Our personal, curated guide to the Riviera Maya: the places, plans and ideas we recommend after years of living and working here.
We built it to help you decide what to do today, depending on who you are traveling with, what you feel like doing, where you are, how much time you have and what the weather decides to do.
A sunny day with the kids. A rainy afternoon. A romantic dinner. Somewhere relaxed for a big group. A beach day, shopping, drinks, something nearby, a plan for right now.
Every group lives the Riviera Maya in its own way, so the guide follows different ages, groups, moods and days. We share it the way we would with a friend: local knowledge, honest picks and options for every kind of traveler.
Find what fits your day, save what you like and build your trip as you go.
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Reservation
Family activities
Puerto Aventuras
A private escape room with a Kids Mode for ages 7 to 14, made for families and groups on a rainy day.
Private escape rooms at Hard Rock Riviera Maya: each game is for your group alone, with rooms for adults, for families and groups, and a Kids Mode for ages 7 to 14.
Go for A private escape room, with a Kids Mode for ages 7 to 14
Best for Families and groups on a rainy day
Hard Rock Riviera Maya, Puerto Aventuras · Reservation required
Seafood · Mexican
Akumal · Lunch · Dinner
Tables in the sand under palapas on Half Moon Bay, for ceviche and margaritas at an easy, local lunch.
A beach restaurant and bar in North Akumal since 1996, with tables in the sand under palapas on Half Moon Bay. Ceviche, tacos, burgers, cold beer, margaritas and a long tequila list: Akumal at its most local and easygoing.
Go for Ceviche, tacos and margaritas with your feet in the sand
Best for A relaxed local lunch on Half Moon Bay
Walk-in friendly
Golf
Akumal
Twenty-seven holes with a 9-hole par-3 course, good for beginners, short-game practice or a morning with little time.
Robert Trent Jones II design through Mayan jungle, natural lakes and cenotes, the former Riviera Maya Golf Club. 27 holes in total: a 7,272-yard championship 18 plus a par-3 course of 9 holes from 80 to 200 yards, ideal for short-game work, beginners, or a morning when time is tight.
Go for 27 holes, with a 9-hole par-3 course
Best for Beginners, short-game work or a short morning
Reservation required
Contemporary Mexican
Playa del Carmen · Dinner
Contemporary Mexican cooking in a dramatic setting, made for couples, celebrations and marriage proposals.
Fine dining inside a living, millennia-old natural cavern: stalactites and stalagmites overhead, seven private nooks and evening service. A rare setting where dinner happens genuinely underground.
Go for Contemporary Mexican
Best for Couples wanting a dramatic setting · celebrations and proposals
Reservation recommended
Beach club
Playa del Carmen · Lunch
A beach club on Playa Mamitas with a pool, cabanas and Mediterranean cooking, for a beach day with friends or a celebration.
A beach club and restaurant on Playa Mamitas, at Calle 28, with a pool, sunbeds and cabanas. The kitchen mixes Mediterranean, contemporary Mexican and seafood. The restaurant welcomes all ages; the pool area is for adults.
Go for Sunbeds, a pool and Mediterranean cooking by the sea
Best for A beach day with friends, as a couple or to celebrate
Downtown, Playa del Carmen · Reservation recommended
Golf
Playa del Carmen
A Nick Price course through jungle and lakes, for a round of golf close to Playa del Carmen.
Nick Price design through Mayan jungle and lakes at the Corasol development north of Playa del Carmen, formerly Grand Coral Golf Club. Paspalum grass throughout, and green fees include clubhouse and beach club access per the course’s own terms.
Go for A Nick Price course through jungle and lakes
Best for Golf close to Playa del Carmen
Corasol, Playa del Carmen · Reservation required
Spa · Massage
Playa del Carmen
The cenote-inspired spa of the former Grand Hyatt, now Devossion, with treatment rooms among the mangroves, for a spa day for two.
Cenote Spa was the spa of the Grand Hyatt Playa del Carmen; the hotel is now Devossion by Live Aqua, adults only. Circular architecture inspired by cenotes, treatment rooms surrounded by mangroves, hydrotherapy and rituals for couples. Visitors come in with the hotel Day Pass and book treatments separately.
Go for Treatment rooms among the mangroves, inspired by cenotes
Best for A spa day for two in downtown Playa
Downtown, Playa del Carmen · Reservation required
Know before you go Adults only
Museums · Family activities
Playa del Carmen
A workshop where everyone makes their own chocolate, a good family plan for a rainy afternoon.
