MapChick "Can-Do" maps & travel guides

The finest Cancun-area maps and travel guides

Each area of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula has its own unique atmosphere and ambiance.
• Cancun is a busy, modern tourist resort. The beautiful beaches are lined mostly with large hotels, and only a few beach clubs. Malls, open-air shopping plazas, and nightclubs provide evening entertainment.
• Playa del Carmen stands in sharp contrast to Cancun. It also has beautiful, wide beaches, but they are lined mostly with small hotels and public beach clubs. You can stroll the beach and stop for a drink anywhere along the way (an atmosphere we personally prefer over the endless rows of large hotels).
• Laura's favorite place to spend a week is the small island of Isla Mujeres just off the coast of Cancun. Beautiful North is a strip of sand protected from the pounding surf, and lined with small beach clubs. Evening entertainment is a stroll along the main pedestrian-only street lined with restaurants, small bars, and souvenir shops.
• The Riviera Maya is a slice of paradise where you'll find most of the sprawling, all-inclusive resorts. This is also where most of the adventure tours and small resort cities are located.
• Cozumel is famous for its amazing coral reefs. The island is also a major cruise ship destination—by day downtown is filled with shoppers, and the beach clubs are busy. At night, after the ships depart, small restaurants and bars entertain guests staying on the island.