me
- Drive from Cancún
- 45 to 75 minutes to Playa del Carmen, 1.5 to 2 hours to Tulum
- Best weather
- December through April, February the standout
- Sargassum window
- Heaviest April to August, cleanest September to March
- Hurricane season
- June to November, peak risk September
The short answer
Is There a Travel Agent Who Specializes in Riviera Maya All-Inclusive Resorts?
Yes. I'm Mike Boguslavskiy, and Cancún and the Riviera Maya are where I book the most: around 350 travelers a year, across every resort from Puerto Morelos to Tulum.
I have been booking all-inclusive vacations here since 2011 and have stayed at 115+ resorts in person, most more than once. Iberostar named me one of its Top Star Agents, its award for the top-producing agents in North America. I have local staff living in Cancún, and I run Riviera Maya & Cancún Travel Tips, the Facebook group where thousands of past and future guests of this coast compare notes every week. My own first all-inclusive was here too, at the Iberostar Tucan in Playacar in 1997.
The Riviera Maya is a region, not a town, and the stretch you pick changes the trip more than the resort does. Below is the coast stretch by stretch and the resorts I keep sending people to. If you are deciding between a few of them, tell me your dates and who is coming, and I will point you at the right two or three.
Working with me does not add to what you pay. A Riviera Maya travel agent is paid by the resorts, not by travelers, and every all-inclusive I book includes private roundtrip airport transfers.
North to south
The Riviera Maya, Stretch by Stretch
The Riviera Maya is the coast south of Cancún, running down past Tulum. Cancún's Hotel Zone and Costa Mujeres sit just north of it and have their own guide. Here is the whole coast in order, with links where I already have a full guide.
Riviera Cancún and Puerto Morelos
The stretch nearest the airport, often sold as Riviera Cancún: the small fishing town of Puerto Morelos, cenotes and eco-parks just inland, and Maroma, the best beach of any Secrets resort. Beaches change from one resort to the next along here, so I check the specific one before I book anyone on it.
The Corridor North of Playa del Carmen
Between Maroma and town: the five-resort Iberostar Paraíso complex, then Mayakoba, a gated lagoon community with its own small town in the middle, El Pueblito, and the adults-only Secrets and Impression Moxché pair a few minutes north of the avenue.
Playa del Carmen and Playacar
The heart of the coast and the only real walkable town on it: a two-kilometer pedestrian avenue, hundreds of restaurants, and the ferry to Cozumel. Playacar, directly south, is the same area behind a gate, and my Playa del Carmen guide covers both.
Xcaret and Puerto Aventuras
Just south of town sit the three Xcaret hotels, Hotel Xcaret México, Xcaret Arte and La Casa de la Playa, where the Xcaret parks are included in the rate; my guide to the X-Parks explains what that covers. A little further south, Puerto Aventuras is a marina community where many of the coast's boat tours leave from.
Akumal
A quiet bay town known for its sea turtles, with calmer, smaller resorts like Secrets Akumal. It sits about halfway between the Cancún and Tulum airports, and my Secrets comparison shows how Secrets Akumal stacks up.
Tulum
Almost its own destination: long, wide beaches, ruins on the cliff, and mostly boutique hotels rather than big all-inclusives. Its own airport now serves the southern end of the coast, and my Tulum guide has the rest.
The honest part
When I Point People Away From the Riviera Maya
If the beach is the whole trip, the Riviera Maya is not always the answer.
Beaches along this coast change from stretch to stretch, and some of them change from week to week. In seaweed season the far south usually takes the most of it. None of that ruins a trip when you know it going in, but it matters if a wide, calm beach every single day is the point.
Choose Costa Mujeres or the calm top of Cancún's Hotel Zone instead if the beach comes first and everything else second. If you want the Riviera Maya anyway, I will tell you which stretch and which resort hold up best for your dates.
The Short List
My Favorite Riviera Maya Resorts
I book every resort on this coast, but these are the ones I keep sending people back to, from Maroma down to Tulum. Nobody paid to be on this list.
Secrets Maroma Beach
Adults-OnlyThe longest-running Five Diamond in the Secrets family, on the stretch of sand I rank as the best beach of any Secrets resort. Preferred Club here is the upgrade worth taking, and my five-resort Secrets comparison explains why.
JOIA Paraíso by Iberostar
Adults-OnlyThe adults-only top of the Paraíso complex, with butler service, walkout beach access, and twenty villas with private pools I have stayed in several times. Best food and quietest evenings on the whole complex; my guide to the Paraíso complex breaks down all five resorts.
