Top Beaches in Cancun
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Cancun is an amazing coastal town in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula where people go to enjoy the terrific warm water beaches that are located there. It’s the ideal vacation for almost anyone who likes the beach. There are beaches that are great for partying, beaches that are conducive to romance and beaches that are ideal for families who are seeking a bit of a fun adventure. Whatever the style of beach vacation you like, there will be a beach that is right for you.
Here are some of the top beaches in Cancun for different activities and experiences in the area:
• Isla Mujeres. This is an island in the Caribbean Sea located just a short boat ride away from Cancun. There are numerous luxury resorts here so it’s a terrific beach area for someone who is seeking an all-inclusive resort stay on the water. It’s also a popular place for families because the beaches here are safer in terms of the water for children and less experienced swimmers. This beach area also offers a lot of other activities for people to enjoy such as a turtle farm, a temple designed to honor an ancient goddess and a historic lighthouse. The most popular beach area on the island for swimming and snorkeling is Garafon Park which is a safe coral reef area that is awesome in its beauty.
• Bahia de Mujeres. This area is also great for swimming with children because there is very little wave activity. The white sand beaches are beautiful against the turquoise blue of the water here so it’s also a great place for taking pictures or just going to walk along the water and appreciate the scenery. Minimal water activities in addition to swimming can be enjoyed here; it’s another popular place for snorkeling. However, it’s not going to be the Cancun beach that you want if you’re trying to find adventurous water activities. Look for Playa Las Perlas which is a great beach where you can catch a ride to Isla Mujeres if you want to check out the island.
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• Nichupte Lagoon. Those folks that are determined to find more adventure in the water will want to head to this Cancun Beach. This is the beach where you can do things like parasailing and kayaking. Windsurfing, jet-skiing and general boat tours can also be enjoyed here by people of all ages and skill levels. In addition to the things that you can do on the water, there are adventurous activities in the surrounding area; the most popular of these is the jungle tour which allows you to see crocodiles and other animal life. The one thing that most people don’t do here is go swimming. This is a salt water lagoon and it’s not the ideal condition for swimmers so most people who prefer to swim will head to one of the other beaches in Cancun.
• Playa Ballenas. People who are seeking to just lounge on the sand and get away a little bit will make their way to this Cancun beach. It’s not ideal for swimming because the surf is rough so it’s a place where people tend to gather on the sand. Since most Cancun visitors actually want to enjoy the water, it’s often not as crowded as other beaches in the area.
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• Playa Linda. Many people who come to Cancun want to take water tours such as those which let you go diving or swimming with sharks. There are several places along the coast where you can do this but Playa Linda is one of the easiest to reach and safest to enjoy.
• Playa Tortugas. There are numerous bars located right in the vicinity of this beach which makes it one of the more popular Cancun beaches for the partygoers who head to Cancun on Spring Break and during other youth-oriented vacation times. There are plenty of things to do at the beach itself (such as swimming and various sports in the water) but the real reason that people go here is to meet other young folks and get the party started.
• Playa Caracol. If you want to find the beach that everyone else is going to then you’re probably looking for this one. As a family-friendly beach that offers lots of different activities, it tends to often be the most crowded beach in the area. There is a flat, shallow water region here that makes it appealing to families with young children but you’ll find that there are people of all ages in the water and on the sand here.
credit: R.13
• San Miguelito. If you want a beach that’s going to offer you a great experience on the water but also something a little bit more touristy to keep your attention then this is a good one to keep in the back of your mind. The beach is good for swimming so you’ll definitely see people in the water but it’s also a popular place for sunbathing. When you’re done with that, you can go check out the Mayan ruins that are in the area. This adds a little bit of cultural history to your beach experience and will make your vacation in Cancun that much more memorable.
• Punta Nizoc. One of the only ways that you’re going to find a Cancun beach that doesn’t have a lot of people on it is to stay at one of the luxury resorts that has its own private access to the beach. Punta Nizoc is a Cancun beach where many of these resorts can be found. If you haven’t yet booked your accommodations and you’re thinking that a little bit of privacy on the water is going to be in order then you’ll want to be looking here.
