Cancun, MX—CUN-Beautiful beaches w/ turquoise waters but surf is wavy & undertow can be strong along the hotel zone strip. Easy to access destination due to many daily flights. Lots to choose from for all types of customers and very good value for the dollar.  All-Inclusive is highly recommended and offered at almost every resort. Remind guests not to drink the water.

Areas:
Akumal (1 hour south of CUN)
Maroma Beach (35-40 mins south of CUN) & Playa Del Carmen (40-45 mins south of CUN)
Playa Mujeres 20 mins north of CUN
Riviera Cancun: 25 mins south of CUN
Tulum 75 mins south of CUN

Adults Only All Inclusive High End:

• El Dorado Maroma & Palafitos -  First thing that sticks out is the amount of room categories this resort has, there are several to choose from. Including swim up terrace suites to the overwater palafitos.
• Excellence Playa Mujeres - beach is okay- swim up access, which means step out onto patio, walk out onto grass, step into swimout. Tons of repeat business, the service is good. Price-matching issues with Expedia.
• LeBlanc - stands out for its gorgeous white-sand beach in the heart of the Hotel Zone, swim-up bars which are open until 11 pm, butlers & pool attendants. Restaurant menu options are included on the room service menu for room service junkies.  Very quiet resort/spa like environment.
• Secrets Maroma - great beach, boring at night for some. The swim outs do not connect to swim up bar, correct? It has been 4 years since i have seen it.  Gazebo is beautiful for destination wedding  groups.
• Unico  It’s a boutique resort, all of the rooms are ocean view with butler service. This is one of the only all inclusive resorts that has a separate kitchen for each individual restaurant with a chef that specializes in each type of cuisine. They even have a rotating celebrity chef year round. There are specific mixology menus for each restaurant to pair with the food on each menu. They even include non alcoholic pairings but who needs those, LOL? Everything from the straw hats in your room, artwork throughout the resort, hand painted wine glasses, etc. are all made by local artisans. They really try to keep a traditional but luxurious Mexican feel to the resort. The rooms are beautiful and have a tub on your balcony. When you check in you will pick what aromatherapy scent you want in your room. You can pick your own scented handmade soap for your room, as well as bath salts for the tub. One night while at dinner, I ordered my bath to be drawn with specific salts for when I got back from dinner.  Another thing about this resort is that they INCLUDE unlimited spa services, golf and select sightseeing tours (25% service fee applies)..

Adults Only All Inclusive Mid Range:

• Beloved Resort (intimate, boutique)
• Breathless Riviera Cancun – offers a unique layout with different atmospheres, spend your time relaxing on the beach or poolside, or laugh and celebrate all night at the weekly themed parties.
• El Dorado Royale & Casitas - beach is not great - they do have these huge blocks in the ocean that will eventually settle down into the water, acting as a barrier protecting the beach, but they are an eyesore. Delicious food, larger property, large as in need to hop on and off the golf carts to get around. Find yourself a golf cart buddy you can introduce to your clients on whatsapp once on property. Casita’s are in the shape of the letter “U” facing the ocean. Each have a swim up pool bar. The Casita’s  each have the outdoor showers, are walking distance from room to the beach. Some of them have swim outs, where you walk out of the room onto a patio and can swim to the bar. There are also swim outs on the second floor called infinity swimout.
• El Dorado Seaside Suites - Oceanfront Jacuzzi Swimout suites, 90 minutes from Cancun airport
• Excellence Riviera Cancun - excellent cheesecake - good beach, swimout rooms are not actual swim outs, more like step outside, walk a couple of feet and then step into swimout.
• Hyatt Zilara - Has an on-site chapel that includes giant glass windows overlooking the Caribbean Sea. The rooms have large balconies, a plus for those ocean lovers. The resort offers a luxurious pool since the waves at the beach can often be too strong to swim in. Nightly entertainment on the property ends by 11pm at this resort.
• Iberostar Grand Paraiso - adults only and very nice
• Live Aqua - good food, great beach, pool area is fun, quiet at night.
• Secrets Akumal Turtle lovers heaven. Responsible sea turtle releases (during season), beautiful beach.
• Secrets Capri - Beach is good. lead in category rooms include concierge, which is more like an upgraded front desk at best. help me on this Kim! Live Aqua offers more in the same price range.
• Secrets Playa Mujeres - Great beach, Dj at nightclub daily (which is better than most AM properties). Golfers have free access to Greg Norman Golf course- great beach, fun property.
• Secrets The Vine is located on the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula. Wine is a huge inspiration to the resort! Guests can book a wine tasting with a sommelier and sample some of the 3000 bottles on offer. Has a great beach.
• Sun Palace - expansive beach, extravagant nightlife options. Largest whirlpool tub and includes a majestic 2-story waterfall. The resort is directed more towards couples, as every room comes with 1 king size bed.  There is complimentary transportation to Moon Palace Cancun twice daily, with full access to all amenities at the sister resort.