A chocolate and Maya cacao museum with a tasting at the end, and a hands-on workshop where everyone makes their own chocolate. A plan for the whole family.
Go for The chocolate workshop, where everyone makes their own
Best for A family plan for a rainy afternoon
Constituyentes, Playa del Carmen
Bars
Playa del Carmen
A real speakeasy for cocktails: the intimate Back Room, Prohibition-style, for a date or a small group.
Aéreo is a café by day, but the reason to come is the Back Room: a Prohibition-style speakeasy with leather sofas where the bartender mixes for you. Intimate and unhurried, made for a date or a small group.
Go for The Back Room, a Prohibition-style speakeasy
Best for A date or a small group with a taste for cocktails
Downtown, Playa del Carmen · Reservation recommended
Mexican · Contemporary Mexican
Playa del Carmen · Lunch · Dinner
A Michelin Bib Gourmand kitchen under a palapa roof, cooking regional Mexican dishes with care and modern technique.
Axiote holds a Bib Gourmand in the current Michelin Guide for Playa del Carmen. Think blue-corn tostadas, slow-cooked lamb birria and Yucatecan touches, served in a palapa dining room a few blocks from Quinta Avenida.
Go for Regional Mexican dishes or the tasting menu
Best for A relaxed dinner of serious Mexican cooking
Downtown, Playa del Carmen · Reservation recommended
Beach club · Live music
Playa del Carmen · Late night
A beach bar at Calle 10 with live bands every night, Sunday salsa and food served from breakfast.
Padel · Pickleball
Playa del Carmen
Covered padel and pickleball courts, then the sports bar, for a group that wants to play and stay for a drink.
A padel and pickleball club with covered courts, an academy and its own sports bar, a good pick for a group that wants to play and stay for a drink.
Go for Covered padel and pickleball courts, then the sports bar
Best for A group that wants to play and stay for a drink
Bosque Real, Playa del Carmen · Reservation recommended
Galleries
Playa del Carmen
Work by some fifty Mexican and international artists, an easy stop on a walk along Quinta Avenida.
A gallery on Quinta Avenida founded in 2000 by the artist Gastón Charó, with painting, sculpture, engraving, photography and jewelry by some fifty Mexican and international artists.
Go for Some fifty Mexican and international artists
Best for A stop on a Quinta Avenida walk
Quinta Avenida, Playa del Carmen · Walk-in friendly
Vegetarian / Healthy · Breakfast & Brunch
Playa del Carmen · Breakfast · Lunch
A vegan café near the beach for smoothie bowls, Buddha bowls and fresh juices, from breakfast to late lunch.
Fresco Hábito runs a fully vegan menu with organic superfoods, house-made nut cheese, chickpea burgers and matcha or cacao waffles. A good fit for a light breakfast before the beach.
Go for Smoothie bowls and Buddha bowls
Best for A light plant-based breakfast
Downtown, Playa del Carmen
Contemporary Mexican
Playa del Carmen · Dinner
A Michelin-starred tasting menu inside Hotel Xcaret México, open to outside diners who book ahead.
HA' holds one Michelin star in the current guide and serves a contemporary Mexican tasting menu with wine and spirit pairings. The hotel opens it to the public, so you can book it while staying elsewhere.
Go for Chef Carlos Gaytán's Mexican tasting menu
Best for A milestone dinner for two
Xcaret, south of Playa, Playa del Carmen · Reservation required
Breakfast & Brunch · Mexican
Playa del Carmen · Breakfast · Lunch
Fresh Mexican cooking in an open garden of plants, water and stone on Calle 38, for an unhurried breakfast near the beach.
A restaurant and bar on Calle 38, steps from the beach and Quinta Avenida, cooking fresh Mexican food to order in an open space of plants, water and stone. Breakfast is the moment to go, and the menu has a vegan section.
Go for A Mexican breakfast in a garden of plants, water and stone
Best for A long breakfast steps from the beach
Downtown, Playa del Carmen · Walk-in friendly
Seafood · Mexican
Playa del Carmen · Lunch · Dinner
Seafood tostadas and aguachiles on Quinta Avenida, for a relaxed lunch or an early dinner downtown.
Born in Playa in 2014, Las Hijas de la Tostada serves seafood tostadas, ceviches and aguachiles from early afternoon into the night. Its branch on Quinta Avenida at Calle 2 sits in the heart of downtown.
Go for Tostadas and aguachiles
Best for A relaxed seafood meal downtown
Downtown, Playa del Carmen
Seafood · Mexican
Playa del Carmen · Lunch · Dinner
Open-air seafood spot named after its signature dish, with branches downtown and in Playacar, open from midday.