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• Camino Real Hotel Beach. There is actually one hotel that has access to a beach but which doesn’t require you to be a guest of the hotel to obtain that access. This is great because it means that you don’t have to pay luxury resort prices to get to a luxury resort beach in Cancun. The best part is that most tourists don’t know about this and assume that it’s a private area so it’s really quiet and relaxed on this beach. For the person who wants to read a book on the beach in peace or the couple that wants to get away from the crowds, a walk through the Camino Real Hotel to this semi-private beach area is a good choice.
• Other Yucatan Peninsula Beaches. Just a short drive away from the beaches of Cancun are a myriad of other beaches along the coast. These all offer different beach experiences that may appeal to some travelers. The Mayan Riviera is the most popular of these beaches but you may look into other beaches including Isla Holbox, Playa del Carmen, Cozumel and Merida.
There are many different things to enjoy in Cancun besides just the beach but the beaches are definitely the main reason that you’ll want to go there. Consider the different activities that you’ll enjoy both on and off the water to determine which of the Cancun beaches is right for you. If you know what you’re looking for, you should be able to find the beach in Cancun which can provide it for you.
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on June 6th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
kathrynv,
What an awesome writeup you posted! I love that you mentioned Isla Mujeres and how great it is to take children there. However, as an adult, I also believe it is one of the m ost romantic places to visit in the Yucatan. It is also a great way to spend the day doing a self guided day tour on the cheap. Playa Norte (North Beach) is a calm beach with beautiful white sand, but I also love visiting Playa Lancheros for the Tikkin-Xic. This is a BBQ fish dish prepared in the traditional Mayan style, and it is worth the trip alone in my opinion.
In Cancun’s Hotel Zone, Playa Ballenas is nice but I much prefer the beach known as Dolphin Beach (Playa Delfines). While yes, the surf can be strong, it is one of the Hotel Zone’s best. Playa Tortugas is nice too, but it is not as active as it used to be. I think that the best place to go for families, as you mentioned, is Playa Caracol. If looking for a beach that equals this one, at one of Cancun’s Hotels, I highly recommend the Presidente Intercontinental and the Ambiance Villas, located next door. The best part is, these hotels are inexpensive and offer some of the best for beach location and proximity to the Party Center, the area where most of Cancun’s clubs are located.
I am still a strong supporter of the Cancun Hotel Zone beaches. I do not believe it is better to travel to find beaches in Playa Del Carmen or areas south. The Hotel Zone still offers some of the best maintained sand quality in the Yucatan, and there is a beach reclamation project in the works, to help preserve the area for the future.
All that being said, perhaps my favorite reason for visiting Cancun and the Riviera Maya is the amount of activities and area tours that are available. Of course the Mayan ruin sites of Chichen Itza, Tulum and Coba are all within reach. However, right now and throughout the summer is a rather unique tour expedition that a lot of people are unaware of. Only offered during a short time of year is a tour known as the swim with whale sharks. This tour puts swimmers in the ocean with the planet’s largest fish. Not to worry, they do not dine on people, and they are quite docile. I cannot really comment too much more about this except to say that tours sell out in advance because there are only a small amount of licenses handed out each year to conduct the tour, and it is gaining in popularity. I highly recommend that anyone booking this tour, do so with a company that displays their license number on their website, and offers a rescheduling/cancelation policy. One such outfit that I recommend often is:
http://www.swimwithwhalesharks.com
This local outfit offers wonderful customer service and all the amenities one should expect from a top-notch run tour operator. In fact, this company has a second spotter boat go out ahead of time to not only locate the whale sharks, but they also have been known to spot dolphins and mantarays. Then they radio back to the tour boat carrying the passengers, in order to give their guests the best opportunity to see more on their adventure. This is why I refer to this as more of an expedition, rather than a tour.
Anyway, your article was really well written and I hope you keep writing more about the place I have come to love so much.
Saludos and Happy Travels,
Eric Rabinowitz-Author
PEOPLE’S CHOICE GUIDE CANCUN Travel Guide & Survey Book
on July 21st, 2008 at 7:22 am
Hey,
Your post is lovely! Thanks for sharing this great post about top beaches.The pictures look awesome.