While it rained in Houston in early November, Vicky and Howard Dyer-Smith were beaching it in Akumal, Mexico, with Houston friends. They soaked up rays in Tulum, walked endless blocks on 5th Street in Playa del Carmen, where the streets are closed to traffic, and experienced sensory overload in Xcaret, a natural but enhanced water park with jungle-boat rides and cenotes for snorkelers. Howard saw giant turtles in the waters of Akumal’s public beach and a tremendous variety of fish at Yal-Ku Lagoon and behind Casa Mayanah, a private home where they stayed.

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