Aguachile, shrimp cured in lime and chile, is the house dish, alongside tostadas, seafood tacos and mezcal drinks. If you are staying in Playacar, the 10th Avenue branch is the closest one.
Go for Aguachile, seafood tostadas and mezcal cocktails
Best for A long seafood lunch with friends
Downtown, Playa del Carmen
Kosher · Mediterranean
Playa del Carmen · Lunch · Dinner
A kosher Middle Eastern kitchen on Calle 38 for falafel, hummus and grills.
Moshe Cube serves kosher Middle Eastern food, from falafel and hummus with warm pita to grilled specialties, at a few sidewalk tables. A good fit if you keep kosher; on Fridays it closes early.
Go for Falafel, hummus and grilled plates
Best for Travelers who keep kosher
Downtown, Playa del Carmen
Burgers
Playa del Carmen · Lunch · Dinner
A Playa burger house with two downtown branches and a short, well-built menu of burgers.
Mu. has served burgers in Playa since 2017, with house favorites like Una hamburguesa llamada Deseo and the wagyu Reina Trufada. The 10th Avenue branch is open every day from early afternoon.
Go for Burgers like La Reina Trufada, plus fries
Best for An easy dinner everyone agrees on
Downtown, Playa del Carmen
Mexican
Playa del Carmen · Lunch · Dinner
Traditional Mexican recipes in a lively setting, good for groups and families, with a kids club.
Contemporary Mexican cooking on Quinta Avenida from Grupo Anderson’s: traditional recipes in an urban fine-dining format, with a terrace over the avenue, a wine cellar and live mariachi in the evenings.
Go for Contemporary Mexican, traditional recipes, by Grupo Anderson’s
Best for Diners who want traditional Mexican in a lively setting · groups and families, there is a kids club
Quinta Avenida, Playa del Carmen · Reservation recommended
Mexican
Playa del Carmen · Dinner
Mexican dishes cooked entirely over wood fire, for family-style gatherings with family and friends.
Mexican cooking done entirely over wood fire: underground oven, comales and grill, the way it has been done for centuries, in an open-air space under a great tree, with local tzalam wood and chukum finishes. Evening service.
Go for Mexican, cooked entirely over wood fire
Best for Diners who love wood-fire cooking · family-style gatherings
Reservation recommended
Parks · Cenotes
Playa del Carmen
A guided walk and swim through an underground river, a good call for a grey day since tours run rain or shine.
Bars / Drinks · Mexican
Mayakoba · Lunch · Dinner
Live-fire cooking from the Yucatán Peninsula with Middle Eastern influences, plus a bar made for cocktail lovers.
The signature bar of Rosewood Mayakoba, open to outside guests with a reservation: Yucatán Peninsula cooking with Middle Eastern influences over live fire, and author cocktails built on Mexican artisanal spirits. Relaxed lounge by day, intimate bar with live music at night.
Go for Yucatán Peninsula with Middle Eastern influences, over live fire
Best for Cocktail lovers · diners who want live-fire Yucatecan cooking
Reservation required
Golf
Mayakoba
Holes along the Caribbean and a cenote by the first fairway, for a championship round in Mayakoba.
Greg Norman design through tropical jungle, mangroves and freshwater canals, with two holes on the Caribbean and a cenote beside the first fairway.
Go for Holes on the Caribbean and a cenote by the first fairway
Best for A championship round in Mayakoba
Reservation required
Spa · Recovery
Mayakoba
A spa pass with pools, saunas, steam and a cold plunge, for a full resort spa day over the mangroves.
A resort spa at Mayakoba with treatment rooms over the mangroves and a spa pass for visitors that opens its pools, saunas, steam rooms and cold plunge for the day.
Go for The spa pass: pools, saunas, steam and cold plunge
Best for A full resort spa day over the mangroves
Reservation required
Seafood · Bars / Drinks
Tulum · Dinner
A nine-course seasonal tasting menu and a cocktail bar under the jungle canopy, for an anniversary or a celebration.
Intimate jungle restaurant and cocktail bar for dinner under the stars: tables beneath the jungle canopy, copal incense, and a seasonal menu of local seafood, meats and vegetables from executive chef Norman Fenton. A nine-course tasting menu is available.
Go for Seasonal, local seafood, meats and vegetables, from chef Norman Fenton
Best for An anniversary or celebration with a tasting menu
Beach road, Tulum · Reservation recommended
Beach club · Live music
Tulum · Breakfast · Lunch
Beach beds, a pool and live music by the sea, for a full beach day on Tulum's white sand.
