Travel Guide

Mexico's best beach nightlife: Cancun's Hotel Zone for mega-clubs, Playa del Carmen's Calle 12 for bar-hopping, Puerto Vallarta for LGBTQ+ nights, Cabo's marina strip. Tulum now closes at 1:30am.

Mexico's beach food splits by coast: Ensenada fish tacos, Mazatlan tacos gobernador, Nayarit pescado zarandeado, Campeche pan de cazon, Yucatan panuchos and marquesitas.

Yelapa, Maruata, Chacahua, Xcalak, El Requeson, Barra de Potosi and Punta Perula are Mexico's genuinely quiet beaches. Balandra and Marietas' Hidden Beach now cap visitors.

Zicatela is expert-only; La Punta, Sayulita, Troncones and Los Cerritos are the beginner waves. Barra de la Cruz and Scorpion Bay reward the drive. Seasons decide everything.

Cabo Pulmo, Bahia de Loreto, San Ignacio Lagoon, Holbox, Punta Allen, El Cuyo and Mazunte are Mexico's genuinely protected beach bases. Tulum's eco-branded hotel zone is not one.

Tulum, Punta Sur, Campeche, Veracruz, Quiahuiztlan, Mazatlan and Acapulco are the Mexican beaches with real history beside them — and only some are worth swimming at.

Mexico all-inclusive resorts cover meals, house drinks and non-motorised watersports. Transfers, premium spirits, spa, the Quintana Roo Visitax and tips are not included.

The best beaches from Cancun to Tulum, north to south: Playa Delfines, Puerto Morelos, Maroma, Punta Esmeralda, Xpu-Ha, Akumal, Xcacel and Tulum’s free Parque del Jaguar beaches.

The Caribbean's most secluded beaches are the ones no road reaches: Colombier, Happy Bay, Jack Bay, Batibou, Playa Fronton, Playa Tortuga and Barbuda's 17-Mile Beach.

Solo travel in the Caribbean works best on Puerto Rico, Barbados, Curacao, Aruba, the USVI and Cayman — walkable, bus-linked, Level 1 advisories. The real cost is the single supplement.

Tropical golden hour runs 30-45 minutes, not an hour. Shoot Eagle Beach, Grote Knip, The Baths, Pink Sands and Trunk Bay at dawn — and check drone rules island by island.

The Caribbean's best beach hikes: Dominica's 115-mile Waitukubuli Trail, St. John's Reef Bay and Ram Head, Martinique's Trace des Caps and Middle Caicos' Crossing Place Trail.

The best Caribbean markets: Castries (St Lucia), Marigot (St Martin), St George’s spice market (Grenada) and Willemstad’s Floating Market. Go before 9am, bring cash, skip conch and coral.

Packing for the Caribbean: reef-safe sunscreen (required in the USVI, Bonaire and Aruba), no camouflage clothing, a universal plug adapter for 110V-240V, and DEET repellent.

The Caribbean beaches that actually face the sunset: Seven Mile Beach (Grand Cayman), Eagle Beach (Aruba), Negril’s West End, Ffryes, Playa Kalki, Sugar Beach and Paynes Bay.

The Caribbean beach bars worth the trip: Soggy Dollar on Jost Van Dyke, Floyd's Pelican Bar off Jamaica, Sunshine's on Nevis, Nippers, Sunset Bar and Foxy's. Bring cash.

Four Caribbean ferry chains work without a plane: the Virgin Islands from $25, Guadeloupe to St. Lucia on L’Express des Îles, the Grenadines, and St. Maarten to Anguilla in 20 minutes.

Caribbean wellness retreats ranked: BodyHoliday St. Lucia includes a daily treatment, COMO Parrot Cay and Six Senses La Sagesse run the deepest programmes, Sivananda Bahamas is the budget pick.