• Turquoize Hyatt Ziva – this is inside the Hyatt, In a concierge service beachfront tower where each room features its own balcony hot tub and floor-to-ceiling showers within. Guests have access to free round-trip airport transfers. Resort tower offers ocean views from every room, you can see the ocean from each room shower. Great service at the pool, food trucks serve awesome snacks that include shrimp and steak kabobs.

Adults Only All Inclusive:  Budget

• Ocean Maya Royale- lobby bar serves food and drink 24/7 - quiet property
• RIU Palace Las Americas -  Within walking distance to downtown Cancun. Offers complimentary sunfish sailing, snorkeling, hobie cats, and windsurfing. All guests have complimentary exchange privileges with three other sister RIU properties nearby. Food is mediocre at best, their trying to get better at this.
• Hilton Playa del Carmen - beach is small, not much to do at night - little to no entertainment

Family Friendly High End:

• Grand Velas Riviera Maya - Gourmet food, exceptional service, upgraded rooms and amenities, top shelf liquor, sophisticated properties. 491 suites in three different buildings (two family-friendly, one adults-only), all with their own pool complexes, gyms, and restaurants. It takes a three-minute shuttle ride from the farthest building to the beach. Known for their huge rooms, spotless service, outstanding food, luxurious spa, and wonderful amenities. Definitely for luxury end clients. Not too much to do at night.
• The Grand at Moon Palace Rooms are not on the beach, there is a huge waterpark near the family connecting rooms, so let your clients know this. Tons of activities on this large property, like indoor bowling center. Beach is not the best. Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf course that includes food and beverage. Excellent kids club and restaurants.  Guests staying at Moon Palace can only use this property if they've purchased a day pass.
• Hotel Xcaret Higher end costs, could be Deluxe Family or Adults vacation. This is a massive, 900-room eco-minded, upscale all-inclusive resort. Has a plethora of on-site features and free access to area parks. Expansive grounds house several pools, stunning architecture utilizing natural rock, 10 restaurants, eight bars, a kids' club, and swish spa. Kayaks are available to weave through a river, YES I SAID RIVER. Gorgeous rooms have local decor, jetted tubs and separate showers, comfy beds, and furnished terraces with hammocks. There are a few are exclusive dining options that are catered to certain guests or require an extra fee.
• Zoetry Paraiso 90-room, luxury boutique on the beach. Private chauffeured airport transfers and a round of golf. Kids are welcome. There's a large outdoor pool, plus a Thalassotherapy center offering seawater treatments. All rooms are oceanfront suites. The calm atmosphere here is geared mainly to couples and adults, so there are no activities for kids

Family Friendly Mid Range:

• Azul Beach Resort Riviera Cancun (formerly known as Azul Sensatori Riviera Maya) family friendly adult section - large honeymoon suites, Le Chique dining option costs extra $ and is 12-course, beach is just okay, lazy river is for preferred club guests only
• Margaritaville Island Reserve-Boutique resort for couples or families with younger children
• Dreams Playa Mujeres - great beach, note that you have to book preferred club in order to use the lazy river
• Dreams Riviera Cancun On a big white-sand beach, a 20-minute drive from the airport
• Dreams Tulum - 90 minutes from the airport, needs some renovating in the rooms. A new pool is being constructed at this time. Staff is great, they have all been there for some time- moderate buget
• Finest
• Generations Riviera Maya - next to the El Dorado Casita Suites & El Dorado Royale (Also soon the Nickelodeon resort) Like their adult properties, the ocean is not the nicest with the large blocks in the water to protect the beach. There is a large chapel on site for weddings, steps go down onto the beach. They have swimout suites on all floors! But not all one, two & 3 bedrooms suites offer the swimout feature. Great for larger families. Dining options are slim with 3 choices, activities are limited at times for those staying for 4 nights or longer. Especially for those kids between 11-17. 18 and older can go over to the adult properties.
• Hard Rock Cancun - Great beach, tons of activities both for adults and in the kids areas. Food is typical for Hard Rock - mediocre. For older children & more “entertaining,”
• Hard Rock Riviera Maya Family resort (Hacienda Section) with Adults only section (Heaven). Man-made, lagoon-facing beach in Puerto Aventuras.  Lots of activities for families, great for groups, Woodward and Heaven night club.
• Hyatt Ziva Cancun Kids club with large play area, water PLAY area, not a water park. Does have an adults-only infinity pool. The resorts onsite team can execute a great event for groups such as incentive & destination weddings, they are onsite.  Offers a unique cliffside wedding gazebo with panoramic views of the Caribbean Sea.
• Moon Palace Golf & Resort Spa (not to be confused as The Grand at Moon, but sits on same property) Great for Golfers, many destination wedding location options. Beaches are not the best. You book into room category – that will help with location of rooms.  Golf cart required to reach the other buildings in the hotel as well as the golf and main spa section
• The Fives- Located in Playa del Carmen, a 20-minute drive north of 5th Avenue. Has large suites with kitchenettes and up to three bedrooms. Archery to rock climbing for adults.  No Nickelodeon products like other Karisma properties, spread out property, but nice villas.

Family Friendly Budget:

• Iberostar Cancun - nice family with new adults only Beach Tower area
• Iberostar Paraiso Maya - huge/nice family
• Now Jade rooms are larger for families. beach is not the best but not horrible. considered chic higher end
• Now Sapphire has a nice beach
• Panama Jack Gran is smack center in Cancun’s legendary hotel zone. Includes mini golf and a waterpark for little ones, a nightly luau.  Might be better suited for adults then families do to size of the rooms. No swim up pool bars on this property.
• RIU Palace Dunmar - good beach, just okay food, staff friendly, small water park with a couple of waterslides. (Note, no room service, no coffee makers, bring own shampoo & conditioner).
• Riu Palace Riviera Maya is probably the nicest - in Playacar
• Riu Palace Peninsula is in marina area of cancun

Luxury EP Properties:

• Rosewood Mayakoba
• Nizuc
• Fairmont Mayakoba
• Banyan Tree Mayakoba
• Andaz Mayakoba
• Vicerory Riviera Maya

Tulum:

• Be Tulum (If you can't find through preferred TOs, then try Classic)
• Kore Tulum (adults only)
• Dreams Tulum (all inclusive)
• ​Jashita
• Casa Malca
• ​Azulik

Tours/Excursions: zip lining, snorkeling through cenotes, horseback riding, Mayan Ruins of Chichen Itza and Coba, Tulum, Shopping, ATV rentals, swim with dolphin. Eco parks:  Xcaret, Xelha, etc. Refer to your agency’s preferred DMC for booking engines for availability.
NOTE FOR EXCURSION Definitely offer Holbox as a day trip or even night stay there.