Hotels in Cancun

If you are here for beach and resort, the Zona Hotelera, no question: the sea is your back garden. If you are passing through, on a budget, or using Cancún as a base for the peninsula, downtown costs half as much and has the ADO terminal; the R1/R2 bus reaches the beach in 20-30 minutes for pocket change.

September and October: it is rain and hurricane season and prices reflect it. High season runs December to April, peaking at Christmas-New Year, Holy Week, and March spring break, when part of the Zona Hotelera fills with college crowds. May, June and November are reasonable middle grounds.

The ADO bus to downtown costs about MX$110-130 and runs every half hour. There is no direct public bus to the Zona Hotelera: a shared shuttle is around US$20 per person, a taxi or private transfer US$30-60 depending on the kilometre marker. Booking the transfer in advance usually beats negotiating on arrival.

The Caribbean here is not guaranteed: sargassum comes in waves from May to October, and hurricanes are a real risk from August to October — book refundable rates in those months. The north-facing beaches of the Zona Hotelera, sheltered by Isla Mujeres, usually stay cleaner than the east-facing stretch.