Is Traveling to Cancun Worth It? Consideration by a Local Expat

Cancun is a popular tourist destination, which could be both a positive or a negative thing, and you might wonder if traveling there is worth it. No one will argue that Cancun is beautiful. I have been living there for more than 13 years for a reason. 🙂

It has fantastic beaches and turquoise water right next to a lush jungle. But some people view Cancun as a crowded, overly touristy destination, and that’s true as well.

Cancún was built for tourism, and it offers great amenities and activities; however, for some people, it lacks an authentic Mexican feel. This is undeniable, too, but there are many other reasons why Cancun is worth visiting.

In this post, I will share a list of pros and cons to help you decide whether traveling to Cancun is worth it. Let’s start!

Is traveling to Cancun worth it? Pros

A lot of people think so! The government reports that Cancun had over 9 million international visitors last year! For many people, Cancun is the ultimate vacation destination and they keep returning to the area year after year. Below are the top reasons to visit Cancun:

1. Top-notch hotels and accommodations

There are almost 100 hotels just in the Cancun hotel zone, so you can find your dream accommodation. Cancun has everything from family-friendly, affordable, all-inclusive to luxury resorts.

Depending on your budget and preferences, you can enjoy butler services, private pools, and much more. 

The accommodations in Cancun are modern and have everything you need for a great vacation. Some tropical destinations will lack hot water and high-speed internet services, but not Cancun.

With numerous choices for travelers, hotels and resorts in Cancun continually add new features and services. 

2. Beautiful beaches

Whether you love Cancun or not, no one can deny that it has amazing beaches. The long stretches of the beach have white sand next to crystal-clear water. Depending on the day and sunlight, the water takes on amazing blue and turquoise colors.  

It is easy to access the beach in Cancun. There are many ocean-front hotels, or if you are staying downtown, you can easily get to the public beaches.

The beaches along the northern part of the hotel zone are protected and have calm water that is perfect for families and swimming.

The water along the southern part of the hotel zone can be rough, and the lifeguards will tell you where to avoid getting in. 

You will find a variety of beach clubs, restaurants, and bars along the beach in Cancun. Or, if you prefer, you can pack a cooler and find a spot to relax on the beach.

You can also rent beach chairs and umbrellas at the most popular public beaches, so you have everything you need for the day. 

3. Great Weather

One of the best things about Cancun is that you can enjoy its beauty all year round! The dry season runs from November until April, and during this time, you can expect consistently great weather.

It is the tropics, so there is always a chance of passing rain showers, but the weather is generally sunny with highs in the 80s. The daily highs will still reach the 80s, with more relaxed but comfortable evenings.

The water temperature hardly ever drops below 78 degrees, so you can enjoy the ocean all year round. 

The months of May to October are the rainy season, but this does not mean the weather is bad! These months are hotter and more humid.

There is a greater chance of rain. In fact, short but strong afternoon rain is very common. Despite this, the rain usually passes quickly, and the sun comes out. 

All in all, it is always a good time to visit Cancun.

4. Unlimited options for activities

There is a lot more to do in Cancun than relax on the beach! You can spend your vacation lounging on the beach if you want, but if you need more action during your vacation, do not worry. Cancun has tons of great activities to choose from. 

If you love spending time in the water, you do not want to miss visiting MUSA, the Museo de Arte Subacuático de Cancún.

This man-made, artificial reef consists of hundreds of different sculptures sunk in a shallow, sandy area off the coast of Cancun. The structures were made of materials that attract coral growth, and you can now see corals, sponges, and lots of marine life there.

You can enjoy MUSA while snorkeling on the surface or take a beginner’s scuba diving class and see it up close! 

Another great water activity to do is visit a cenote! Cenotes are freshwater sinkholes or pools that connect to underground river systems.

Cenotes are unique to the Yucatan Peninsula and can be found all over the jungle outside of Cancun.

They have stalagmites and stalactites that have formed over centuries. You can enjoy these rock formations when you swim in the clear, refreshing water.

You can find all sorts of tours that will take you into the jungle to visit a cenote, or you can rent a car and set out on your own!

If you want a dose of adrenaline on your vacation, Cancun has plenty of adventure parks to satisfy you. These parks will take you into the jungle and get your heart pumping with ziplining and hanging bridges.

You will also be able to drive ATVs through jungle paths, with ascents and descents, and rocks to maneuver around. 

The turquoise water of Cancun is not just beautiful to look at. It is fun to play in, too! There are countless activities just off the coast of Cancun, including snorkeling and scuba diving.

