Mandala Beach Club

Golf carts outnumber cars on this car-free island fifteen minutes by ferry from Cancun, and Zama pours margaritas for a place that has resisted every pressure to become its noisier neighbor.

Swings hanging in the sand at Buho’s are a great idea right up until a few cervezas complicate the physics involved. Sand floors inside the palapa mean you never really leave the beach even when you are hiding from the Mexican sun.

Mamita’s is the actual social center of Playa del Carmen’s beach scene, DJs and fresh ceviche with turquoise water close enough to touch from the lounge chairs.

The daytime beach version of one of Mexico’s most famous nightlife brands somehow makes the case that Coco Bongo works just as well in sunlight as it does under the lights.

A cold daiquiri named for the man himself tastes appropriately right with the Caribbean turquoise laid out in front of you, Hemingway’s connection to fishing and drinking in these waters was never subtle.