Cancun Hotels

Zona Arqueológica El Rey
In the Zona Hotelera, these Maya ruins contain a small temple in addition to several ceremonial platforms. Although the site is not especially impressive, it's still worth a look if only to spy on the sun-seeking iguanas. Kids find these ruins particularly appealing because they are compact and easy to explore, and the local iguana population will readily eat out of bread-bearing little hands.

Playa Langosta
In the middle of the north end of Zona Hotelera, Playa Langosta is a gem of a place for swimming. Facing Bahía de Mujeres, the beach is coated with Cancún's signature powdered coral sand and the waters are quite shallow, making it good for snorkeling. If you've had enough of the water there are lots of beach restaurants and bars.

Restaurant El Pescador
Many locals insist this place offers the best seafood in town. It's definitely popular, and you will most likely have to wait for a table. Traditional Mexican dishes are also served, and are considerably less expensive than the seafood fare.

Dady'O
Dady'O is one of Cancún's hottest dance clubs and attracts loads of twenty-somethings with its latin, house, techno, trance and hip-hop beats. The elaborate setting is a five-level black-walled faux cave with a two-level dance floor and zillions of laser beams and strobes.

Restaurant 100% Natural
Two branches of this health-food restaurant chain (the other is in Plaza Kukulcán) serve fresh and frothy blended juice - a wide selection of yogurt-fruit-vegetable combinations - and pasta, fish and chicken dishes.

Roots
Features jazz, reggae or rock bands and the occasional flamenco guitarist. Roots is a full-menu restaurant as well as a club, serving pasta, salads, seafood and meat dishes. Thursday seems to be the best night for catching nice tunes with a crowd.

Restaurant Río Nizuc
About as close to sea level as a restaurant can be, this breezy hole in the wall, er, wharf is at the end of a short, nameless road at the edge of a mangrove-flanked channel. Octopus, conch and fish are served in various ways - fried with garlic or ceviche (raw)- and the beer is cheap. Get there early; it closes when the fish is gone.

Museo INAH
At this archaeological museum, most of the items - including jewelry, masks and intentionally deformed skulls - are from the postclassic period (AD 1200-1500). There's also part of a classic-period hieroglyphic staircase (inscribed with dates from the 6th century) and the stucco head that gave the local archaeological zone its name of El Rey (the King).

Coco Bongo
This club is a favorite with spring breakers - it's often a featured venue for MTV spring-break coverage. The party starts early with live entertainment (celebrity impersonators, clowns, acrobats) and continues all night with live music and dancing (on the floor, on the stage, on the tables, on the bar...)

Isla Mujeres Turtle Farm
Several species of sea turtle lay eggs in the sand along the island's calm western shore. Although they are officially an endangered species, sea turtles are still killed throughout Latin America for their eggs and meat, which are considered a delicacy. In the 1980s efforts by a local fisherman led to the founding of Isla Mujeres Tortugranja, which protects the turtles' breeding grounds and places wire cages around their eggs to protect against predators.

Playa Delfines
Delfines is about the only beach with a public car park; unfortunately, its sand is coarser and darker than the exquisite fine sand of the more northerly beaches. On the upside, the beach has great views, there are some nearby Maya Ruins to check out and, as the last beach along the boulevard, it is rarely crowded. Heed the signs regarding swimming conditions as undertows are common here.