A section of the second-largest barrier reef in the world runs along the coast of Cancun, making it a great place to snorkel and scuba.

The clear water makes seeing all the colorful corals and marine life easy. If you want to stay above the water, you can go parasailing, jet skiing, drive a two-person speedboat, or go on a luxury catamaran. 

5. Vibrant party & nightlife

Cancun has a reputation for being a great party spot. In recent years it has worked to build a more family-friendly image, but this has not taken away from the party atmosphere you can find.

Cancun has lively bars and nightclubs where you can party all day and night long. There is live music, DJs, and dancing, especially in the Hotel Zone.

6. The food is great

Cancun has excellent food and a bigger variety than you might expect. Cancun Restaurants offer all sorts of cuisine, from traditional Mexican flavors all over, but Cancun also has countless international cuisine options too.

Here, you can find everything from upscale steak restaurants to Italian and Asian cuisine, as well as tacos and ceviche.

You do not have to worry about getting tired of Mexican food during your visit; there are countless options. 

Most large resorts offer multiple restaurants serving a variety of cuisines. If you want to find authentic Yucatecan food, you can venture downtown into the markets and find cheap tacos and “antojitos’ ‘ which is the local term for “cravable” foods! 

7. Flights are convenient 

Cancun is a great tropical getaway because it is easy, and often cheap, to fly to. There are over 130 airports that have direct flights into Cancun, so there is a good chance you can easily fly there.

Many different airlines fly in and out of Cancun, including several budget airlines. Saving on airfares makes your entire trip way more affordable.

Once you arrive in Cancun, there are lots of transportation options to get you to your hotel and on the beach as fast as possible. You can pre-book private or shared shuttles, or save money and use public transportation.

The government has worked to make traveling to and from Cancun easy and affordable. 

Cancun Airport is also the best hub to get to many different destinations in the Yucatan Peninsula. Find your options here below.

8.  Easy access to popular sights

Cancun’s location on the Yucatan Peninsula makes it easy for you to leave your hotel and explore the jungle, Mayan Ruins, and other spots on the Riviera Maya. 

If you want to learn about the ancient Mayan civilization, you can visit several archeological sites.

Chichen Itza, where you will see the famous Kulkulkan pyramid, is only a few hours’ drive from Cancun. You can book a tour that makes your day trip there easy and often includes a visit to Valladolid, a nearby colonial city, and a cenote!

To the south of Cancun is Tulum, where you will find the only Mayan ruins that were built directly on the beach. These ruins served as a crossroads for the ancient Maya and have stunning ocean views in the background.

Coba is another nearby site of Mayan ruins. The Coba ruins include what archeologists believe were a series of settlements leading to the Yucatan’s tallest pyramid!

These ruins are only partially excavated and are in the middle of the dense jungle! 

In addition to Mayan ruins, there are several famous islands around Cancun. You can easily take a day trip to Isla Mujeres to visit its world-famous beaches.

Or, if you want to experience one of the most protected and pristine beaches in the area, you can go to Isla Contoy. You can easily explore the areas surrounding Cancun. 

The Cons of Traveling to Cancun

No place is perfect, including Cancun. While there are many great reasons to travel to Cancun, a few things prevent people from traveling there. Here is a list of the common complaints people have about Cancun

1. Too crowded

If your idea of a dream vacation is sitting on an empty tropical beach, Cancun is probably not the spot for you. It is the most visited city in Latin America, which means there are always people there.

The peak seasons are during Christmas and Easter holidays, when most hotels will be full.

If you plan to travel during this time, be sure to book your hotel and activities in advance, as they tend to fill up quickly. 

2. Highly commercialized

The Mexican government designed Cancun to be a major tourist destination. Before the 1970s, it was a small fishing village, and the government sought to capitalize on its stunning beaches to generate tourist revenue.

So, yes, it is very commercialized. By definition, Cancún was designed to generate revenue from tourists.

Cancún has evolved into a place where you can have a great time. There are countless activities to do, and everything is designed for tourists’ convenience, but it will all come at a price.

You will constantly find people trying to sell you goods and tours, which can be annoying. 

3. Lots of trash and seaweed on the coastline

You have seen pictures of beautiful white sandy beaches in Cancun, unfortunately, sometimes those pictures do not tell the real story of the seaweed and trash that can wash ashore. Since 2011, large quantities of sargassum, a brown algae, have washed onto the beaches from Brazil all the way to Florida, including Cancun and Quintana Roo.

