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It's not just a party town-really! Check out the romantic side of Mexico's famous beach destination.

Before you write off Cancún as a spring-breakers’ hot spot, unworthy of a honeymoon, here’s a secret: This touristy peninsula has plenty of surprises for the romantically inclined. It offers a string of fabulous hotels and loads of fun-in-the-sun activities. Best of all, it’s gorgeous: the sand, pale; the water, azure; the air, balmy. With a far-flung honeymoon getaway, post-wedded bliss begins only after a long plane ride, but this one’s so close to the U.S., you’ll be plopped under a beachfront umbrella sooner than you can say “I do.” Need more convincing? Follow our top 10 suggestions for how to make Cancún your sunny, romantic honeymoon haven.

1. Find a suite deal.

Most of Cancún’s hotels are towering buildings, filled with hundreds of rooms. If a more intimate setting is your idea of romance, check out Casa Turquesa. One of just a few boutique properties on the peninsula, this 30-room hotel resembles a Mediterranean-style mansion, and is situated between the lagoon and the ocean. Book a suite with a balcony and a private Jacuzzi or splurge on the Nido Honeymoon Penthouse, a swanky and spacious apartment complete with a dining room, a living room, indoor and outdoor Jacuzzis and a kitchenette. For more information visit casaturquesa.com.

2. Get rubbed the right way.

When the 213-room Le Meridien Cancún Resort and Spa opened here six years ago, this French-owned hotel provided the area’s first truly opulent spa. Still a stunner, it offers 15,000 square feet of steam rooms and plunge pools—but it’s the impressive outdoor massages you won’t want to miss. Not only can you get side-by-side rubs, but you can get them in a private cabana right on the beach, under the stars. Forget about your masseuse popping in an ocean-sounds CD to soothe you: You’ll get to hear the real thing sloshing on the shore just a few feet away (lemeridien.com).

3. Indulge in a serenade.

Most of Cancún’s hotels are located on the Strip, where high-rise buildings tower over the beaches. Break out of the hotel zone and grab a cab downtown to the pretty, Colonial-style Restaurant Rosa Mexicano. Here, you’ll sit in a lush backyard garden, where you can dine on Yucatán-style sautéed cactus or pork roasted in a banana leaf and topped with an orange-ancho chile sauce. Best of all, you’ll be serenaded by a trio of mariachi singers and guitarists. Unlike the ones in so many of the area’s restaurants, these musicians will discreetly croon near your table without overwhelming your dinner. They take requests, so be sure to ask for your “first dance” song (Claveles 4).

4. Be swept away.

One of the area’s greatest attractions is that it’s temptingly close to so many islands and coastal villages. Give in to the allure, and spend at least one night on Isla Mujeres. This tiny, mostly residential island is much more low-key than Cancún, and the beaches aren’t lined with mega-hotels. Book a suite at the 20-room Hotel Villa Rolandi Gourmet and Beach Club—the most romantic option on the island. The hotel staff will pick you up by private yacht from Cancún’s Playa Linda dock and speed you off to the island. Spend the day chilling out poolside, and snorkeling in the waters off the resort’s secluded private beach. It’s quiet as can be (Fracciomamiento Laguna Mar 7, Isla Mujeres; villarolandi.com).

5. Order up some sweets.

Even if you’re not staying at the 365-room Ritz-Carlton Cancún, there’s one important reason to cozy up in the hotel’s El Café Mexicano for after-dinner desserts and coffee: the feather-light, rich chocolate soufflé, served in an oversize china cup. Slowly spoon-feed each other this sublime concoction in the dimly lit room, which overlooks the ocean and is filled with elegant furniture fit for royalty—and, of course, honeymooners (Retorno del Ray 36, Km 14; ritzcarlton.com).

6. Turn up the heat.

Want to bless your marriage, Maya-style? Head over to the Westin Resort and Spa Cancún for a mystical temazcal steam bath for two. This ancient ceremonial ritual, a purification of the mind and body that takes place inside a stone hut, is re-created to great effect: As you sit on the floor of the womb-like structure in complete darkness, buckets of herb-infused water are poured over sizzling volcanic rocks, creating a sweet-smelling steam that envelops the two of you. Your guide will pass you chilled, bottled water to drink, as well as juicy slices of papaya to feed each other (starwood.com/westin).

7. Watch the sunset.

Looking for a romantic spot where you can clink glasses in honor of your new union? Head to the lagoon side of the island, where you’ll be dazzled by the beautiful pink color that sweeps across the sky at sunset. Grab a table by the window at the 426-room Hilton Cancún Beach and Golf Resort’s Galileo Lounge, which overlooks the lagoon. The bar itself is dark and sophisticated, and hosts jazz bands several nights a week. In addition to the tropical drinks you’d expect to see on beach-bar menus, the Galileo also serves a great selection of fine Mexican tequilas. (They’re good enough to drink straight up.) This place is so chic, it’s the perfect excuse to put on the sexy black dress and strappy heels you stashed in your suitcase (Boulevard Kukulcan, Km 17; hilton.com).

8. Try some dirty dancing.

Few dances are sexier than the salsa, so set aside an evening to get your groove on at the Mambo Café. Don’t be fooled by its out-of-the-way location, in the Plaza de las Americas shopping mall: More locals than tourists patronize this downtown salsa club, whose palm trees and waterfalls create a jungle-style atmosphere. The music is live, and Latin (mostly Cuban and Puerto Rican), so there’s no danger of running into drunken spring-breakers doing crooked line dances (011-52-998-887-7891).

9. Explore the sea of love.

The Caribbean is too gorgeous to just gaze at from afar—so get out on it. Book a dinner cruise aboard the 60-foot galleon Columbus, and you’ll feast on lobster as you listen to live saxophone music.

The ship, which departs from The Royal Yacht Marina Club, makes two dinner sailings each evening. Both take you through The Lover’s Lagoon, where you can smooch under a brilliant red sunset or a moonlit night sky (dolphindiscovery.com/lobster.asp).

10. Take your romance on the road.

Skip the touristy group bus tours to Tulúm, the region’s popular—and crowded—Maya ruins. Instead, rent a jeep and drive there yourself, and you’ll get a chance to explore the shoreline along the way. The road that winds south of Cancún, Highway 307, follows the coast and offers lots of detours to tiny fishing villages with unspoiled beaches and little restaurants that serve only the catch of the day. Don’t miss a stop at Aktun Chen, a 988-acre rain forest just past the village of Akumal, about an hour south of Cancún. Join one of the hiking tours through the jungle that are offered several times a day. Keep your eyes open for white-tailed deer and spider monkeys (aktunchen.com).