Cancun, best-known for its white sand beaches, near-perfect weather, and bright blue waters, is the Acapulco of Mexico's Gulf Coast. There is downtown Cancun and the hotel-zone at the beach, situated on a peninsula, which is approximately 20 km long and 400 m wide. Upon arrival at the Hotel Zone in Cancun, we checked in at the Meridien hotel right next to the white sand beach. North of Cancun is Isla Mujeres, a small beautiful island located a short ferry ride from Cancun, where we rented a golf cart and go around the Caribbean-colored clapboard houses and rustic, open-air restaurants. We then moved to Playa del Carmen, contrary to Cancun, does not have any high-rise hotels and virtually no all-inclusive resorts (that's also why we like it). Playa del Carmen is full of small bars, restaurants, hotels and shops at the Fifth Avenue (Quinta Avenida), here we found a large variety of local and international cuisine offered in the many restaurants. We really enjoyed our trip to the amazing eco-park Xcaret, which is about 10 minutes from Playa. We spent an entire day, swimming the underground river, touring the butterfly pavilion, aquarium, Mayan Village, Jaguar Island, and enjoyed the Night Show.  
 
The next day, we visited Chichen Itza, believed to be 1500 years old, located 200 km west of Cancun. Although quite a long ride from Playa, but highly recommended. As the most famous of the Mayan pyramids on the Yucatan peninsula, Chichen Itza has been studied extensively and is the most popular Mayan ruin in Mexico. The El Castillo is the main pyramid at Chichen Itza, the site is divided into three sections. The North grouping of structures is distinctly Toltec in style. The central group appears to be from the early period. The southern group is known as "The Old Chichen." This Mayan city of Chichen Itza was chosen as one of the “Seven New Wonders of the World” and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. There were seven courts for playing the Mesoamerican ballgame in Chichén, but the Great Ball Court is the largest ball court in ancient Mesoamerica, measures 166 by 68 meters.