This seaweed dries on the beach, leaving a path of brown seaweed to the water’s edge. The seaweed is often accompanied by pieces of plastic trash that were floating in the ocean.

Today, hotels and beach clubs work hard to remove sargassum from the beach. The summer is the worst season for seaweed and sometimes workers cannot remove it as fast as it arrives.

This can be a huge disappointment for people looking to spend their vacation lounging on the beach. 

In addition to the seaweed, people leave a lot of trash on the beach. The government cannot seem to keep up with the amount of litter on the beach.

Private hotels and restaurants will be cleaned before their business, but the rest of the beach can be littered with trash. 

4. Overpriced & Expensive (But not as expensive as Cabo)

If you think you will have a cheap vacation in Cancun because “everything is cheap in Mexico,” think again.

Prices in Cancun seem to be determined by what tourists will pay, not what services or goods would cost in the rest of the country.

This means that you will see prices that are very similar to what you would spend in the United States or Canada.

Compared to most of Mexico, Cancun’s meals and activities are more expensive. The one exception to this is Los Cabos, where everything is even more expensive! 

5. Mexican culture is not authentic

Mexico has a rich history and culture. Each area of the country has its own traditions, including local food and drinks. Cancun, as we know it, has been built over the last 50 years and brought tourists from all over the world.

It also attracted Mexicans from all over the country to move there for jobs in tourism. This has created a young, and often not as authentic, city and culture compared to the rest of the country.

Many people complain that Cancun sells what they think tourists want, not an authentic Mexican experience. 

However, if you want to experience the Mexican way, there are places in downtown Cancun that are closer to that.

6. The vendors can be “aggressive”

Most visitors to Cancun are not accustomed to salespeople shouting at them, trying to get them to come into their store, and other aggressive sales techniques.

Whether these vendors really believe this will increase sales or their bosses tell them to aggressively try to sell, it can be a bit much for some visitors.

The aggressive sales techniques are especially bad in tourist zones and with timeshare sellers. Just remember to politely say no, and then continue walking to get away from overly aggressive vendors.

7. Scams and Gringos

Tourists are notorious for experiencing a ‘vacation brain’ and not paying attention to currency rates, being overly trusting, and overlooking details when out and about.

Scammers view this as the perfect opportunity to exploit tourists by overcharging them, inventing additional “fees,” and generally taking advantage of them.

Vendors sell poor-quality merchandise or offer tours at elevated rates. As a tourist, you must be alert, familiar with the general prices of products, and cautious about who you do business with. 

This is a common sight in every touristy place in Mexico, not just in Cancun. So make sure you stay on the alert for that.

8. The beaches can be dangerous

Pictures of Cancun often show flat, calm water. This is the norm for parts of Cancun, but other parts can have strong currents and big waves.

Public beaches have a color-coded system to warn visitors about the water system, with the green flag being a day that is safe to get in the water and a red a day to avoid getting in.

Public beaches have lifeguards, but they cannot guarantee the safety of all visitors. Make sure to use caution when getting in the water. 

Many of Cancun’s beachgoers spend the day relaxing and drinking some beers in the sun. It is not common, but this can lead to heckling or fights on the beach.

There is a strong police presence in Cancun, but they cannot solve all the problems before they start. 

There are a lot of swimmable beaches in Cancun which you can read about in my detailed post.

Is it safe to travel to Cancun?

Yes, it is generally safe to travel to Cancun. Quintana Roo is not exempt from cartel-related crimes. These crimes typically do not affect tourists, but the media often sensationalizes the stories, causing people to panic. 

The Mexican government aims to maintain a safe environment for tourists. In March 2023 they announced increased surveillance and security operations in tourist zones. They are also restricting vacation rentals in areas they deem unsafe. 

As a visitor, there are several things you can do to keep yourself, including staying alert to your surroundings. Also, do not flaunt cash or expensive jewelry, and do not buy illegal drugs. 

Is traveling to Cancun worth it? Final Verdict

For some people, Cancun has a bad reputation. It is too crowded and not as authentic as other Mexican towns; however, after reading this post, I am sure you realized how beautiful Cancun there are to enjoy.

And that is why it remains one of Mexico’s premium tourist destinations. It is easy and relatively cheap to travel to Cancun, and once you arrive, the area is designed for tourists’ comfort.

There are numerous activities to help you have a great time, and you can’t beat the fantastic views of the white sandy beach and turquoise water.