Many Endless Vacation Rentals resorts in Mexico include everything you need for a week or more of family fun: water slides, swimming pools, tennis and basketball courts, restaurants-even access to sailboats, sailboards, scuba and snorkeling equipment. This is especially true along Mexico's Gulf Coast, where the sandy beaches are perfectly white and the warm, clear ocean waters are impossible to ignore.

Cancun sits where the Gulf Coast ends and the Caribbean Sea begins. Revered for its combination of easy access, American-style environment, grand accommodations and, let's not forget, those bleach-white fantasy beaches, Cancun has become Mexico's No. 1 tourist destination. Here you can spend your days reeling in a trophy fish, exploring a spectacular ocean reef or mangrove estuary, or examining the backs of your eyelids as you sit poolside with a frozen drink.

Farther up the Gulf Coast, Veracruz offers the opportunity to explore Mexico's rich history-and exhilarating river rapids. Here the water moves swiftly, but the pace of life goes a little slower, even by Mexico standards, allowing you time to enjoy all this "door to Mexico" has to offer. Just a bit inland, Colonial Puebla provides a must-see historical district and serves as the ultimate destination for authentic Mexican cuisine.

Other popular Gulf destinations include Merida's nightlife, the famous ruins of Chichen Itza and the flamingo sanctuaries at Celestun and Rio Lagartos.

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Eat...

La Dolce Vita (Cancun). Of the more than 350 restaurants in Cancun, this one ranks as one of the best-and most popular. Enjoy a variety of pastas with fresh seafood.

Set sail on a dinner cruise (Cancun). Cruising options include family-style dinners with a show, and more romantic excursions where lobster and wine highlight the menu.

Enjoy fish Veracruz style. Pescado a la Veracruzana is a famous fish dish-often Gulf snapper-with a zesty sauce that includes tomatoes, onions, garlic, capers, olives and chiles.

Play...

Scuba dive Cancun's shallow reefs. Divers here can explore the northern tip of the largest reef in the Western Hemisphere, which offers a dazzling display of colorful marine life. Several sunken ships also await divers' discovery.

Go white water rafting (Xalapa). Outfitters offer river rafting on three rivers north of Veracruz. No experience is necessary, just the desire to ride the rapids.

Explore...

Cancun's always-public beaches. Although hotels seem to gobble up every stretch of Cancun coastline, no beach is private, meaning you can wander to your heart's content, regardless of which resort you call home.

Mexico's highest volcano. The towering Pico de Orizaba, or Citlaltepetl, reaches more than 18,000 feet above sea level and is just a short drive from Veracruz.

El Acuario (Veracruz City). Latin America's largest aquarium surrounds visitors with 15 saltwater and 9 freshwater tanks so that they feel as though they are underwater themselves.

Shop...

Cancun's duty free shops. Purchase European goods at prices that can't be matched stateside. Several mall-style shopping venues can be found throughout the city.

Talavera earthenware (Puebla). This unique hand-painted pottery was developed by the Moors and perfected in the Spain town of Talavera. Although no longer practiced in Spain, the Talavera method is practiced in many shops in the Colonial town of Puebla. See it being made at Uriarte Internacional.

This is provided for informational purposes only. Endless Vacation Rentals does not endorse any of the resort activities, guides, vendors or service providers described. It is the individual’s responsibility to investigate the safety and suitability of any activity, and the credentials and fitness of any guide, vendor or service provider. Endless Vacation Rentals expressly denies any liability for engaging in any activity, and for using any guide, vendor or services provider, that may be mentioned or described in any Endless Vacation Rentals advertisement or publication. Additional fees and restrictions may apply to any activity or service.