Selina Tulum

Have ancient Mayan ruins ever looked this good? Up on a clifftop overlooking the turquoise ocean, the remains at Tulum (20 minutes’ drive) seem to have been put there just for the excellent photo opportunities. Go for the views (and make sure you've got plenty of camera/phone space for pics), but stay for its intriguing insights into the Mayan civilisation. With the Caribbean right in front of your pad, it's safe to suggest you probably won't be content just to look at it… Reef snorkelling, canoeing, scuba diving and paddleboarding – whatever watersports you’re into, there’s a tour that’ll take you out from Tulum (town centre 15 minutes’ drive away). For an underwater experience that's pretty much unique to this area, go with a guide to explore one of the local cenotes: natural freshwater swimming holes surrounded by lush forests with submerged cave systems. Gran Cenote (20 minutes away by car) is a good choice for swims and snorkelling; local dive centres can sort out deeper explores for intrepid scuba sorts.