Best places to stay:
A tranquil, boutiquey beachside hotel in Cancun? Book the Beloved: a couples-only retreat on Playa Mujeres – just north of Cancun’s hectic hotel zone. The resort’s white buildings are scattered through a romantic palm tree-shaded garden like sugar cubes.
There are myriad villa and room options but the Ocean View Junior Suites are the best-value – costing only a fraction more than standards. They come with modish, minimalist interiors – flooded with light from wall-high glass, walk-in showers and Bulgari cosmetics, and expansive private sea-view balconies with Jacuzzis for two.
Tranquil Playa Mujeres beach sits in Punta Sam, twenty minutes by cab north of Cancun’s hotel zone. The beach is long, broad and powder-white, and while less busy than in the hotel zone, there are plenty of sun loungers, beach bars and parasols.
There’s a good choice of restaurants within a five-minute walk and the boat dock for Isla Mujeres is close by. There are a few bars on the doorstep, but for rousing nightlife you’ll need to go to the main hotel zone.
Want more recommendations in this destination?
Destination Guide >Please note - we hope to one day have live prices for you, but for now, here are some useful links for you to compare prices...
Bucket list experiences our writer says you must do in this destination, closest first
Isla Mujeres, Quintana Roo, Mexico[11.6 miles]
A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to snorkel or dive with these harmless, 12-metre long, filter-feeding fish. Humbling and unforgettable.
Best for ages: 13+ | £40 | 4-5 hours
Tulum, Quintana Roo, Mexico
A stunning cenote with spectacular cave formations and glassy water, passing through caverns encrusted with stalactites. Mind-bogglingly beautiful for both snorkellers and PADI divers.
Best for ages: 8+ | £12
Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico
An adrenaline-pumping close encounter with this top of the food chain predator, in glassy-clear water.
Best for ages: 16+ | £150 | 6-8 hours
Tulum, Quintana Roo, Mexico
Lily-covered, glassy-clear and filled with terrapins and tropical fish, this cenote near Tulum is easy to reach and fabulous to swim in. Big caverns make for spectacular cave diving.
Best for ages: 6+ | £7
Other worthwhile experiences in this destination if you have the time or the interest, closest first
Isla Mujeres, Quintana Roo, Mexico[16.2 miles]
British artist Jason Decaires Taylor’s underwater art gallery feels like a latter-day Atlantis – with statues covered with wispy sea weeds and baby coral, fish swimming all around sitting on the sand in vodka-clear water off Isla Mujeres.
Best for ages: 18+ | Free
Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico
Designed by Greg Norman, the course weaves its way through dense jungle, beautiful stretches of white sand and mangrove forests, with cenotes – natural sink holes – providing natural hazards.
Best for ages: 13+ | £125
Akumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico
A simple nature-based theme park with a safari-park zoo, a cenote for swimming, a spectacular cave and a rainforest canopy zip-line adventure.
Best for ages: 4+ | £30
Cozumel, Quintana Roo, Mexico
Small, touristy and mediocre aquatic theme park offering swims with dolphins, sea lions and manatees. Fun for kids.
Best for ages: 4+ | £21
Destination guides including or relevant to this place to stay
Mexico
Talc-white beaches, reefs teeming with life, ruined temples in misty rainforests – the Riviera Maya offers a family or romantic beach holiday with a dash of Indian Jones adventure.
![Cenote Dos Ojos [swimming, snorkelling & scuba diving]](https://familyhotelfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/Yucatan-Cancun-and-Tulum-Cenotes-Dos-Ojos3-SH.jpg)
