An hour's drive south of Cancun on the Yucatán Peninsula, Playa del Carmen is the gateway to miles of soft white beaches, popular snorkeling and scuba diving sites, and the famous Mayan ruins of Tulum. It's grown exponentially in the past decade, with the sprouting up of numerous all-inclusive resort complexes along the beachfront. A more exclusive alternative is the relatively new Mayakoba development, a 600-acre complex first unveiled in 2006 that's home to top-tier luxury-resort

An hour's drive south of Cancun on the Yucatán Peninsula, Playa del Carmen is the gateway to miles of soft white beaches, popular snorkeling and scuba diving sites, and the famous Mayan ruins of Tulum. It's grown exponentially in the past decade, with the sprouting up of numerous all-inclusive resort complexes along the beachfront. A more exclusive alternative is the relatively new Mayakoba development, a 600-acre complex first unveiled in 2006 that's home to top-tier luxury-resort brands like Mandarin Oriental, Rosewood, and Banyan Tree. But the first resort to welcome guests here was the Fairmont Mayakoba, and it continues to set the bar high.

Electric boats called lanchitas escort guests on a series of canals à la Venice to the beach, spa, and restaurants. Ninety low-lying casitas sprinkled throughout the lush grounds contain all of its 401 rooms. A marble-tiled bathroom, with separate sunken tub and walk-in shower, and spacious balconies are a few of the standard features.

Bordering the resort, snaking along the coast and inland through the rainforest-like interior, is the Greg-Norman designed golf course, El Camaleón. The par-72 course, including two seaside holes, is home to the PGA Tour in Mexico. After playing a morning round, hit the Fairmont's five pools, including an adults-only infinity pool and a children's pool with fun waterslides. Tennis, sea kayaking, and sailing are also available. In the cooler hours of the day, when the sun is rising or setting, partake in everyone's favorite activity: A quiet stroll along the beach where you can watch the breeze gently sift through the royal palms.

By all means, head off property and experience the sites and culture of the Yucatán. Children will have fun at Xel-Ha, a series of calm, shallow lagoons where you can safely teach them to snorkel. Farther south are the ruins of Tulum. Sixty ancient buildings, dating somewhere between 700 and 1000 A.D., are perched on a cliff directly above a palm-fringed beach.

Head into the town of Playa del Carmen to bargain with shop owners over the price of an embroidered dress, rug, hammock, or quartz sculpture. Then grab dinner at one of the seafood restaurants and dine on langosta (lobster), fresh red snapper, pollo pibil (chicken cooked in banana leaves), or poc chuc (spicy pork with onions and tomatoes), washed down with a cool Mexican beer.

If you prefer to dine by the beach, head back to the Fairmont and book a table at Las Brisas. Its signature appetizer, the sashimi trio, will whet your appetite for more treats. Fresh Pacific yellowfin tuna is prepared three ways—with a lemon twist, topped with foie gras, and served with marinated peppers. As the sun sets and you stare out at sea, you'll find it hard to think of a better place to spend the evening—indeed, your entire vacation.