Situated on the eastern part of Mexico's sun-splashed Yucatan Peninsula, the Mayan Riviera is a popular tourist destination that features abundant natural beauty, vibrant nightlife, fabulous weather, and an eclectic cuisine scene. To get the most of your upcoming trip to the Mayan Riviera, plan to eat like a local whenever possible. Here's how you can get the most out of this region's fabulous food traditions -- including newer traditions such as a focus on some of the Western Hemisphere's best fine dining.
Eat Street Food
Finding good street food on the Yucatan Peninsula involves stepping off the beaten path a bit and straying from the popular tourist areas. Street food is one of the oldest culinary traditions in all of mesoamerica, and you can find yourself enjoying fare that hasn't changed much at all since Mayan times. Food carts and sidewalk cafes are abundant in areas where tourists don't normally frequent, and you can also sample a great variety of street food by attending local festivals and street fairs.
Rent a Villa
Part of learning about a new culinary tradition is trying your hand at making it. Staying in a beachfront villa rental provides you with the opportunity to purchase local ingredients and expand your culinary knowledge by preparing some of your meals yourself. Besides, sometimes it much more pleasant and romantic to enjoy a meal with your traveling companion at a table for two in your own rental overlooking the pristine white sands of the Caribbean coastline. If you're a novice concerning cooking Mexican food, start with simple tamales for dinner.
If you're an early riser, few things are nicer than enjoying a breakfast of fresh local fruit and a plate of polkanes, which is a fritter made from pumpkin seeds and masa that is very easy to prepare.
Dine Out
One of the main advantages of vacationing on the Mayan Riviera is that it's extremely attractive to highly skilled professionals as a place to actually live and work, and that includes world class chefs. The area's fine dining scene provides something wonderful for every variety of food craving -- and you'll enjoy five-star dining for a lot less than you would spend for the same thing in your own community, so go ahead and indulge.
Please feel free to contact a professional, qualified travel expert, such as at Hacienda Del Secreto, for more information on getting the most from a visit to the Mayan Riviera.