Beach club and restaurant on Tulum’s white-sand beach: beach beds, pool, palapa, a sea-view terrace, a swing bar, billiards and a central fire pit, with live music daily, Latin and Brazilian rhythms, gypsy jazz, funk, soul. The kitchen is Mexican, with local, organic, seasonal ingredients, serving breakfast through dinner.
Go for Beach beds, pool and live music by the sea
Best for A full beach day on Tulum’s white sand
Beach road, Tulum
Adventure
Tulum · Lunch
A club on the shore of Laguna Nopalitos, south of Tulum, with kayaks and local cooking for a slow, easy day.
Sipalitos is a restaurant and lagoon club on the shore of Laguna Nopalitos, south of Tulum. The day here revolves around the water, with kayaks and paddleboards, lagoon views from the restaurant and local flavors on the menu.
Go for Lagoon lounging, kayaks and a long lunch
Best for A calm water day south of Tulum
Reservation recommended
Padel · Tennis
Tulum
Padel, tennis and pickleball in one club with a café, for a group that plays different sports.
Spa · Massage
Tulum
A wellness hotel in the jungle of Tulum with a spa and a daily program of sessions, open to visitors who book ahead.
A boutique wellness hotel in the jungle of Tulum. The spa offers Swedish, deep tissue and hot stone massage, reiki and Mayan sobada, and the community center runs a daily program of cacao ceremonies, sound healing, breathwork and meditation, in English and Spanish. Everything is booked online.
Go for Massage, reiki and a cacao ceremony in the jungle
Best for A wellness morning in the jungle of Tulum
La Veleta, Tulum · Reservation required
Museums
Tulum
Around 300 pieces from the Maya east coast, a calm visit for a rainy morning in Tulum.
The INAH museum of the Maya east coast, opened in 2024 inside Parque del Jaguar: around 300 pieces in three permanent halls, a calm visit for a rainy morning.
Go for Around 300 pieces of the Maya east coast
Best for A calm visit for a rainy morning
Parque del Jaguar, Tulum · Walk-in friendly
Bars · Contemporary Mexican
Tulum · Dinner
Mezcal and modern Mexican cooking in the jungle, a dinner that turns into a party on Fridays.
A mezcal bar and modern Mexican restaurant in the jungle, open since 2013. From Saturday to Thursday the evening stays relaxed; on Fridays dinner turns into a party.
Go for Mezcal and modern Mexican cooking in the jungle
Best for Dinner that turns into a party on Fridays
Beach road, Tulum · Reservation recommended
Contemporary Mexican
Tulum · Dinner
Contemporary Mexican cooking guided by fire and the seasons, for a multi-course dinner in Tulum.
Contemporary Mexican cuisine deep in the Tulum jungle, led by chef José Luis Hinostroza. The kitchen revolves around fire, seasonality and ingredients from local producers, with a menu designed for sharing.
Go for Contemporary Mexican, guided by fire and seasonality
Best for Lovers of contemporary Mexican cuisine · diners who enjoy a multi-course dinner
Beach road, Tulum · Reservation required
Beach club · Seafood
Tulum · Lunch · Dinner
Mare’zia, the beach club and seafood restaurant of Be Tulum, for a quiet, grown-up beach day on the beach road.
Be Tulum, now also called BE Destination Tulum, is a beachfront hotel on Tulum’s beach road. Its beach club and seafood restaurant, Mare’zia, welcomes visitors with a food and drink minimum; pools and sunbeds are for hotel guests, and visitors use sofas and bean bags.
Go for Seafood and a beach day at Mare’zia
Best for A grown-up beach day for two
Beach road, Tulum · Reservation recommended
Know before you go Minimum spend
Gym
Tulum
An open-air gym by the sea with equipment carved by hand from natural materials, a workout and a memory of the trip.
An open-air gym by the sea where the equipment is carved by hand from natural materials by local carpenters. A workout and a memory of the trip.
Go for An open-air workout on hand-carved wooden equipment by the sea
Best for A workout that is also a memory of the trip
Beach road, Tulum · Walk-in friendly
Spa · Massage
Tulum
A holistic spa in the jungle where every treatment includes the water circuit.
Bars / Drinks · Italian
Tulum · Dinner
A pizzeria full of art and neon in La Veleta, for oven-baked pizza, cocktails and house vermouth on an easy night out.
