Indeed, Cancún offers a place to escape from life stresses and relax on a beach with a colorful cocktail and a book. If you're looking for excitement, Cancún can offer experiences from horseback riding to late-night partying. When you're making your vacation plans, be sure to explore your options carefully to find the hotel in line with your travel budget.
When to Visit
You'll find beach season to be year-round in Cancún, so choosing the best time is a matter of meshing your schedule with the purpose of your trip. If you seek the best weather, visit between December and April, when sunny days are the norm and the mercury stays in the mid-80s. From June until August, the heat and humidity can become more intense.
September and October can be troublesome months during hurricane season. Be sure to check weather forecasts carefully if you're traveling at this time and take storm warnings seriously. Spring break is either the perfect time to visit or a time to avoid, depending on how you feel about boisterous partying. Early May is the ideal time to travel to Cancún because the weather is still great, and prices are beginning to drop.
Below is a chart of the current pricing seasonality of hotels and motels in Cancun, Mexico:
Averate Rates by Star Rating
Below are 3 charts displaying average nightly cost trends by star rating class in Cancun, Mexico. Analyze these illustrations to calculate the cheapest dates to stay in Cancun for upcoming travels.
Luxury Hotel Options in Cancún
4 Star Average Prices: $224.49
Surrendering your body and spirit to the pampering delivered by a luxury Canún resort is an experience that will rejuvenate you from the inside out. The Zoëtry Paraiso de La Bonita Riviera Maya All Inclusive will spoil you with lavish views, creative cuisine, and luxe spa treatments.
The Zoëtry Paraiso is a quiet property, short on nightlife options, but loaded with romance. Whether you're sipping cocktails by one of the swimming pools, dining in one of three on-site restaurants, or strolling the beach by candlelight at sunset, you can't deny the romantic ambiance this resort exudes. Some of the Zoëtry Paraiso's rooms and suites have private plunge pools.
If you prefer your vacations à la carte and not all-inclusive, the Ritz-Carlton Cancún might suit you perfectly. Watch the sunset from a beachside infinity pool or lounge in a poolside cabana.
With a variety of room options at the Ritz-Carlton Cancún available, you can choose the amenities that matter most to you, including balconies, breakfasts, separate seating areas, or private whirlpool tubs. The on-site spa offers a range of body-pampering options. Dine on the property or visit any of the nearby restaurants for meals.
The Excellence Playa Mujeres offers an all-inclusive, adults-only environment with spa tubs, outdoor pools, well-tended grounds, and live music at the outdoor lounge. Treat yourself to dinner on the beach or a tension-melting massage in the spa. Room options include rooms, suites, and terrace suites with plunge pools.
Budget Friendly Hotel Options in Cancún
3 Star Average Prices: $93.76
Sometimes, an intrepid traveler wants to explore the area without lavish resort amenities. If you're an experienced budget traveler who can manage without shuttles — and perhaps without air conditioning or English-speaking staff — you can enjoy the Riviera Maya on your own terms.
The Casa Habitacional Laurel is one option. A room here provides you with one bed, or two singles, and a private bath with a shower for an affordable price. The rooms also have air conditioning, complimentary Wi-Fi, and televisions.
At the economy end of the resort range, you'll find Cancún Bay Resort. This simple but pleasantly decorated property features a swimming pool, a children's pool, and a spa tub. The resort has restaurants and lounges, including a poolside bar. Breakfast is available for an extra charge or you can select an all-inclusive option if you prefer. Babysitting and surcharge airport shuttle services round out the amenities.
The Villas Coco Resort is an unusual option at the budget end of the resort spectrum. This property is situated off the beaten bath, on a quiet stretch of road away from Cancún's nightlife. Villas Coco offers a private beach, clean rooms or beach house rentals, and a few special touches, such as private terraces and jacuzzi tubs. The property has one restaurant, the Lounge La Palmera, offering a continental breakfast.
2 Star Average Prices: $52.91
Best Discounts
Booking early is the best way to get discounted rates in Cancún. The Excellence Playa Mujeres regularly offers 10 percent off for advance booking, while the Zoëtry Paraiso rewards early birds with discounts of up to 40 percent. Booking early can also save you up to 35 percent at the InterContinental Presidente.
Be sure to check a variety of dates at most hotels. Special online rates at the Cancún Bay Resort regularly let you save 18 to 25 percent, and you'll want to watch for periodic sale prices as well. The GR Caribe Deluxe by Solaris offers online discounts of up to 36 percent, with occasional daily deals of up to 50 percent off for some dates.
