Things to do in Cancún

Cancún was designed rather than grown. Planners picked the sandbar in 1970, when barely a hundred people lived on it. The Hotel Zone now runs twenty-two kilometres along that strip, Caribbean on one side and the Nichupté Lagoon on the other.

The strip and the town

The city has two halves that barely meet. The Hotel Zone is beach, marinas and malls, bent into the shape of a 7. El Centro, back on the mainland, is where the city actually lives.

• Playa Delfines. The wide public beach at the far end, with the lettered sign and no hotel behind it.
• Nichupté Lagoon. Mangrove channels behind the strip, worked by speedboats, jet skis and flyboards.
• Mercado 28 and Parque Las Palapas. The downtown market and the evening square, where the taco walks go.
• The marinas. Everything that floats leaves from here, from glass-bottom boats to dinner cruises.

Where the day trips go

Cancún is a departure point more than a sight. Boats run east to the islands, and coaches run west and south to the ruins. Most day trips from Cancún leave before seven in the morning.

• Isla Mujeres. Thirteen kilometres offshore, reached by catamaran with a snorkel stop on the way.
• Isla Contoy. A national park further north, capped at two hundred visitors a day and sold through licensed boats only.
• Chichén Itzá. A long day west, usually with a cenote swim and a stop in Valladolid coming back.
• Tulum and Cobá. South down Highway 307: cliff ruins and a jungle pyramid in one run.
• Evening water. Sunset dinner cruises and a pirate-themed dinner boat, both from the lagoon side.

Practical

• Heat and storms. It is hot all year. June to November is the hurricane window, and September is the wettest month.
• Sargassum. Seaweed arrives from about April to October and peaks in June and July. The north-facing beaches around Punta Cancún catch less of it.
• The bus. R1 and R2 run the length of the Hotel Zone day and night for a few pesos. They are the reason not to rent a car here.
• From the airport. Mexico's second-busiest airport sits twenty minutes south. Pre-booked transfers and the ADO coach both beat the arrivals-hall touts.
• Two price lists. The Hotel Zone quotes dollars and downtown quotes pesos. Paying in pesos is cheaper almost everywhere.
• Water safety. Beaches fly coloured flags, and the open Caribbean side gets real undertow. Black means out.
• Tipping. Ten to fifteen per cent in restaurants, and something for boat crews.
• Book ahead. Contoy permits are limited, and Chichén Itzá seats in equinox week go first.