An evening pizzeria in La Veleta with art on the walls and neon lights: oven-baked pizzas, Italian-inspired cooking, cocktails and house vermouth. Ciao Belli, a separate Italian restaurant, runs on the rooftop, and its second spot, TRIA, is the night version in town.
Go for Oven-baked pizza and house vermouth under neon lights
Best for A relaxed dinner with friends in La Veleta
La Veleta, Tulum
Mexican · Vegetarian / Healthy
Tulum · Breakfast · Lunch
Burritos with homemade tortillas, including gluten-free and vegan options, for a casual meal at any hour in La Veleta.
A relaxed open-air spot in La Veleta with homemade tortillas in flour, gluten-free or grain-free versions, and fillings for vegan, vegetarian and paleo diets. Breakfast runs all day, with smoothies, fresh juices and coffee.
Go for Burritos, smoothies and all-day breakfast
Best for A casual meal for specific diets
La Veleta, Tulum
Beach club · Seafood
Tulum · Breakfast · Lunch
Mediterranean dishes with Yucatecan influence and fresh seafood by the sea, then sunset drinks on the rooftop.
A beachfront lifestyle district: restaurant, sunset rooftop bar, beach club, pool and boutique hotel in one address. Mediterranean cooking with Yucatecan influence: grilled dishes and fresh seafood, and one of the few on this list also open for breakfast and lunch by the sea.
Go for Mediterranean with Yucatecan influence, grilled dishes and fresh seafood
Best for Guests who want to eat by the sea across the day · sunset drinks on a rooftop
Beach road, Tulum · Reservation recommended
Padel · Pickleball
Tulum
Play padel or pickleball and stay for lunch on site, or fit in a game before an evening in town.
A social padel and pickleball club in La Veleta with a restaurant on site, easy to combine with lunch or an evening in town.
Go for Padel or pickleball with lunch on site
Best for A game before lunch or an evening in town
La Veleta, Tulum · Reservation recommended
Clubs · Italian
Tulum · Late night
The night spot of La Pizzine in Tulum town: wood-fired pizza and a DJ, on Monday and Friday nights.
The second spot of La Pizzine, in Tulum town: a pizzeria and club, indoors and outdoors, with wood-fired pizza, cocktails and electronic music with a DJ. It opens on Monday and Friday nights, sometimes with ticketed events.
Go for Wood-fired pizza and electronic music with a DJ
Best for A Monday or Friday night out with friends in town
Tulum town, Tulum
Steak / Grill
Tulum · Dinner · Late night
Argentine asado with local Mexican produce, made for groups that like to share the grill.
Argentine wood-fire grill on the beach road: prime cuts, local fish and seafood, and vegan and vegetarian options, all cooked over an open firewood kitchen in a warm, rustic outdoor setting.
Go for Argentine asado with local Mexican produce
Best for Asado lovers · groups that like to share the grill
Beach road, Tulum · Reservation recommended
Beach club
Tulum
A playground on the sand and games for every age, for a relaxed beach day with children.
Mexican · Contemporary Mexican
Tulum · Breakfast · Lunch
A Bib Gourmand Mexican kitchen on the Cobá road, with moles and fish, for lunch on the way back from Cobá.
Chef Claudia Pérez Rivas cooks traditional Mexican recipes in a rustic house filled with paintings and antiques, just outside town on the road to Cobá. The Michelin Guide awards it a Bib Gourmand and highlights the istak fish with white almond mole.
Go for Istak fish with white almond mole
Best for Lunch on the way back from Cobá
Beach club
Tulum
The beach club of a wellness and music hotel on Tulum’s beach road, for a slow beach day facing the sea.
Nômade is a beachfront hotel on Tulum’s beach road built around wellness, music and community, with a beach club open to visitors. Pools and sunbeds are for hotel guests; visitors settle into sofas and bean bags facing the sea, with a food and drink minimum.
Go for A slow beach day among sofas and bean bags facing the sea
Best for A beach day for two on the beach road
Beach road, Tulum
Know before you go Minimum spend
Contemporary Mexican · Seafood
Tulum · Dinner
A wood-fire kitchen whose menu changes every day with Yucatán produce and the catch, for when the food is the plan.
Open-air kitchen on the Tulum beach road. Everything is cooked over open fire in a handmade wood-burning oven and grill, and the menu changes every day with what the sea and the Yucatán farms bring in.
Go for Regional Yucatán ingredients, grilled seafood, open-fire cooking
Best for When the cooking itself is the plan
Beach road, Tulum · Reservation recommended
Beach club · Clubs
Tulum · Late night
A beachfront casita hotel and beach club on Tulum’s beach road, known for its full moon parties on the sand.