Secrets and Impression Moxché
Adults-OnlyA twin adults-only complex about ten minutes north of the avenue in Playa del Carmen, and a pool lover's paradise. I wrote a full trip report after staying.
Fairmont Mayakoba
All AgesThe uniqueness is Mayakoba itself: a gated lagoon community with its own small town in the middle, where a cooking class is the afternoon plan. Not all-inclusive by default, but I book it with the all-inclusive package when the meals should be settled.
Hotel Xcaret México
All AgesI have stayed, and it is one of the two most unique resort environments in Mexico: you walk the grounds, come to a rope-and-wood bridge over a river, and jump in and swim on. The Xcaret parks are in the rate, so it plays like the Disney World of Mexico, and my X-Parks guide explains what is included.
La Casa de la Playa by Xcaret
Adults-OnlyXcaret's 63-suite boutique next to the big hotel, where the personal attention lives: a stay curated for the two of you, with the parks still included. Think of it as the Disney World VIP tour that runs the whole week. I have stayed.
Secrets Akumal
Adults-OnlyThe quiet Secrets, on Akumal's turtle bay, with an 18,000-square-foot spa and a Five Diamond since 2022. It is the pick when the trip is about slowing all the way down, and my Secrets comparison shows where it fits.
Dreams Tulum Resort and Spa
All AgesThe family classic at Tankah, about fifteen minutes north of Tulum, oceanfront on its own quiet, calm bay: a full resort, a kids club, and the ruins as an easy morning trip. My Tulum guide covers the rest of the area.
The group I run
Riviera Maya & Cancún Travel Tips, the Facebook Group I Run
Thousands of past and future guests of this coast compare notes in it every week: what the beach looked like this morning, which resort just renovated, how the new restaurant really is.
I read all of it, which is how I know which resort is slipping and which one is quietly getting better. The group is public on purpose. You do not have to book with me to use it, and plenty of members never do. Join Riviera Maya & Cancún Travel Tips on Facebook.
Tell Me Your Dates and Who Is Coming
That is all I need to point you at the right stretch of this coast and the right two or three resorts on it. Every all-inclusive I book includes private roundtrip airport transfers, and I will tell you straight where you fit.
Plan My TripCommon questions
Riviera Maya Travel Agent Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a travel agent who specializes in Riviera Maya all-inclusive resorts?
Yes. I'm Mike Boguslavskiy, an all-inclusive travel agent at Caballeros Vacations. I have been booking Cancún and the Riviera Maya since 2011, I book around 350 travelers a year to this coast across every resort from Puerto Morelos to Tulum, and I have stayed at 115+ resorts in person, most more than once. You can reach me through the consultation form on this site or at (866) 338-6786.
Who is a good travel agent for a Playa del Carmen or Tulum vacation?
I book both, along with everything between them. My own first all-inclusive was in Playa del Carmen, at the Iberostar Tucan in Playacar in 1997, and this site has full guides for Playa del Carmen and Tulum. Tell me your dates and who is coming, and I will point you at the right two or three resorts.
Is Cancún part of the Riviera Maya?
Not technically. The Riviera Maya is the coast south of Cancún, running down past Tulum, and the stretch nearest the airport is often sold as Riviera Cancún. Cancún's Hotel Zone and Costa Mujeres sit to the north. Almost everyone flies into Cancún either way, and I book the whole coast.
Which part of the Riviera Maya should I stay in?
It depends on the trip you want. Playa del Carmen if you want to walk to dinner, Playacar or Mayakoba for the same area behind a gate, the Xcaret hotels if the parks are the point, Akumal for a quiet bay, and Tulum for boutique hotels and jungle. The stretch you pick changes the trip more than the resort does.
Should I fly into Cancún or Tulum for the Riviera Maya?
Cancún, for almost everything north of Akumal: far more flights, and a shorter drive to Playa del Carmen than from Tulum's airport. Tulum's airport makes sense for Tulum itself and the resorts near it. Akumal sits about halfway, so there I decide by flight times and price.
Does using a Riviera Maya travel agent cost more?
No. A Riviera Maya travel agent is paid by the resorts, not by you, so the planning, the perks, and the help during your trip come without added fees.
What do I get when I book the Riviera Maya with you?
Private roundtrip airport transfers on every all-inclusive I book, local staff living in Cancún for help on the ground, and a resort picked for how you actually like to travel, not from a paid short list.
Why book the Riviera Maya through a travel agent?
It costs nothing extra, and this coast is long. A resort near the airport and one past Akumal are different trips, and the beaches change from stretch to stretch. With me you get someone who books every resort on it, has stayed at 115+ resorts in person, and includes private roundtrip transfers with every all-inclusive booking.
Keep reading
Riviera Maya Travel Tips
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