Membership discounts are less common than early booking rates or sale pricing in Cancún, but the posh Ritz-Carlton Cancún has an impressive selection of discounts available for AAA members.
Best Value Options in Cancún
Cancún has much to offer in the sweet spot between luxury and affordability. The Ocean Dream BPR Hotel Cancún is an older condo reworked as a hotel. Its outstanding beachfront location in the middle of the hotel strip puts guests within easy walking distance of shopping, restaurants, and nightlife.The condo-style rooms offer kitchens and terraces, many with ocean views, while an on-site restaurant serves both breakfast and international meals. The Ocean Dream is an excellent choice for families since two children younger than age 12 can stay for free when occupying their parents' or guardians' rooms.
In the middle of the value price range, you'll find all-inclusive resorts like the GR Caribe Deluxe by Solaris. The GR Caribe Deluxe is a reasonably priced four-star resort with a private beach, access to the spa at neighboring Royal Solaris Cancún, and seven restaurants. Pillow-top mattresses, premium bedding, and blackout drapes help make sure that you'll rest well at the Caribe.
While some may consider the GR Caribe Deluxe a luxurious hotel for the price, guests give the property high marks for both service and comfort. The InterContinental Presidente is another mid-priced resort conveniently located in Cancún's bustling Hotel Zone. This modern, cozy, clean hotel on a lovely stretch of beach maintains a reputation for excellent service. The InterContinental Presidente's restaurants and lounge are popular with guests, who especially enjoy the fresh and varied breakfast buffets.
While the InterContinental Presidente is not an all-inclusive hotel, you can choose a room-only or a breakfast plan. This four-star hotel also features two swimming pools and five spa tubs. Some of the rooms have deep soaking tubs, and some have balconies.
At the top end of the value range are resorts like the CasaManga Marriott Cancún Resort. This property packs much luxury for the price, including gorgeous ocean views, six restaurants, a full-service spa, and 24-hour room service. All-inclusive plans are available.
At the CasaManga Marriott, you can start your day with a lavish breakfast buffet, work out in the health club, and then lounge on the beach. Drinks are available at the swim-up bar, beach bar, or any of the resort lounges. When it's time for sleep, you'll appreciate the premium bedding, blackout drapes, and the hotel's turn-down service. The CasaManga Marriott's central location puts you close to Cancún's attractions, but you'll find a peaceful atmosphere on the property.
Things to Do in Cancún
Take a bus ride to Chichén Itzá, even if your resort tempts you to stay and enjoy massages on the beach and cocktails at the swim-up bars. The Mayan ruins around Cancún are one of the New Seven Wonders of the World and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, designations that make this place a can't-miss attraction. The El Rey Ruins are closer and will help you understand more about the Mayan life and culture.
If you'd like to see some living Mayan culture, you can visit the town of Valladolid. In Valladolid, you'll see residents dressed in traditional clothing, hear the Mayan language being used, and have opportunities to visit the local markets. This experience offers you the chance to get off the beaten path and put a few tourism dollars into local hands, as the region depends on tourism to fuel its economy.
Your resort or any local travel agency in Cancún can connect you with more tours and experiences, including snorkeling, scuba diving, horseback riding, ATV trail rides, cooking classes, parasailing, and more. Since many activities involve a long bus ride from Cancún, bring a book or make sure you charge your phone before you leave your resort.
Cancun, Mexico in a nutshell
The slight idea of Cancun is enough to make anyone drool. Mexico' - or perhaps the world's - best beach destination has all shades of blue that paint an impeccable visage. The fisherman's island is now the world's most famous Mexican resort. Cancun ranks among the best of the best, from shores to good governance and overall excellence. The tropical destination is characterized by pristine azure shores, pumping nightlife, raging shopping opportunities, and the grandest villas. The city offers the best environment for snorkeling and scuba diving, having the world's second largest barrier reef. Head to the ADO bus station, and explore the Playa del Carmen, Tulum, or Puerto Morelos. Take advantage of the vacation by exploring the El Mundo Maya, surrounded by lush jungles that hide Mayan ritual sites and temples, or simply treat the fourteen miles of beaches and swim with schools of turquoise. Cancun is a wonderful slice of the world, in both land and underwater.
General Quintana Roo, among the most famous sons of Cancun was best known for his all-inclusive liberalism and immaculately beautiful social commentary. In a moment of introspection, the great Mexican leader writes, 'The world around us is a divine gift. This one realization will save us from many a peril.,
After about one and a half century later, these words still sound extremely relevant and even, to some degree, prophetic. Cancun, the birthplace of General Quintana Roo, is a great place to understand the depth of his thoughts.
