It’s the strangest sensation, not quite believing your eyes. I’m standing knee-deep in the Caribbean Sea, but I feel like I’ve tripped and fallen into a desktop screensaver. You know the kind I mean. Ahead of me is nothing but endless, glittering ocean and cloudless blue skies; behind me, on a long stretch of white sandy beach, palm trees are swaying in the breeze. Real life – in my experience, at least – does not look like this.

Yet real life it very much is. This picture-postcard vision is Playa del Carmen, on south-eastern Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. As recently as the Eighties, this thriving beach town was little more than a sleepy fishing village, relatively ignored by travellers in favour of its bigger, bolder neighbours on the Riviera Maya. Cancun, the site of Playa’s nearest international airport, is 50 minutes’ drive away, while scuba destination Cozumel island (cozumel.travel) is just a £5 ferry ride from the coast. But with the booming popularity of Tulum - the eco-luxe beachside town less than an hour from Playa del Carmen that’s a favourite of Cara Delevingne, Reese Witherspoon and Cameron Diaz - the world has woken up to the gorgeous natural scenery and fascinating history that this part of the world has to offer.

The transformation from hidden gem to holiday hotspot in a relatively short space of time means that Playa does occasionally feel acutely designed to appeal to tourists. You won’t need to spend much time on Quinta Avenida, the town’s wide, palm-lined main strip, unless you want to stock up on delightfully kitsch souvenirs (no judgement here: I come home with no less than six sparkly Frida Kahlo fridge magnets). Instead, daytime is best spent basking on that breath-taking beach and swimming in the jewel-like Caribbean Sea. Make sure to slather on the SPF: southern Mexico has a particularly high UV index, meaning you’ll burn much faster than on a European beach.

Once that scorching tropical sun goes down, Playa really comes alive. While not as much of a wild-child party destination as Cancun, this is a town where the sultry, coconut-scented night air crackles with the possibility of a Seriously Good Time.

Live out your holiday dreams in a tropical Mexican paradise