Nights out in Cancun

Nature
The wow factor for nature - does it show nature at its best? Doesn't need to be the wildebeest migration or diving with hundreds of hammerheads. Rather make you pause as you realise just how awesome the natural world can be
3
Culture
How much does this experience showcase some of the better and finer things that us humans can offer? Sure, it can be ancient ruins and renaissance churches, but it can also be festivals or soaking up some of the great modern cities of the world
1
Fun factor/activity
Very simple - was it fun? This is usually linked in with doing some kind of activity - i mean, walking along some cliffs is nice, but paragliding from them, now that is fun. Its a vastly underrated factor in a truly great experience
4
Avoid the crowds
Big tour groups and being surrounded by loud fellow tourists can sap the life out of even the greatest of travel experiences. This score is to reflect just how much you can avoid this. But. . . The score also takes into account if the crowds actually add to the experience, such as with a party town or a bustling local market
2
World famous
How world famous is the experience?
8
unique
How hard is it to have a similar experience in other places round the world?
5
Overall TE Score
The overall travel experiences score:  fun factor + avoid the crowds + (best of nature or culture) + (best of world famous or unique). Then convert into a score out of 100
42 *What the scores mean and where do they come from
RANKING
How this travel experience ranks compared to all the other experiences on this site, based on the travel experience (te) score
411th/457
Bottom 10%
continent
North America
country
Mexico
Length of time
1 day or less
Typical daily price
This gives you a rough idea of the daily price based on 2 people travelling where they can split costs like accommodation. It excludes travel there and back, and factors in inflation the numbers in brackets show the price range for the full time of the experience (so not necessarily daily). It is a range to reflect different budget vs higher end
$150 (typically $100 - $200)
Time of year visited
June
Primary Tags
Click on any of the tags to see all travel experiences with the same tag
Beaches Partying / Lash
All Tags
Wow Factor
Two scores: first is the wow factor which ranges from ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ to ⭐️, and a separate category for the truly "gash". The second is the more analytical travel experience score, which considers 6 varied criteria to give an overall score out of 100.
Gash

Summary

Heard a lot about Cancun, and was keen to hit it hard with some apoco-lash (translation – go out and party, drink a lot etc), but was really disappointed in the end.

The main problem is it is more on the package holiday end of the spectrum than the unique adventure end, and the all-inclusive nature of the resorts mean. you miss out on the moving from bar to bar vibe.  This may sound like lofty expectations for what is effectively a party town, but if you compare it to the likes of the Mediterranean or South East Asia party towns, it’s just not as much fun.

You’ll spend the majority of your time in one all-inclusive hotel and go to one venue per night, which is also all-inclusive.  Separate hotels won’t let you buy individual drinks (need to pay for the full package), which kind of rules out most of the rooftop bars too.

Maybe I’m getting old, but I’d give it a miss.  Nice beach though and obviously a platform to go exploring the likes of Chichen Itza, Scuba Diving in crystal clear Cozumel), Isla Mujeres and Tulum with its Mayan Ruins of Tulum and bucket-list Cenote diving.

If do stay in Cancun, we found the Casa Tortugas Boutique Hotel really nice and well located to the Hotel Zone.

Travel tips for the Yucutan

 

Safety – we felt safe at all times.  The violence that is happening in so many other unfortunate areas of the country has thankfully not spread to this part of Mexico.  The same as in your home country cities, use common sense and you should be fine.

Note on the sargassum (seaweed) – unfortunately the beaches in this part of Mexico have been hit hard over the past years by strong blooms of sargassum (with varying theories as to why).  Have a quick research before you go as to how strong the bloom is and the approach the place you’re staying has to dealing with it because it really does change the vibe of the place.  The large hotels have armies of staff removing it from their beaches, but the surrounding areas don’t and so the mounds of sargassum will dominate your beach experience both in terms of visually and the smell.

Ubers were abundant and the easiest way of getting around.

Don’t expect everything to be dirt cheap.  This part of Mexico has some world famous attractions and is a natural destination for many tourists from the US, so prices reflect this.

What to prioritise.  I would think about the Yucutan like this:

  • World class and must experience: the wonder of the world Chichen Itza and, if a scuba diver, the cenotes in Tulum
  • Really nice: Isla Mujeres and Scuba diving in Cozumel
  • If have time: Exploring the Mayan ruins of Tulum
  • Avoid: Cancun
  • Consider as a side trip: the wonders of Tikal in Guatemala and the relaxing beach life of Caye Caulker in Belize

Experiences nearby

Wow Factor Score Two scores: first is the wow factor which ranges from ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ to ⭐️, and a separate category for the truly "gash". The second is the more analytical travel experience score, which considers 6 varied criteria to give an overall score out of 100. LowHigh
  • Elite, unmissable
  • World-class, downsides
  • Meets the Wow Factor
  • Worth it
  • Meh
  • Gash

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Score Detail

The scores above are the real point of this site.

Over 20+ years and 100+ countries, I’ve tried to rank the world’s best travel experiences - from genuinely mind-blowing ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to the properly gash.

Every one of the 500+ places on this site has both a Wow Factor rating and a more analytical Travel Experience (TE) score based on the things that actually make travel memorable.

If you're curious about the thinking behind it, head to the About page.

Otherwise, explore the map above or on the Home page and see which places truly deliver maximum wow.

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