A beachfront hotel of casitas on Tulum’s beach road, with a restaurant and beach club. Its electronic music nights on the sand follow a monthly calendar (The Full Moon, The New Moon, Starlight), with tickets, ages 18 and up.
Go for Beach parties on the sand under the full moon
Best for A night of dancing on the beach with friends
Beach road, Tulum · Reservation required
Italian
Tulum · Lunch · Dinner
Wood-fired pizza and handmade pasta in an open-air garden on Calle Centauro, for an easy Italian dinner in town.
An Italian trattoria in Tulum town with a wood-fired oven, handmade pasta and seafood plates, served in an open-air garden lit by a fire at night.
Go for Wood-fired pizza and handmade pasta
Best for An Italian dinner in an open-air garden
Tulum town, Tulum
Seafood · Mexican
Tulum · Lunch · Dinner
Sinaloa-style seafood in Tulum town, with aguachiles, oysters and micheladas on a leafy patio, for a lively evening meal.
A seafood restaurant in Tulum town since 2010, cooking in the Sinaloa style: aguachiles, ceviches, oysters and mar y tierra tostadas. The leafy patio, the music and the margaritas or micheladas make it an easy pick for a social dinner.
Go for Sinaloa-style aguachiles, oysters and micheladas
Best for A lively seafood dinner with drinks
Tulum town, Tulum
Seafood
Tulum · Lunch · Dinner
The open-air seafood restaurant of Nômade, on the sand of the beach road, with the catch of the day from local fishermen.
La Popular is the beachfront restaurant of Nômade Tulum: Caribbean fish and seafood from local, sustainable fishing, delivered by fishermen from coastal villages and served at open-air tables by the sea. Open to visitors, walk in or book.
Go for The catch of the day from local fishermen, at tables on the sand
Best for A seafood lunch or dinner by the sea
Beach road, Tulum · Reservation recommended
Vegetarian / Healthy · Breakfast & Brunch
Tulum · Breakfast
A tropical matcha bar for smoothies, açaí bowls and nice cream, all plant-based and gluten-free, with several spots in Tulum.
A matcha and healthy food bar with a tropical look, in Tulum since 2017: matcha, smoothies, açaí bowls, nice cream, cold-pressed juices and snacks. Everything is plant-based and gluten-free, and there are spots on the beach road, in town and in Aldea Zama.
Go for Matcha, smoothies and açaí bowls, all plant-based
Best for A light breakfast or an afternoon snack
Walk-in friendly
Breakfast & Brunch · Coffee
Tulum · Breakfast · Lunch
A specialty coffee and brunch café inside BACAB in La Veleta, with a Mediterranean touch and a lively morning crowd.
A café inside the BACAB hotel in La Veleta for specialty coffee and a healthy brunch with a Mediterranean touch: burrata toast, mushroom toast with egg, pancakes, açaí bowls and a cacao drink with chile. In the evening the space becomes Mera Sera.
Go for Specialty coffee and a brunch of burrata or mushroom toast
Best for A social brunch in La Veleta
La Veleta, Tulum
Asian / Japanese · Contemporary Mexican
Tulum · Dinner
Asian street food reworked with Yucatán ingredients, with a Bib Gourmand, for a lively and casual dinner in Tulum town.
Chef José Luis Hinostroza's Asian-Mexican kitchen in Tulum town, with dishes such as birria ramen and bao with pickled pear and cashew salsa macha. Music, cocktails and an intimate room painted with snakes set a relaxed evening mood.
Go for Birria ramen and pickled-pear bao
Best for A casual, lively dinner in town
Tulum town, Tulum
Mexican · Breakfast & Brunch
Tulum · Breakfast · Lunch
Mexican cooking with masa from its own nixtamal mill, for a relaxed meal from breakfast to dinner.
Café, bar and Mexican restaurant in Tulum town with its own nixtamal mill: masa made in house, serving from morning coffee to late dinner, with live music. Right in town and easy to reach on foot.
Go for Mexican, with masa from its own nixtamal mill
Best for Anyone who wants masa made from scratch · a relaxed meal from breakfast to dinner
Tulum town, Tulum · Reservation recommended
Contemporary Mexican · Vegetarian / Healthy
Tulum · Dinner
An à la carte jungle dinner where vegetables lead, with produce from a regenerative Yucatán farm, ideal when some at the table eat vegetarian.
A collective of chefs runs this jungle-garden restaurant on the Tulum beach road, cooking with produce from Mestiza de Indias, a regenerative farm in Yucatán. Vegetables lead both the vegetarian plates and the mains, and the menu is à la carte.
