The Mayan remains of Chichén Itzá

Since the 1970s, glitzy mega-resorts like Cancun and nearby Playa del Carmen as well as the coral island of Cozumel have capitalized on the state's idyllic tropical setting and continue to pull in the fly-and-flop tourist hordes in their millions every year - from starry-eyed honeymooners and hormone-fuelled teens on spring break to retirees living out their dreams with a coconut cocktail by the pool.

For those who wish to do more than beach-bum, there's excellent snorkelling and scuba-diving to be had among the offshore reefs.

Quintana Roo may hold the aces when it comes to beach resorts, but the neighbouring states of Yucatán and Campeche are well worth venturing to for a taste of some of Mexico's other riches. Wildlife enthusiasts should head down to the UNESCO-listed biosphere reserves of Sian Ka'an or Calakmul, the latter also home to remote but fascinating Mayan ruins.

Indeed, the peninsula is dotted with the awe-inspiring archaeological remains of Mayan city-states that were the superpowers of their day, the most famous, most well-restored and probably most impressive of which is the Chichén Itzá with its mysterious 'time temples'.