MEXICO + CARIBBEAN

Amid all the exhortations to go off the beaten track, see the real [insert destination name] and get out of your comfort zone, it’s easy to forget the original purpose of a vacation: to relax. And there are few better places to do that than along a powdery beach of a Caribbean island

Many of them offer interesting sights as well, but if you skip them in favor of time with your novel and a cocktail by the pool, your regret is likely to be minimal.

Mexico, too, offers ample opportunities for relaxation, most famously along the wide beaches of the Riviera Maya. However, the nearby ancient ruins provide quite a temptation to depart your resort. The bluff-lined Pacific Coast has more-dramatic scenery and equally wonderful resorts. But the charms of Mexico’s colonial cities, like San Miguel de Allende and Guanajuato, are not to be underestimated. And we always love revisiting endlessly fascinating Mexico City.