It wasn't until the 1970's that Cancun started appearing on the map for any reason whatsoever. Prior to that, it was just a coastal zone that local families would rely on for earning a living off fishing “ much like the protagonist of Ernest Hemingway's masterpiece The Old Man and the Sea.
But once its natural beauty was actually made apparent to the outside world, there was little stopping the rise of Cancun as a premier tourist destination in the world. The city is now used to being regularly ranked as a top beach city in the North America, and indeed the whole world.
What was once a deserted spot of pristine natural beauty is a bustling city that houses over 700,000 people, well on its way to becoming a true tourism metropolis. Cancun, on an average, has attracted over 200,000 people every year over the last five years, making it the most tourist friendly city in Mexico.
Right from awe-inspiring Mayan monuments and memorials that speak volumes about the highly interesting Mayan and Incan civilizations to natural wonders of sun and sand, Cancun never fails to satisfy tourists who are looking to unwind in a place that's truly away from prosaic troubles and worries of the rest of the world. Talk about a paradise city!
Affordable Stay in Cancun
We have to use the word 'affordable', and others along those lines as well, with moderation and a different measuring tape while discussing affordable hotels in Cancun. The primary reason for this precautionary, wary even, approach is the now-elevated status of Cancun as a city where the superstars of Hollywood and high-and-mighty business magnates of Europe mingle with billionaires of Asia and political stalwarts of Latin America. In that sense, Cancun is a true melting pot of power, glory and riches.
One would hence be forgiven for wondering if they really can afford a holiday to Cancun. Well, to put it very simply, yes, one can. There are quite a few relatively cheap hotels present in and around Cancun that can present great lodging options for tourists.
Extravagance & Opulence: Cancun Style
As mentioned earlier, Cancun attracts who's who of the world with a noticeable frequency. To cater to the taste of the elite, there are countless luxury hotels in Cancun that just about take everything upon themselves in order to make the stay of their guests as pleasant as possible.
Right from ocean view top floor suites to amazingly lavish ballrooms, and from terrace gardens and swimming pools to indoor tennis courts and personalised duplexes, these Cancun hotels “ despite being exorbitantly expensive “ are quite popular.
Le Blanc Spa and Resort is among the favorite of many Cancun visitors. The hotel, located right beside the Caribbean Sea, provides a panoramic view of the sunrise to its patrons. Other notable establishments include Hyatt Zilara, Live Aqua, Hard Rock Hotel and Ritz Carlton Cancun.
Want to Explore More Options?
If you are a traveler who believes in truly exploring a place by being an insider for the duration of your stay in order to get to know the cultural fabric of a city up and close, there are numerous independent hotel establishments and boutique resorts in and around Cancun that are sure to stand up to your expectations.
These resorts, neither luxury nor cheap, present a perfect middle ground for tourists who do not mind adjusting just a little bit in order to reach this middle ground. Homestays have come out trumps in this battle for providing the best to travelers. Homestays are not only convenient and warm, they are also quite affordable and flexible “ a perfect alternative for exorbitantly priced or cheap hotels.
Before You Revel in Cancun
Before you actually even set out for a vacation to Cancun, you need to get some things clear and some arrangements made. Being a global tourism hotspot, Cancun is a multi-lingual city, and hence, most tourists do not face much trouble in communicating with locals.
After settling down at your choice of a hotel, you would need to make sure that you are well primed with Mexican Pesos so that you wouldn't have any difficulties in buying tickets or other things in Cancun. Being a hot and humid place, you should also make sure that you are well geared up with Panama hats, sun block and cotton apparels. Keeping yourself hydrate while seeing sights around Cancun is the best way to go about the business. Many Cancun hotels do provide their guests with proper advice and guides to facilitate their sightseeing forays in Cancun.
When to Visit Cancun?
Cancun falls in a temperate clime zone, meaning that you will face minimal worries as far as weather is concerned while visiting Cancun. That said, it pays to know what period of a year is the best for planning your trip to Cancun. Streamlining your trip to Cancun with local off season is the best way of saving huge on your whole travel budget.
The whole idea of Cancun tourism is majorly based on the convenience of American tourists as they make up for the largest percentage of foreign Cancun visitors. The festive season in the US “ from October to January “ is perhaps the best period to visit Cancun, as tourists are showered with heavy holiday discounts and offers.
On the other hand, if you are planning your Cancun trip, you should make it a point to avoid April “ June period as this is when Cancun is at its rawest best, swamped to the hilt with American spring-breakers and holiday revellers.