Things To Do in Riviera Maya

Kitsch local art decorates the walls of this hip, open-air bar on 5th Avenue. The owner, Saul, is a famous Mexican rock singer with plenty of friends in the business, so the music line-up here is always worth paying attention to. This is a good place to eat, too, with the European-style kebabs and pasta dishes all a notch above the usual bar fare.

This massive foodie celebration serves up all sorts of treats, with restaurants up and down the coast laying on special menus and discounts for the last week of September each year. Then there are wine-tasting seminars, cocktail-mixology sessions and demos from celebrity chefs. It’s an easy, affordable way to learn more about the tastes of Ibero-America.

When it comes to tourist-pleasing international restaurants, Riviera Maya doesn’t come up short. But while you’re here you might want to try some authentic Yucatán food. Dishes to look out for include poc chuc – chargrilled pork marinated in sour orange and Mayan spices – and lima sopa, which is a traditional chicken soup.

Visitors young and old love this spider-monkey sanctuary in Quintana Roo, just south of Akumal. Owners Heidi and Joel began rescuing monkeys in 1999 and are totally passionate about what they do. As for the monkeys, they’re a very friendly bunch so expect to get lots of hugs and hair-combing when they wander past. You’ll need to email early to reserve your place – it's so popular, tours get booked out months ahead.

It's easy to find the party in Playa del Carmen – just head straight for Fifth Avenue. Make time to watch the street entertainers – you'll see everything from belly dancers to stilt walkers – then take your pick of the sports pubs, live music venues and al fresco cocktail bars. Everything shuts down around midnight, which is when the crowd moves on to the beachfront clubs.

Xcaret is a whopper of an eco park. To start with, the staff will sort you out with snorkelling gear so you can explore the underground caves and passageways. Afterwards, you’ve got over 40 attractions to get in – like the coral reef aquarium and tropical jungle trail. And if you stick around for the evening, you’ll get an all-singing, all-dancing traditional Mexican show.

George Benson, Kool and the Gang and Al Jarreau have all played this annual jazz fest in Playa del Carmen. It’s been going for a decade now and is considered one of the world’s top 10 jazz shows. Gigs are played out over three nights at Mamita’s Beach Club in the North Beach area – and they’re all free.

You'll find Akumal less than an hour's drive from Playa Del Carmen. Here, you can swim with turtles in their natural habitat. If you want to watch them feeding – and avoid the crowds – turn up early between sunrise and 8.30am. You can rent snorkelling gear at the beach and, if you’re lucky, you’ll also see rays and barracuda.

Wherever you go round here, you’ll find street stalls selling colourful textiles, folk art and jewellery. It’s perfectly acceptable to haggle – it’s practically a national pastime. If you’re missing the big retail shops, though, head to the Paseo del Carmen mall in Playa del Carmen, where the likes of Diesel and American Apparel will give your wallet a good airing.

The Riviera Maya is a bit of a culinary hotspot, and the local restaurants are definitely worth seeking out. Some even specialise in traditional Mayan cooking, serving up dishes made from tender pork, black beans and corn. You can also try more modern Mexican specialities, like ceviche – that's fish 'cooked' in lime juice.

The freshwater cenotes aren't just about swimming – you can dive in them, too. Under the water you've got limestone caves packed with stalactites and stalagmites. The visibility down here is so good – it reaches around 45 metres – that divers compare the experience to space travel. If you'd rather see more in the way of marine life, you can dive the reef to see turtles, squid and barracuda.