As I left Puerto Morelos I couldn't stop remembering this one's very dear place to me... Playa del Carmen, it was a destination that I used to frequent quite a bit when I was in college due to the fact that one of my friends had a residence there. Back then it was a smaller city and it was known for a more International tourism rather than American as it was Cancun. It still retains some of that charm but the city has grown at least three to four times its size in the last 10 years, that might be good for some people that look for a more robust infrastructure. I happen to like several places in the city and several hidden spots that only locals know about such as Punta Esmeralda, with some of the best sunsets in the city, but of course you have the resort style type of beaches like Mamitas beach where you can pamper yourself in all sorts of ways.
My next destination was Akumal, long known for its turtles, it is a great place to see a wider range of aquatic life. The Riviera is across the 2nd biggest coral reef in the world but due too over tourism it has suffered as the rest of this magical area. To see the turtles now you are required to have a guide then we'll take you swimming to certain places where you are allowed to see them. That comes with a small cost and we can understand that it provides not only safety for the turtles but employment for the people, on the other hand you're not free to swim anywhere and experience turtle viewing by yourself. It might not be ideal for many of us but if we want to preserve this for years to come this might be one way to delay help these beautiful animals. Then you can still access beautiful beaches with white sands where you can spend a long time either getting the perfect sun tan or doing many of the activities that you might prefer in the process of absorbing vitamin D from the sun.