Mexico

My Mexico is Cancún, five days that mixed beach time with a lot of adventure. It works well if you want an easy, mostly all-inclusive trip but still want to see something beyond the hotel pool.

We stayed at Emporio Cancun in the Hotel Zone and built the days around it: one day just settling in by the water, one at Chichen Itza, one at Xplor Park for ziplines and underground rivers, and one taking the ferry to Isla Mujeres before a night at Coco Bongo. That rhythm of one big outing, then a slower day, kept it fun instead of exhausting.

For weather, December to April is the dry, mild stretch. My tip: treat Chichen Itza as a full day and leave early. It's a long way from Cancún, and the site is much nicer before the midday heat.