Beaches of Cancun, Cancún

Night falls quickly in the tropics, and with the hotel so close to the beach, it was common to extend the pleasure of a late swim into the dark of the night, with the lights of the pools and the hotel allowing us to stay.

And how good they were, those baths, with the beach only for us.

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We stayed about at the south end of the strip both times and away from the larger crowds and condos crawling with people and children. Watch out very carefully for the undertown of current. It is treacherous and I recall a number of times like I ws being pulled out to sea and helpless. My daughter had to be rescued once from going under, and I had to swim like heck to try to get back to shorre, while gulping water. It is called drowning. They post flags not to go in the water, and that happens a lot, but even when appears okay, it may be risky.
Fishing and snorkel are fine things to do, but am not sure if many fish really are out there, and little to see in the underwater, like coral and life.

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the hotel strip is the single most visited place like tourists in Cancun. it is therefore, unsurprisingly, rather the overdeveloped with hotels and American-style malls and bars.

The beaches here are good for surfing because the leaves are strong. Although it is difficult to access features by the hotels, there is a public beach at the far end of hotel strip. You may need to take the bus (the red R1) down because it is a 5K and walk otherwise.

this is the same stop you would get tough act if you were visiting one of the Mayan ruins in this area (which, by the by, is very poorly preserved and it's not worth the admission price because far better ruins can be found in Palenque, Teotihucan, and Chichen Itza.)

The majority of beaches in Cancun are long narrow strips filled with almost as many people as there is sand. There were more cigarette butts per square foot than a truck stop in Texas! Even though the beaches are tilled every night by the resorts the sand is still filled with things other than sand and shells. Granted I'm sure the beaches at the very upscale resorts may be nicer but for the most part this is an accurate description. Granted I have been spoiled by being able to have experienced many pristine beaches, but being that Playa Da Carmen and Tulum are just a hour and hour and half from Cancun its worth noting that their beaches are far nicer and less crowded. The farther you get away from Cancun the better the beaches are! However I will say the beaches of Cancun are a slight step above the public beaches of California, for whatever thats worth.

Ok, another tip on the beaches of Cancún without a particularly new angle or content. But there is no way anyone can skip writing this tip...

It is no wonder the Cancún beaches are famous: unbelievably blue sea, white sands and a cool breeze! How much better can life get?

The sea is also just warm enough not to be a shock when you first go in yet still very refreshing. It is possible to drift for hours in it, just watching the clouds and thinking about nothing at all (but remember the sun block beforehand, or you will have "lasting" memories)

I visited in Octoberm during the low season. This meant half empty beaches, very tranquil and relaxing - just the way I like it! However, I imagine that during the high season it can get quite crowded and full of life.

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Now, how could the beaches of Cancun be both hot and not hot at the same time? Very simple. You know one of the hottest things to do in Cancun is going to the beach. To swim, play in the surf, or just catch some rays. Where Cancun's beachs are not hot, is on your feet. You know how, when you walk on many beaches, you have to take baby steps while muttering "hot, hot, hot". You'll never do that in Cancun. Even under the hot Mexican sun, your tootsies stay nice and cool in the sand.

Cancun, and the entire Mayan Riviera, has plenty of good beaches. Most hotels on the "strip" have their own beaches right behind them, and they'll have plenty of beach chairs for you. The water's always nice and comfortable, though the undertow was kinda nasty when I was there (maybe because there was a tropical depression in Texas at the time). Watch the flags on the beach - if they're red or black, be careful out there.

If you're a beach person, get out there and enjoy - I'm sure you'll find a beach you'll love.

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With our room we were assigned a beach cabana for our personal use. The Cabanas are a great way to spend time on the beach without getting too much sun exposure. The cabanas were made from plastic believe it or not but they were made to look like rough hewn timbers. On this frame were muslin curtains that you could draw together for privacy while you relaxed on the thick pad and bolsters which were big enough for two people to share. We were ocean front and had a cabana attendant who brought us cold towels, cool drinks books and sunscreen if you needed it.

Not all rooms were assigned a cabana, but the resort was not terribly busy so guests were able to take advantage of the beach cabanas with out having to pay for the use of it.

The beaches are open to all people not just the guests. Many of the hotels try to discourage people who are not paying guests from using the beach. During the low season this does not seem to be a problem but I bet during the peak season this is a problem. The hotels must provided beach access to non paying guests.

personally i like beaches with calm water, no waves. the beaches on top of the '7' around intercontinental, are the best ones, because of lady island blocks waves. they are a bit hard to get to since most of them seperateed by privated properties and hotels.