Best Cancun Hotels

AOL PICK from our Editors

Cancun’s best hotels come in a wide variety of options. There’s the reserved luxury of the Ritz-Carlton, stylish design hotels like Aqua and ME Cancun, and an ample number of all-inclusives that include food and drink with the cost of lodging. High-rises dominate the Hotel Zone, while the cheaper joints tend to be up the road closer to El Centro. While you're likely to spend at least a couple of days chilling by the pool or beach at your hotel, you're also likely to spend a lot of time away from the property on day trips. So keep that in mind when deciding if you really need an all-inclusive hotel. Also, to avoid an ugly surprise upon checkout, be careful to note before booking exactly what is covered and what is extra. There are a lot of good deals in Cancun, so aim higher rather than lower—you may just find yourself paying 3-star prices at a 5-star hotel.

Live Aqua Cancun

Neighborhood: Hotel Zone Price Range: Expensive

The former Fiesta American Grand Aqua was reborn after Hurricane Wilma as this stylish 371-room design hotel. The decor is spare, Zen-modern, and calming scents are wafted through the large, open lobby with cream marble flooring. The two restaurants are overseen by celebrity chefs Michelle Bernstein (of Michy’s fame in Miami) and Marta Ortiz (of Aguila y Sol in Mexico City), and AKA lounge serves 60 brands of tequila and a handful of mescals. The spa uses many local ingredients (chocolate, pumpkin), has a temascal just outdoors (the Mexican version of a North American sweat lodge) and offers Watsu, among other treatments.

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The Ritz-Carlton, Cancun

Neighborhood: Hotel Zone Price Range: Expensive

Long considered Cancun’s best resort, competition from newly designed hotels has left the 365-room R-C seeming a little dated. The rooms are kind of beigey-blah, but they couldn't be more comfortable and you won’t find better service anywhere. You can get outdoor massages in a beachside cabana, and one of our favorites is a romantic dinner at night in a private beach casita. The Club Grill, a Cancun institution, features jazz and a small dance floor.

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ME Cancun

Neighborhood: Hotel Zone Price Range: Expensive

Starkly modern suites with chocolate accents (and all the bells and whistles, like flat-screens and DVD) have a masculine feel. That is no surprise in this hotel, where the Rose Bar and Beach House are run by Rande Gerber’s group, and the lad’s mag, Maxim, has given its name to Maxim Beach. The Rose Bar has banquettes, beds and gauzy dividing curtains, with a wall of windows framing ocean views. The all-suite resort has two restaurants, Salt, serving Mediterranean fare, and Silk Asian Bistro, serving Asian fusion, sushi and teppanyaki. It sounds like a resort strictly for whippet-thin singles, but it’s actually a family-friendly place.

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La Amada Hotel

Neighborhood: La Amada Residences Price Range: Moderate

This new 109-suite resort 7 miles north of Cancun has much to recommend it, but it doesn’t have the Cancun Hotel Zone’s glorious beaches. The water here is sapphire, not turquoise, and the beach tends to be covered in seaweed each morning. That said, it’s peaceful and secluded, close to golf, 40 percent of the suites have private plunge pools, and terrace suites are steps from the pool (you can practically swim home). You get a lot of bang for your buck here—wonder of wonders, the Wi-Fi is complimentary, as is an ample continental breakfast.

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CasaMagna Marriott Cancun Resort

Neighborhood: Hotel Zone Price Range: Moderate

This is a big, reliable, middle-of-the-road resort that’s especially great for folks traveling with kids. There’s nothing particularly noteworthy about the room decor—it’s kind of old-fashioned standard-issue hotel—but the rooms are immaculate and comfortable, and the service is practiced and prompt. A little bonus: The hotel is right next to its more-upscale sister, the JW Marriott, and all its facilities. There are a handful of restaurants, including an Argentine steakhouse, Japanese teppanyaki, and Thai, as well as coffee shops and poolside dining. You can choose various levels of service, including all-inclusive.

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Gran Melia Cancun

Neighborhood: Hotel Zone Price Range: Moderate

This 700-room Spanish chain hotel has five buildings slanted to resemble pyramids. The soaring atrium lobby is a definite wow-factor, but is made more intimate by hanging vines. The Melia group is known for its all-inclusives, and that’s an option here, although you can still get a standard room by itself, which falls into the budget category. There’s also a higher level, Royal Service, which has its own pyramid building, lobby and pool. The YHI Spa has a hydrotherapy section, and you can choose between Mexican, Mediterranean and Sushi restaurants.

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Hacienda Punta Sam

Neighborhood: Hotel Zone Price Range: Budget

This 42-room way-budget hotel is without frills. There’s no TV, no phone and you basically come here to go to bed. But then again, Cancun is the kind of place where you're unlikely to spend much time in your room anyway. The hotel has lots of Mexican character, and rooms include a continental breakfast. The beach is not very attractive, but you can practically fall out the front door and onto the ferry for Isla Mujeres. If even the least-expensive Hotel Zone resorts are out of your budget, this is the best of the budget (as low as $50) choices.