Take me to the Riviera: Attitude visits Mexico, from Cancun to Tulum
From adrenalin-fuelled play parks to natural wonders, Cancun’s Riviera Maya, on the Yucatán Peninsula, is much more than a party playground, as Attitude's Dale Fox discovers on Virgin Atlantic's return to Mexico
By Dale Fox
I’m heading to Mexico to mark Virgin Atlantic’s return to Cancun, as the airline’s direct flights from Heathrow open up the quieter side of the Riviera Maya on Mexico’s northeastern Yucatán Peninsula once again. The flight is an Upper Class treat – not my usual reality – and stepping out of an Uber into the dedicated wing at Terminal 3 takes the sting out of the early start. Soon, I’m in the Clubhouse with a freshly cooked breakfast and a tequila cocktail in front of me – which I justify as journalistic research, even if it’s barely past sunrise.
When the plane doors open in Cancun, the first thing that hits me is the warm, sweet air that envelops my group and me as we head for the car. Cancun’s reputation as a party playground sits at the back of my mind, but the route south quickly reshapes things. The Riviera Maya runs roughly 80 miles towards Tulum, a corridor of jungle and low-rise towns and resorts that feel closer to the Caribbean Sea than to any club strip.
The Fives Beach in Playa del Carmen, Mexico
My first base is Essence at The Fives Beach in Playa del Carmen, a five-star, all-inclusive resort within a wider complex. It sits just off a white sandy beach, and is surrounded by mangroves and tropical gardens. Within the resort is Casa de Rosa, a recreated family home filled with colour, traditional decoration and the kind of warmth you only find in a real kitchen.
The next morning, we head south to Akumal Bay. The shallow bay is known for its sea grass beds where turtles like to graze. Before long, we spot them – rounded shapes drifting over the seabed. Every so often, a turtle rises for air, then glides back down again, entirely unbothered by the humans floating nearby.
From the coast, we head inland to a cenote. The cenote we visit is semi-enclosed, its cave roof punctured by openings where light pours in. The water is clear and still, and once I ease myself in, the temperature strips away any trace of coastal heat. I swim through shafts of light, past hanging roots and folds of rock, while bats sweep overhead.
Xplor adventure park in Riviera Maya, Mexico
The next day is spent at Xplor adventure park. I’m nervous about heights, but once I’m clipped in and stepping off the first platform, apprehension turns into exhilaration. The lines shoot over the jungle, dip through caverns and finish with splash landings that leave you drenched.
I switch bases to the TRS Yucatan Hotel, an adults-only, all-inclusive resort. One morning, as I eat breakfast on the terrace, a cheeky coati appears from the foliage and inches closer, eyeing my fruit. It’s so sweet and so unfazed by my presence that I briefly wish it would stay, but it vanishes the second my breakfast does.
Lonchería La Esquina in Tulum, Mexico
From TRS, I take a colectivo (a low-cost shared taxi you catch from the street) to Tulum. Step away from the main road and the entire vibe shifts. Inside Lonchería La Esquina, locals fill the tables to catch up over cheap, home-made food. We order quesadillas and ice-cold glass bottles of Mexican Coke, and watch the rhythm of the day unfold.
Back at TRS that evening, we gather by a bonfire on the beach as the spa manager leads a gentle breathing exercise under the stars. I don’t normally go in for these kinds of things, but it’s genuinely calming as waves hiss against the rocks below, and the most beautiful way to draw my journey to a close.
On my final morning, I walk around the resort one last time. It feels like a more rounded picture of this part of Mexico than the one I arrived with, and that, more than anything, is what I take home.
Virgin Atlantic is taking bookings for its Heathrow to Cancun route for 2026 now. See the Virgin Atlantic holidays in Mexico page to book.
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