Sink to the depths and try sea-trekking at Xcaret Xcaret, near Playa del Carmen, or meet some flamingos that are far from plastic in the beautiful Rio Lagartos game reserve. Remember, there's a lot of life beyond the beach.
"So," I said in some disbelief, "if I put this bubble on my head, I'll be able to walk around on the bottom of the ocean, breathing normally?"
"Si, senora."
"And the water won't rush up through the bottom?" I asked, wriggling my hands through the open space at the base as two smiling park supervisors gently lowered the space-suit-style bubble onto my shoulders.
"No senora. The air from the hose in the top will push into the bubble and keep the water out. You'll be able to breathe just the same way you do on the land."
Let's give it a whirl.
With them steadying my enormous helmeted head, I climbed down the ladder and into the sea. Just as my feet slid off the final rung, they released me.
And I sank like a stone.
So did my heart, just for a moment, until I realized that the weight of the helmet wasn't going to drive me into the sandy bottom like a railroad spike.
Another bubble-head quickly appeared, took my hand and placed it on a smooth metal railing. All was well. I was breathing normally and the water was being held at bay, as promised. I was sea-trekking and I was loving it.
A 45-minute drive from the beach party madness of Cancun, Xcaret is a fascinating eco-theme park that offers everything from an underground river swim to a full-scale Broadway musical style revue depicting the history of Mexico and its people. It's also one of the few vacation spots in the world that offers sea-trekking.
Designed for those who aren't qualified to scuba dive but want to experience the deeper water exploration that snorkelling just can't give, sea-trekking is an easy, no-talent-required option. In fact, you don't even need to be a good swimmer. All you need to do is sink, walk and breathe.
A long rubber tube connected to an air pump on the surface is linked to a giant bubble-shaped diving helmet with hefty rubber pads curved to rest snugly on your shoulders.
As you descend, the airflow begins, creating enough pressure to prevent any water from pushing back up through the opening at the base of the helmet. The result is your own little atmosphere where you can breathe naturally, without regulators or snorkels. A comforting metal railing is there to guide you as you stroll under the waves for a blissful half-hour.
It's a bit like an aquarium in reverse — you're behind glass and the fish are swimming freely all around you.
To be sure, this is slightly contrived eco-tourism. Although the huge schools of neon-bright tropical fish that surround you are free to come and go as they like, metal mesh baskets of fish food have been placed strategically among the weeds to provide a bit of encouragement. And there's sea turtle food in those baskets too, I think, because there are any number of very eager turtles swimming by.
But really, who cares? Seeing the fish and turtles up close is what it's all about, the sea life is happy to have the smorgasbord, and being able to breathe without tanks while you're doing your underwater viewing is a bonus you won't find in many other places.
You also won't find a Rio Lagartos in many other places. It is a remarkable biosphere that's home to one of the largest flocks of flamingos in the western hemisphere.
This wildlife sanctuary is recognized by the United Nations as an area of important international wetlands and is another great reason to take a day off from tanning your hide on the beach.
I'm not a bird watcher and frankly, until I visited Rio Lagartos, I'd always associated flamingos with tacky lawn ornament jokes. The few live ones I'd seen hadn't been particularly impressive specimens.
Doing an impassive one-legged balancing act in a reflecting pool on the grounds of a swanky hotel, the poor creatures I'd viewed were clearly bored pale pink.
But the flamingos of Rio Lagartos are birds of an entirely different feather. Living in an ideal climate on the northern shore of the Yucatan peninsula, more than three hours from Cancun, these birds enjoy ample fish and pristine water. They're safe from both pollution and predatory humans, and as a result, their ranks have swelled to nearly 8,000.
The long-legged beauties gather in enormous flocks at the edges of the lagoon, fishing among the mangroves and preening in the sun. Visitors to the reserve must approach respectfully, with trained guides, using flat-bottomed boats with quiet, small-horsepower engines. Restricted from going near, bird-lovers must gaze from a discreet distance, training their binoculars or silently snapping photos.
For long periods, the flamingos will stand eerily still and then at the snap of a twig, the flock will be startled. In a sudden explosion of hot pink and black, there'll be lift-off ... giant wings will beat the air with huge, powerful strokes, water will splash, shiny beaks will glisten in the sun and impossibly long, black legs will dangle like Halloween party streamers.
Your heart will leap as they pass overhead, and you'll realize how spectacularly beautiful these birds are and how fortunate you are to have seen them in their natural environment.
Liz Fleming is a St. Catharines-based freelance writer. Her trip was sponsored by the Hilton Cancun.
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