Things to do
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Playa Delfines
The last wide stretch of open sand in the hotel zone, with no hotel wall behind it: just a dune, a car park and the giant painted letters spelling the town's name. Waves break hard here and the undertow is real, so watch the flags. A viewpoint on the road above looks down the whole coast. El Rey stands opposite.
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Arrecife de Puerto Morelos
South of the airport, a fishing village sits behind a barrier reef that runs a few hundred metres offshore, close enough for small launches to reach in minutes. Snorkellers float over elkhorn coral, rays and schools of grunts in shallow water. Local boats run the trips from the village. A lighthouse left leaning by a hurricane marks the village pier.
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El Rey Archaeological Zone
Across the road from the beach, a low Maya settlement of platforms, a small pyramid and two plazas along a short ceremonial street, occupied late by fishers and traders on the lagoon shore. Iguanas bask in dozens on the stonework and barely move. Half an hour covers it, with almost no shade, which argues for early or late. The name came from a burial found here.
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Mercado 28
Downtown, a short bus ride inland from the hotel strip, a horseshoe of stalls sells hammocks, embroidered blouses, silver and painted clay skulls, with a ring of small kitchens serving Yucatecan plates around the central courtyard. Bargaining is expected and opening offers run high. The R2 bus from the hotel zone stops nearby, and the Parque de las Palapas is a short walk away.
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Museo Maya
Three exhibition halls hold several hundred pieces from sites across the peninsula: carved stone, painted ceramics and burial finds from the Quintana Roo coast. The same ticket opens San Miguelito, a Maya settlement in the forest behind, reached on a shaded path past platforms and a low pyramid. Closed on Mondays.
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Presidente InterContinental
Low-rise by hotel-zone standards, the resort faces Bahía de Mujeres on the north-facing arm of the strip, where the water is usually flat and shallow enough for small children and paddleboards. Rooms look over the bay or back across the lagoon. Downtown and the Puerto Juárez ferries are a short taxi ride away, and the hotel-zone buses stop at the gate.
