Continued: ALONG THE RIVIERA MAYA

The Riviera Maya starts in Puerto Morelos, one of the coast's last genuine fishing villages, 12 miles south of the airport. The beach here is not as impressive as those deeper into the region -- the salt-and-pepper shoreline doesn't glisten quite as brightly, and less-than translucent seas have a blanket of turtle grass underfoot.

But there are advantages to being based in Puerto Morelos. Your airport transfer is barely 20 minutes, and the proximity to Cancún makes an evening out on the town a realistic option. Nightlife in laid-back Puerto Morelos may be a tad scruffy, but it's fun for an evening or two. Better still, the barrier reef -- the world's second-longest -- lies less than a mile offshore and it's a designated marine reserve along this section of Riviera Maya. The beaches are quiet and uncrowded.

Where to stay: The 496-room Paradisus Riviera Cancún is an all-suite, all-inclusive resort that lines the most favorable stretch of beachfront just north of Puerto Morelos. Amenities include 24-hour room service, a pillow menu and AAA four-diamond restaurant, plus an adults-only wing heralding butler service. * Doubles are priced from $350 all-inclusive ($478 high season); 1-888-741-5600; paradisus.com.
Luxe landings

Eighteen miles south of the Cancún airport begins Riviera Maya's gold coast. Ask locals where their favorite beach sits and watch their eyes go dreamy as they slowly mouth, "Maroma."

Virtually untouched by developers until recently, Maroma is where talcum-soft sand and tranquil waters meet to comprise what is arguably the region's finest beach, first inhabited by the classy Maroma hotel, a Mayan-Moorish honeymoon oasis. There's no town here: The jungle behind the beach is thick and daunting, while the sand is the color of alabaster.

Just south is Mayakoba, a 593-acre development shared by three hotels hugging a milelong stretch of coast. Most of the rooms and facilities are situated half a mile inland to accommodate an undeveloped mangrove lagoon that sits just behind the beach dune, leaving Mayakoba feeling like it's on the edge of encroaching jungle, with cormorants and egrets fishing and preening in the morning sun. A 7,000-yard Greg Norman golf course borders the property.

Continued on Next Submission