Bocas del Toro - A perfect hideaway

In the north east corner of Panama, lays the little hidden gem Boca del Toro. You still won’t find many tourists bloating out the town, which is a nice change from a lot of other Central American beach spots. This is another great – and cheap – place for diving and scuba to see some beautiful corals and sea life. You might even get to see a reef shark or two! And even if you stay above the water you have a pretty good chance of getting to see and play with some dolphins. The island itself is quite small so you can rent a mountain bike and trip across to other side and visit Bocas del Drago. But the best beaches are nearby and you normally only need to pay $3 or $5 for round trip by boat to either Red Frog Beach or Wizard Beach. Red Frog is the better place but will charge an admission fee of another $1 or $2. Further inland you can find – The Bat Cave! Don’t worry if you’re an evil villain, this version is only for the animal not the superhero. For only $1 you can wade through the watery cave and spy on hundreds of bats clinging to the ceilings of the caves.

Cancún - The sunnyside paradise

The city of Cancun has had huge amounts of money pumped into by the Mexican government over the past 10 or 20 years and it shows. The place is a water or beach lover's dream holiday location. With vast white sand beaches stretching for what seems like miles, it feels like a world away from work and city life. Most of the other things to keep yourself occupied with usually involve taking a dip in the gorgeous blue ocean. Snorkelling, scuba diving and fishing are some the activities that are enjoyable, relaxing and a perfect way to enjoy the sun, sights and the sea. Most of these trips can be organised through your hotel and usually includes pick-up and drop-off so all you need to sort out is yourself. The best time to arrive is just in time the Carnival in the end of February. This is basically one huge beach party where you will find tourists from every corner of the world drinking and dancing together. Another time to visit is during the mid-May Jazz Festival that draws in some surprisingly big name artists. This is not quite the chaotic level of the Carnival but has a much more cultured and chilled atmosphere about it.