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🇲🇽 City · Mexico
Cancún: a Caribbean paradise built from jungle
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Cancún is split into two worlds. The Zona Hotelera, a long 7-shaped strip of sand between the Caribbean Sea and the Nichupté lagoon, lines up big hotels, turquoise beaches, malls and nightlife. A few kilometres away, El Centro, the downtown where locals live, offers lively markets, street food and restaurants that cost far less. Beyond, the Yucatán Peninsula unfolds its treasures: the island of Isla Mujeres and its gorgeous Playa Norte, reached by ferry, the cenotes (freshwater sinkholes unique to the region) and the Maya site of Chichén Itzá, one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, about two and a half hours away by road. Tulum and the Riviera Maya round out a coastline ideal for combining beach time, swimming and archaeological discovery.
“Against All Odds” (1984) was shot near Cancún on Isla Mujeres and at the Maya ruins of Tulum and Chichén Itzá.
Cancún didn't exist: in the late 1960s, the government had an IBM computer pick this deserted sandbar as the ideal resort site.
At Playa Delfines (El Mirador), the big free public beach, come early to photograph the CANCÚN sign before the crowds.
The climate is hot and tropical year-round; the dry season, from December to April, is the most pleasant, while the rainy and hurricane season runs from June to November. To get around, R-1 buses link the Zona Hotelera to El Centro and the ferry dock for a small fare; for Chichén Itzá or the cenotes, a guided tour or rental car is better. Tip: carry cash for markets and buses. As for connectivity, mobile 4G/5G coverage is good in the Zona Hotelera and in town, more patchy at remote archaeological sites, and free wifi is widespread in hotels and restaurants.