Best hotels in Cancun (2024)

Cancun is a place where the party quite literally starts as soon as you land. But while the area’s well-documented debauchery isn’t hard to find, there are glimpses of Mayan life to be found in pockets around the area. And, when you take in its turquoise lagoons, white-sand beaches and palm-fringed shorelines, you understand why a decision was made in the 1970s to turn it into Mexico’s enduring tourist hotspot. Naturally, there are plenty of incredible places to stay. These range from a family-friendly all-inclusive on Playa Mujeres, with a seemingly unending choice of restaurants and bars, to the last word in luxury at one of the world’s most exclusive resorts, overlooking the Caribbean. We pick the best of the bunch.

Main photo: SLS Resort & Spa, Cancun (Booking.com)

1. Le Blanc Spa Resort

Best for all-inclusive
With near-faultless service and world-class facilities, this exceptional adult-only resort — just 15 minutes from downtown Cancun — should be the blueprint for all-inclusive hotels. The Japanese and European restaurants are superb, and no detail has gone unconsidered; even your butler requests can be logged via the hotel’s phone app. Spend your days teeing off on the nearby Jack Nicklaus golf course before cooling off in an infinity pool, or taking a pilates class before unwinding on the pristine white-sand beach — whatever you choose, this is a hotel you won’t forget in a hurry.

Spa Y
Pool Y
Price £££

2. Rosewood Mayakoba

Best for service
The Mayakoba reserve — located between Cancun and Playa del Carmen — may only be half an hour from the airport, but it feels like a world away from Cancun’s notorious hedonism. Here, surrounded by otherworldly beaches, lagoons and canals that connect the resort, your fellow guests include rare birds, iguanas, baby crocodiles and hatching turtles. Service is on another level; think pillowcases and napkins embroidered with guests’ initials, as well as a dedicated butler for every room. Plus, it’s great for wellness; there are microfibre pillow cases for optimal skin care, lamps to regulate your circadian rhythm and shower-activated aromatherapy pods.

Spa Y
Pool Y
Price £££

3. Palafitos Overwater Bungalows

Best for privacy
This glamorous resort-within-a-resort is a boon for honeymooners. Most signature overwater huts have uninterrupted views over the turquoise waters of Maroma Beach, and the intimacy of its restaurant, spa and soft-as-sugar sandy beach makes guests feel like they’re staying on a private island. For those wanting to liven up proceedings, there’s access to its sister resort, El Dorado Maroma, which has buzzier restaurants and pools, as well as swim-up bars.

Spa Y
Pool Y
Price £££

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4. JW Marriott Resort & Spa Cancun

Best for facilities
This beachfront luxury hotel occupies a prime position in Cancun’s Hotel Zone. Here, the turquoise waters and pristine beach feel comparatively untouched. Guests wax lyrical about the amenities: a dedicated pool for aspiring divers, with a man-made coral reef; a lagoon-style infinity pool with chic day beds; a Mayan-inspired spa; and some of the best — and most awarded ­­­­— restaurants in Cancun. There’s no need to stump up extra for an ocean view — every room and suite has a balcony with a view of the Caribbean.

Spa Y
Pool Y
Price ££

5. Nizuc Resort & Spa

Best for architecture
Despite being just ten minutes from Cancun airport, this mega resort somehow manages to be bewilderingly tranquil. Located on Punta Nizuc — known among snorkellers and scuba divers for its coral reef — the hotel has two secluded beaches, a mangrove-lined canal and spectacular views of the cerulean Caribbean. Although it has no fewer than 274 rooms, an ESPA spa and six restaurants, one of the most alluring things here is the sleek architecture — if it looks a bit like an elegant Aman resort, it’s because it was designed to do so.

Spa Y
Pool Y
Price £££

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6. InterContinental Presidente Cancun Resort

Best for beaches
In the 1970s, Cancun was built to lure tourists to a remote stretch of Mexican coastline — and this 300-room resort was there from the very start. No surprise, then, that it managed to nab one of the best beaches in the region; the waves are almost as calm as a swimming pool, and the sands soft. Plus, unlike many of its more youthful neighbours, the Presidente faces northwest, so sundowners at its Deck Bar are non-negotiable. The hotel has recently undergone a facelift, too, giving it a new lease of life; expect sleek, serene interiors and an altogether more elegant vibe.

Spa Y
Pool Y
Price £

7. Hyatt Ziva Cancun

Best for families
This family-friendly all-inclusive, set on a pretty peninsula in Punta Cancun, is surrounded by ocean on three sides and was designed to resemble a little village. Expect all manner of activities to occupy the most restless of children – anything from theatre shows to watersports and dance classes. Plus, there’s a microbrewery, regular tequila tastings and hydrotherapy circuits for grown-ups. We can’t imagine anyone getting bored here, but if you do, it’s well-located for day trips; the El Rey ruins are nearby, as well as a ziplining course — and there’s even a shopping centre a few miles from the resort.