Go for Vegetable-led cooking from a regenerative Yucatán farm
Best for A table where some eat vegetarian
Beach road, Tulum
Bars / Drinks · Live music
Tulum · Dinner
A garden food-truck park with a playground and live music, where everyone in the family picks their own dinner.
A large garden in Tulum town with more than a dozen food trucks, a bar, a stage and a children's playground. Tuesdays bring live salsa with a dance class beforehand, and the monthly calendar adds cumbia nights and a small market.
Go for Food trucks and Tuesday salsa night
Best for A family evening with something for everyone
Tulum town, Tulum · Walk-in friendly
Coffee · Breakfast & Brunch
Tulum · Breakfast
Specialty coffee roasted in house, for your first coffee of the day in Tulum town.
Tacos · Mexican
Tulum · Breakfast · Lunch
A Yucatecan taquería for cochinita pibil and lechón tacos, ideal for an early breakfast before a day out.
A family-run Yucatecan taquería in Tulum town since 2003, known for slow-cooked cochinita pibil, lechón and poc chuc with handmade tortillas. It opens early and closes mid-afternoon, so morning is the time to go.
Go for Cochinita pibil and lechón tacos at breakfast
Best for An early Yucatecan breakfast in town
Tulum town, Tulum · Walk-in friendly
Vegetarian / Healthy · Breakfast & Brunch
Tulum · Breakfast · Lunch
The open-air vegetarian and vegan restaurant of Holistika, in the jungle of La Veleta, for a healthy breakfast among the trees.
Cultural spaces
Tulum
The beach road home of SFER IK, AZULIK’s art space, where you walk barefoot through contemporary art and biomorphic architecture.
Steak / Grill · Seafood
Cancún · Lunch · Dinner
A Hotel Zone steakhouse on the Nichupté Lagoon, with prime cuts and a raw bar for a dressed-up celebration dinner.
Harry's sits on the Nichupté Lagoon in the Hotel Zone, serving Kobe, USDA Prime and Australian Jack's Creek cuts alongside a raw bar. On Friday and Saturday nights, the piano bar adds live music after dinner.
Go for Prime steaks and the raw bar
Best for A celebration dinner facing the lagoon
Reservation recommended
Museums
Cancún
INAH's Maya museum in the Hotel Zone, with the San Miguelito ruins in the jungle next door, for a rainy morning.
The Museo Maya de Cancún, run by INAH, holds one of Mexico's major Maya collections, with pieces from Quintana Roo and other states. The visit continues outdoors at San Miguelito, a Late Postclassic site joined to the museum grounds.
Go for Maya collection, then the San Miguelito ruins
Best for A rainy morning in the Hotel Zone
Walk-in friendly
Mediterranean
Cancún · Dinner · Late night
A Greek restaurant on the Nichupté Lagoon in the Hotel Zone, for a lively dinner with friends that runs late.
Ilios brings dishes from across Greece, like roasted lamb, grilled octopus and spanakopita, to a dining room facing the Nichupté Lagoon, with sunset views. Some nights there is a Greek performance, so ask which days when you book.
Go for Grilled octopus, lamb and the Greek show
Best for A festive group dinner by the lagoon
Reservation recommended
Seafood · Mexican
Cancún · Lunch
A family seafood spot in Puerto Juárez since 1974, for a relaxed local lunch away from the Hotel Zone.
Kiosco Verde has served seafood from the local market in Puerto Juárez since 1974, now run by the founder's son, Octavio Santiago. The 2026 MICHELIN Guide Mexico recommends it for its pulpo zarandeado and blackboard specials.
Go for Pulpo zarandeado and lobster empanadas
Best for A long seafood lunch, local style
Walk-in friendly
Breakfast & Brunch · Vegetarian / Healthy
Cancún · Breakfast · Lunch
A homey vegetarian kitchen in downtown Cancún, for a slow Mexican breakfast with handmade tortillas and fresh salsas.
La Casa de las Mayoras is a vegetarian restaurant in downtown Cancún built around breakfast, with chilaquiles, quesadillas and tostadas on handmade tortillas, plus batidos with fruit, honey and chia. The 2026 MICHELIN Guide Mexico recommends it.
Go for Chilaquiles with handmade tortillas and batidos
Best for A homey vegetarian breakfast downtown
Walk-in friendly
Steak / Grill · Seafood
Cancún · Lunch · Dinner
An Argentine grill on the Nichupté Lagoon for USDA Prime cuts over charcoal, seafood and a long wine list.
