Tulum’s spectacular coastline — with all its confectioner-sugar sands, cobalt water and balmy breezes — makes it one of the top beaches in Mexico. Where else can you get all that and a dramatically situated Maya ruin? There’s also excellent cave and cavern diving, fun cenotes and a variety of lodgings and restaurants to fit every budget. Some may be put off by the fact that the town center, where the really cheap eats and sleeps are found, sits right on the highway, making the main drag feel more like a truck stop than a tropical paradise. But rest assured that if Tulum Pueblo isn’t to your liking, you can always head to the coast and find that tranquil, beachside bungalow, though it’s gonna cost you. Exploring Tulum’s surrounding areas pays big rewards: there’s the massive Reserva de la Biosfera Sian Ka’an, secluded fishing village Punta Allen and the ruins of Cobá.