Spa Y
Pool Y
Price ££

8. Secrets the Vine Cancun

Best for adults
Set on an immaculate white-sand beach, the sheer height of this sleek skyscraper gives guests spectacular views of the Nichupte Lagoon, the Cancun skyline and the sparkling Caribbean Sea. This place is Disneyland for adults; there’s a variety of watering holes — including a sports bar, piano bar, wine tastings and co*cktail classes — as well as seven restaurants, all manner of sports and a 12,500 sq m spa. Look out for the resort’s on-site winery and 3,000-bottle wine wall.

Spa Y
Pool Y
Price ££

9. Paradisus Cancun

Best for food
Set in Cancun’s Hotel Zone, this enormous all-inclusive resort is well regarded for the quality of its restaurants and bars. The hotel itself — made up of five interconnected, glass-topped pyramids — is sprawled across 600 metres of pearly-white beach, with indoor botanical gardens, a decent kids’ club, spa and four lagoon-style pools. Look out for their nine-hole, par-three golf course just over the road from the main fray.

Spa Y
Pool Y
Price ££

10. SLS Resort & Spa Cancun

Best for relaxing
At first glance, this beachfront behemoth has no reason to call itself a boutique hotel; the installation of this glass-walled skyscraper was an imposing addition to Puerto Cancun, a gated community downtown. But the resort itself only makes up four floors of the building — the rest are private residences — and there are only 45 suites available for guests, meaning there’s a personalised, members-club-style vibe to the property. Days here are spent on the 250m stretch of private beach (there’s a roped-off area for swimming, as well as a separate area for watersports and an infinity pool with a whirlpool) or at the on-site beach club.

Spa Y
Pool Y
Price ££

11. Chablé Maroma

Best for spa
This chic, mangrove-lined resort, just 30 minutes’ drive from Cancun airport in beachy Maroma, takes a cue from its sister property in Yucatan in making a commitment to promote indigenous Mexican wellness. The 17,000ft spa evokes ancient Mayan rituals, through a blend of natural potions and locally quarried quartz stones. You can even take part in traditional temazcal sweat-lodge ceremonies conducted by female shamans. The Mexico-meets-California-style food deserves a special mention, too — it’s a winner. This is a hotel unlike anything else in the region.

Spa Y
Pool Y
Price £££

12. Grand Hotel Cancun

Best for location
With one of the largest hotel beach fronts in Cancun, this colossal property managed by Kempinski is home to nine restaurants, a bar with over 100 different tequilas, a varied kids’ club and one of the biggest spas in the region — clocking in at 5,500 square metres. Perhaps unsurprising for a resort of its size, it does a great job at pleasing everyone — from business travellers to young families — but its location, in the Hotel Zone, is particularly good for social butterflies. It’s just ten minutes’ walk to the area’s best shopping and ten minutes in a taxi to Cancun’s hedonistic hub.

Spa Y
Pool Y
Price ££

13. Grand Palladium Costa Mujeres Resort & Spa

Best for sport
Just 400 metres from the talcum-white sands of Playa Mujeres, this sizeable all-inclusive is connected by a network of artificial canals. It’s made for active types: there’s a dedicated entertainment team, who schedule everything from salsa lessons to beach football. The most impressive part of this hotel is its ongoing collaboration with tennis champion, Rafa Nadal. A state-of-the-art tennis centre is not to be missed for budding stars.

Spa Y
Pool Y
Price £

14. Moon Palace The Grand

Best for large groups
In the quieter outskirts of Cancun on a peaceful slice of the Yucatan Peninsula, this 2,400-room all-inclusive is doing a roaring trade among families and big groups of friends. The hotel is, unsurprisingly, so large that it’s been divided into two sections, and guests have access to 16 restaurants, kids clubs, a golf course, meditation garden and even a water park. For people who want to holiday together, yet have scope to be apart, this is a solid option.

Spa Y
Pool Y
Price ££

15. Banyan Tree Mayakoba

Best for design
One of the most attractive hotels on the coast, Banyan Tree Mayakoba’s 34 low-key pool suites sit amongst the palm trees on a beautiful white-sand beach or overlook a peaceful lagoon. Their modern interiors make the most of wood, stone and other natural materials, and are instantly calming. There are plenty of well-regarded restaurants to choose from, with cuisines ranging from Italian to regional Yucatan – there’s the chance, too, to take dinner under the moonlight on a private backwater cruise. Don’t miss a treatment or two in the spa, which specialises in both Asian and Mexican treatments.

Spa Y
Pool Y
Price £££

Take me there

With additional reporting by Amanda Canning

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