An Argentine-style steakhouse in the Hotel Zone with views of the Nichupté Lagoon: rib eye, tomahawk and short ribs, USDA Prime over charcoal, plus Australian wagyu, fish, seafood and lobster, with a long wine list and cocktails.
Go for Argentine grill: USDA Prime cuts over charcoal
Best for A steak dinner by the lagoon
Museums · Adventure
Cancún
An underwater sculpture museum off Cancún, seen by snorkel, by scuba or from a glass-bottom boat, for a morning at sea.
Parks · Family activities
Puerto Morelos
A water park inside a family resort near Puerto Morelos, with slides for every age and a play zone for toddlers.
Cenotes · Family activities
Puerto Morelos
A jungle park with open and cave cenotes, jump platforms and a regional lunch, easy to enjoy at your own pace.
Adventure · Parks
Puerto Morelos
Ziplines and off-road adventure on the Cenote Route near Puerto Morelos, with circuits from age 3.
Boats & sailing
From $2,000 USD · 4 hrs
Community Concierge can arrange this.
Parks
From $2,750 MXN / person
Community Concierge can arrange this.
Adventure · Parks
From $2,900 MXN / person
Community Concierge can arrange this.
Adventure · Parks
From $2,550 MXN / person
Community Concierge can arrange this.
Parks · Family activities
From $1,400 MXN / person
Community Concierge can arrange this.
Parks
From $2,350 MXN / person
Community Concierge can arrange this.
Night experiences · Clubs
From $90 USD / person
Community Concierge can arrange this.
Night experiences
From $1,815 MXN / person
Community Concierge can arrange this.
Cultural spaces
From $1,600 MXN / person · min. 2
Community Concierge can arrange this.
Cultural spaces · Adventure
From $2,800 MXN / person · min. 4
Community Concierge can arrange this.
Cenotes
From $1,500 MXN / person · min. 4
Community Concierge can arrange this.
Cenotes
From $2,300 MXN / person · min. 4
Community Concierge can arrange this.
Cenotes
From $12,300 MXN · up to 10 guests
Community Concierge can arrange this.
Adventure
From $3,500 MXN / person · min. 4
Community Concierge can arrange this.
Adventure
From $2,000 MXN / person · min. 4
Community Concierge can arrange this.
Adventure
From $1,800 MXN / person · min. 4
Community Concierge can arrange this.
Tacos · Mexican
From $1,400 MXN / person · min. 4
Community Concierge can arrange this.
Mexican art & craft
Quoted on request
Community Concierge can arrange this.
Boats & sailing
From $2,900 USD · 4 hrs
Community Concierge can arrange this.
Boats & sailing
From $5,800 USD · 4 hrs
Community Concierge can arrange this.
Areas to explore
Community Concierge can arrange this.
Shopping · Areas to explore
Community Concierge can arrange this.
A private driver by the hour or for the full day: your own vehicle and driver waiting for you while you go from lunch to the beach, a shop and dinner, at your pace and with as many stops as you like.
Tell us what you have in mind and Lau and Fede suggest the right place.
Write to Lau and FedeCommunity Concierge Local Guide is an independent selection of places we recommend to help our guests discover the Riviera Maya and Cancún. Businesses featured in this guide are independently owned and operated, and their inclusion does not imply that Community Concierge owns, operates, represents or is affiliated with them unless expressly stated otherwise.
We do not guarantee third-party prices, hours, availability, services, policies or experiences, as these may change at any time. Please check the establishment’s official website for current information and make your own decision before visiting.
Community Concierge is not responsible for services, purchases or experiences arranged directly between guests and third-party establishments.
For experiences or services specifically offered through Book with CC, our own booking terms and conditions apply.
Restaurants in Playa del Carmen, Tulum, Cancún and around, with a private driver for the evening.
View →Beach clubs in Tulum and Playa del Carmen, plus day passes along the coast.
View →El Camaleón, Gran Coyote and PGA Riviera Maya, with your tee time booked.
View →
Private round-trip transportation to Tulum town and about two hours of free time for local crafts, boutiques, cafés and ice cream.
View →
A free-time outing in the marina town: the promenade, the canals, cafés, restaurants and beach clubs at your pace, with an optional golf cart.
View →Each place takes its own reservations. When your day has more than one stop, we arrange a private driver by the hour or for the full day: your own vehicle and driver, waiting for you between plans.
Tell us the day and the plans you have in mind, and we arrange a private driver by the hour or for the full day for your group. Here you have Lau and Fede.