Cancun is now Mexico’s most popular beach getaway. Cancun has mild weather all year and 22.3 kilometers of white sand beach in its hotel zone alone.

Almost limitless entertainment options ranging from amusement parks to nightclubs to golfing; and a central location for visiting Maya sites, colonial settlements, and tropical islands.

This lively beachfront city has accommodations for all budgets and tastes. The bulk of resorts are luxury and midrange all-inclusive properties, but there are budget hotels and resorts that run on a European-style plan (room only, no food included), as well as self-catering apartment hotels.

Best Places to Stay in Cancun

Best Areas to Stay in Cancun
  • Best All-Inclusive Resorts in Cancun: Riu Palace Peninsula, Hyatt Ziva.
  • Best European-Plan Resorts in Cancun: Grand Residences Riviera.
  • Best Luxury Hotels in Cancun: Grand Residences Riviera, Kempinski Hotel Cancun.
  • Best Cheap Hotels in Cancun: Condominios Brisas, Sina Suites.
  • Best Resorts for Families in Cancun: Grand Residences Riviera, Hyatt Ziva, Grand Fiesta Americana Coral Beach.
  • Best location in Cancún for beach lovers: Costa Mujeres, Zona Hotelera
  • Best location in Cancún for a honeymoon or romantic getaway: Isla Mujeres, Costa Mujeres
  • Best location in Cancún for first-time visitors: Hotel Zone

The best areas to stay in Cancun

Zona Hotelera (Hotel)

The Cancun Hotel Zone, also known as the Zona Hotelera, is one of Mexico’s biggest and most significant tourist complexes. This lively area has the best public beaches, tourist areas and residential developments in Cancun.

The Zone Hotel de Cancn is home to some of the top hotels and resorts in the entire Caribbean. It is situated on the Caribbean coast, on an L-shaped spit of land between the Nichupté Lagoon and the sea, connected north to south by Boulevard Kukulkán.

The Hotel Zone is also well-known for its vibrant nightlife. In addition to the bars and clubs found in the larger resorts, Boulevard Kukulkán and the most popular beaches are home to a plethora of cafes, pubs, and discos, the majority of which cater to visitors.

Best Areas to Stay in Cancun 1

Playa Mujeres

Playa Mujeres, Cancun newest resort development, is located north of the city’s established Hotel Zone, immediately west of the island Isla Mujeres. This area is all-inclusive resorts and golf courses, making it a modern, leisure hideaway. There is a dolphinarium on the main beach, as well as scuba and sailing trips departing from the marina.

El Centro

El Centro is the greatest neighborhood in Cancn for living like a local, with excellent restaurants, hole-in-the-wall taco shops, busy nightclubs, fashionable cocktail bars, shopping malls, and outdoor markets.

There are a few luxury resorts on the beach at Puerto Cancun, but the majority of El Centro’s accommodations are midrange, boutique, and budget hotels and hostels. This is a fantastic location for ambitious travelers who want to explore Yucatan beyond the beaches and bars.

The ADO bus station here connects El Centro to Playa del Carmen, Tulum, and even Chichén Itzá, and the Puerto Juárez ferry terminal connects El Centro to Isla Mujeres.

Middle Hotel Zone

Cancun’s primary party district, known as Punta Cancun or Uptown, is located in the Middle Hotel Zone at its intersection with the North Hotel Zone.

Popular franchises including Coco Bongo, Seor Frog’s, Mandala, and La Vaquita are among the vibrant pubs and nightclubs that line this 500-meter stretch of the road on both sides of the street.

Here, the majority of clubs are multi-level mega-parties with live music, DJs, and occasionally acrobats, gogo dancers, showgirls, and other performers.

The City, the largest club here, with a capacity of 5000 people. Even though there will be some locals in the clubs in the Punta Cancun region, most of the revelers will be travelers.