For those reluctant to sample the overdevelopment of Bali and Goa yet still hungry for unwinding in the sun by a coastline faraway, the Mexican resort of Tulum ticks most boxes. So close to the US that it lures Hollywood A-listers like a magnet, Tulum has blossomed from cheap, chilled-out paradise for backpackers into the ultimate in barefoot chic.

Situated on a strip of glorious sand, it divides the jungle and Mexico’s only Caribbean coastline. In Tulum you’re likely to see New Yorkers on bikini bootcamps, while celebrity hunters can keep an eye open for such luminaries as Cameron Diaz, Orlando Bloom and Demi Moore.

But for a few more boutique hotels and advertising hoardings, little has changed thankfully since this correspondent last visited Tulum seven years ago. What’s remarkable, in contrast to similar destinations elsewhere, is the absence of fear, largely due to the security check point at the entrance to the resort. Women can walk safely on their own even carrying a moneybag and there’s none of the hassle you might expect in Goa, for example. There’s only the occasional beach hawker and even then they show a respectful lack of persistence. And for those who appreciate things to be spick and span, there is no rubbish and no broken glass. Nor are there jet-skis buzzing away in the ocean.

While the waves here are too modest for traditional surfing, body-surfing is a popular pursuit, while there are centres for yoga, meditation and massage as well as sweat lodges throughout the resort for those who prefer less of a cardio workout. Strolling along the beach is another way to lower your heart-rate, there being no danger of finding a dead-end due to the scale of the sands and an array of characters that make a simple walk something of a human safari, the game ranging from local families enjoying picnics to stark-naked dropouts.

Popping into what look like huts reveals they are, on closer inspection, delightful places to chill out. Real style hit Tulum with the arrival of a wave of Italian hoteliers and restaurateurs at the turn of the millennium, each venue ploughing its own aesthetic furrow on a general theme of hammocks and swings, which in one venue act as bar seats.

All hotels and restaurants are breezy and spacious. The classiest hotels are Be Tulum for its isolation and its translucent purple deck chairs, Ana y Jose for sheer comfort and The Beach for its glorious decking and chic swimming pool. Happily, these hangouts always tastefully play second fiddle to nature, pelicans patrolling with an apparent lack of effort and baby turtles making their debut incursions into the ocean. Native petn, a teak-like wood, supports all the thatched roofs in Tulum (and there are many) and plantsmen and women will appreciate the zopitolera, agave morado and flamboyant trees which abound.

For eating, Ziggy’s and Casa Violeta are special. Besides the ever-present avocados, limes and tacos, try a mole with chocolate or camaros a coco, a dish of prawns, coconut, mango and tamarind. The diet here is rich in spinach, rocket, cactus, chilli, papaya, coconut and chia, with popular herbs such as oregano and coriander adding to the potential for culinary euphoria.

If you need time off from all that time off, avoid the town – the worst kind of tourist trap – and visit instead the Mayan temple, a holy site for worship and burial of the dead, and the entrances to the cenotes, caverns where sunlight makes the water appear luminous. The best is Dos Ojos (two eyes) 17km north of Tulum, where you can snorkel, dive and watch bats. Nearby you’ll also find Sian Ka’an, the largest protected nature reserve in the Mexican Caribbean. Here you’ll find mangroves, tropical forests and wetlands, not to mention 300 species of bird.

TRAVEL NOTES

British Airways has return flights from Glasgow to Cancun from £518pp. Visit ba.com.

Adam Jacot travelled with Latin American specialist Chimu Adventures which offers offer a seven-day Mayan Riviera and Beaches itinerary from £690pp including hotels on a B&B basis, transfers and excursions. Visit chimuadventures.com or call 0207 403 8265.