Date of publication 09/08/2017
@woman_word How I succeeded on Instagram with my vacation in Riviera Maya
Take photos, post them, and succeed while still having fun.
Beyond its idyllic beaches, Riviera Maya is a destination where culture and leisure blend effortlessly — that’s why I wanted my trip to begin in Valladolid. Arriving in this small town feels like pressing pause on time, taking you back to a colonial Mexico of colorful haciendas and limestone façades built from ancient Mayan quarries. A cradle of revolutions, the iron gates of its central park remind visitors of the Caste War and the long-standing social divide. Further on, the battlements atop the Franciscan church of San Gervasio evoke an era of devotion to the crown of Castile. Strolling through its narrow streets, the low houses awaken the memory of the place where the first sparks of the Mexican Revolution were born.
You’ll capture the perfect shot dancing to the rhythm of a ranchera, stepping over the yellow crosswalks while shooting in motion to freeze the heartbeat of history.
Isla Mujeres
Whether you sail through its waters watching sea turtles glide on both sides of the boat, or dive among its coral reefs, the experience is as delightful as crossing its harbor crowned with a pink ribbon and strolling through its colorful streets filled with souvenir shops. Lose yourself in this fishing village, home to locals and workers who commute daily to the mainland. Grab an ice cream and sit on the boardwalk to enjoy it. Salsa music drifts from the small houses lining the promenade, and just like the rhythms, priorities shift on this island devoted to the sea — one that welcomes every visitor and makes them feel at home. Seek the sublime blue, turn your back to the world, and hold on to that instant of peace you’ll always be able to return to.
Hashtag: #Welivetoexplore
Playa del Carmen
It’s time to stay at a resort in Playa del Carmen, tighten your swimsuit, show off all those hours at the gym, and hold yourself mid-air as you jump beneath the Portal Maya—a world-famous symbol you’ll find at Parque Fundadores—until the camera clicks. Then, take a stroll through the most charismatic seaside town in Quintana Roo, where you’ll come across stunning landmarks like the Church of Our Lady of Carmen, the first of its kind in the Caribbean. It’s a place so special that its perfect photo only asks for one thing: a smile that radiates pure happiness and spreads it to your followers.
Playa del Carmen
There’s no better place for an afternoon of shopping, karaoke, and tequila in all of Riviera Maya than strolling down Fifth Avenue in Playa del Carmen. Live music, churros, merengue, bars with wooden swing seats, traces of Mayan-inspired architecture, colorful letters marking the spot, and four pedestrian kilometers starting from Avenida Juárez and running parallel to the coast. The perfect photo? Blending in with the murals or posing beside the paintings sold in the pop-up galleries.
Akumal
The beach of Akumal welcomes visitors with small stalls renting masks, snorkels, and life vests. Beyond them, between brightly painted wooden boats and palm trees offering shade from the Caribbean sun and rain, the calm sea stretches out. Step by step, you leave the shore behind and swim toward the point where the water shifts its color; there, as the depth reveals itself, the corals, stingrays, and sea turtles carry on with their graceful routine. Watching them swim, rise to the surface for air, and dive back down to nibble on seagrass or play with the sand is one of the most magical sights you can witness — a privileged guest at a sublime underwater performance. Surrounded by emerald waters, enjoy the moment as a quiet observer, and when you emerge, hop onto one of the wooden boats and smile wide with the horizon perfectly framed behind you. The colors here need no retouching. Hashtag: #Nofilter
Chichén Itzá
For a true Indiana Jones–style adventure, wander along jungle paths echoing with the sounds of jaguars, explore the offering platforms, glimpse the sky from the Caracol observatory, stand before the ancient gateways to the underworld beneath the gaze of Venus, and climb to the cenote that gave its name to this sacred place once visited by the gods at every solstice — “At the mouth of the well of the water sorcerers.” Then, dare to imagine yourself in the sacred ball game, where victory once meant sacrifice.
Sit beneath the most perfect calendar in the world, at the foot of the pyramid, surrounded by the lush green of the jungle where the Mayans lived in harmony with nature and the mystical power of jade. Play with light, contrasts, and textures to capture a photo that will immortalize the magic of standing before one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. Hashtag: #Wanderlust
Cancún
The ancient Mayans believed the gateway to their realm lay in the port of Cancún. This urban paradise—natural, cosmopolitan, and diverse—was recognized as “The Best of the Best” by the World Tourism Organization. Today, it stands as the beating hotel heart of the Riviera Maya, in Quintana Roo, and the most populated city in the state. Among its lively streets, you’ll find everything from bars, cantinas, and local restaurants serving traditional comida corrida at local prices to shopping centers like Mercado 23, and even an underwater museum featuring 500 sculptures adorning the seabed since 2009.
If you want to post a photo that stands out from typical Cancún shots, head to the Yamil Lu’um archaeological ruins and frame a scene that fuses its 12th-century walls, the turquoise sea, and the white sand that places you unmistakably in the Caribbean. Put on a wide-brimmed hat to shield yourself from the sun and pose as if inspired by the ancient history surrounding you—add a thoughtful caption and wait for the likes to roll in.
Cenote Ik Kil
A natural spring hidden in the heart of the jungle, this sacred site was chosen by the Mayans for centuries as both home and refuge from the tropical heat. Today, it remains a source of life and renewal. Between vines hanging from the cave’s mouth, stone steps descend slowly toward the center of the freshwater sinkhole. The depth of the cenote transforms the color of its waters into a reflection of the earth’s core, the sky above, and the lush greenery surrounding it.
At Ik-Kil, the power of the environment feels almost mystical. Find your perfect shot from one of the balconies overlooking the circular shape of life itself, hold onto the wooden stairs that lead you into the cool waters, or move through the wild, untamed vegetation toward the high platforms from which you can dive, holding your breath as you descend.
Star Tip: If you want to impress your followers, record your jump in rewind.
Contoy
Close your eyes and imagine a hidden island once crossed by ancient Mayans, the beginning of the coral barrier, surrounded by white-sand beaches, turquoise waters, starfish, colorful fish, and sea turtles; by towering palm trees, black frigate birds soaring overhead, iguanas, crocodiles, mangroves, lagoons, and hermit crabs the size of fists. Open your eyes — you’ve arrived in Contoy, a natural reserve so pure that sunscreen, smoking, and insect repellent are forbidden; a place where nothing is left behind and nothing is taken away. A paradise fighting to remain untouched — and the perfect photo, walking barefoot among shades of blue and fallen coconuts, free, one with everything, listening to the silence. Close your eyes and press the shutter. Hashtag: #paradise
Tulum
The Caribbean Sea shines in shades of larimar beneath the sun’s rays in this pre-Columbian archaeological park, which stands as one of the last great cities of the Mayan civilization. A land of wetlands protected by wild iguanas, it preserves within its original walls what were once the university, the museum, the library, and several sacred temples reserved for the upper class.
Stroll along the grassy paths that wind through its monuments and feel history come alive around you. Find the sacred ceiba tree and, beneath its shade—with the remnants of a vanished society behind you—let your adventurous spirit take over and capture a photo worthy of a magazine cover.
