Mambos, Mai Tais, and Museums: Your Beginner’s Guide to Cancun Gabby Teaman June 2, 2023 Destinations, International Travel, South America, Travel Guide Cancun – Home to beaches, resorts, nightclubs, and more. It’s no wonder that this Mexican city is one of the most popular destinations in the world! You can sip piña coladas by the pool and do the mambo at a dance hall. Want to escape the dancing crowds? Go exploring among the artistic and cultural heritage sites of the greater Yucatan Peninsula. The choice is yours when you visit a vibrant getaway like Cancun, Mexico. Playa Tortugas You can’t visit Cancun without spending some quality time on its white sand beaches! Playa Tortugas is far from your only option in this regard, but at this beach you’ll be able to avoid the crowds of more popular and tourist-y shores. Additionally, the water is known for being quite calm and mild. So it’s a great place to take the kiddos. Did we mention that it’s also free? Some beaches in Cancun charge for amenities like private access and parking, but this isn’t one of them. If you’re looking for nice, relaxed, and budget-friendly summertime destinations in Mexico, Playa Tortugas is among the best beaches to visit in Cancun. El Rey Dating back to 1200 CE, El Rey is a site of ancient Mayan ruins. This spot offers all kinds of sightseeing opportunities in the form of murals, burial mounds, and half-crumbled temples and plazas. Despite being a place of immense history, however, you don’t have to trek to faraway plateaus. El Rey is located right in the heart of Cancun’s Hotel Zone. You could swing by, snap some photos, and be back at the bar sipping a Mai Tai by lunch! Related: Bring Your Sophisticated Palate to Cancun and Enjoy Mexican Wine Coco Bongo You could spend all night soaking in the glitz and glam of Cancun’s nightlife district. But why travel to different bars and clubs when you can experience it all at Coco Bongo? Considered the spot for a good time after the sun goes down, Coco Bongo offers a lot more than just a dance floor with a DJ. You can enjoy acrobats, light shows, conga lines, go-go dancers, bubbles, confetti, lasers, and more. On some nights, you’ll get to see live bands. On other nights, you can sing your heart out with some karaoke. Some nights are structured with themes such as costume parties, others are free-for-alls of fun. No matter what type of night you have at the Coco Bongo, it’s sure to be memorable. Don’t forget to bring your best dancing shoes. The Underwater Museum of Art The Museo Subacuatico de Arte, or The Underwater Museum of Art, is exactly what it sounds like: a collection of sculptures found under the sea. It’s accessible only by snorkelers and scuba divers. So you’ll need to be willing to get wet to see the art. But the payoff will be an incredible experience that you won’t find anywhere else. Hundreds of sculptures of all shapes and sizes are arranged for your aquatic exploration. By visiting, you’ll also be supporting a good cause. The museum was built to protect coral reef formations by diverting tourists away from the more heavily visited diving spots. You’ll have fun seeing these underwater marvels while supporting the local environment as well. It’s truly the best of both worlds! Tulum Beach The first thing to know about Tulum Beach is that the name is a bit of a misnomer. Tulum is actually several destinations rolled into one. And they aren’t all beaches! Tulum itself is a small, laid-back coastal town where the shops and bars are all run by locals. There’s also the Tulum ruins, which date back to the Mayans. Additionally, there are multiple coastlines where you can soak up the sun or go fishing for supper. If you’re willing to travel a little outside of Tulum, you can also wander through lush and biodiverse jungle environments such as the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve. You can tour the scenic lagoons and learn more about the surrounding ecosystems. You can also see turtles, dolphins, and other marine life when you go for a snorkeling tour. Chichen Itza Last but not least, you simply have to glimpse the wonders of Chichen Itza before you leave Cancun. A designated UNESCO World Heritage Site, Chichen Itza contains some of the most recognizable Mayan structures in the world. When you visit, you’ll get to see the ruins of a pyramid that once served as a temple to the serpent god Kukulkan. Other notable sightseeing spots include stone facades and staircases and walls bearing ancient hieroglyphics. You’ll learn a lot during a trip to Chichen Itza. And, you’ll walk away with some truly incredible selfies to boot. Did we leave anything off the list? Give us more Cancun ideas in the comments section below!
