img#mv-trellis-img-1::before{padding-top:66.666666666667%; }img#mv-trellis-img-1{display:block;}img#mv-trellis-img-2::before{padding-top:100%; }img#mv-trellis-img-2{display:block;}img#mv-trellis-img-3::before{padding-top:100%; }img#mv-trellis-img-3{display:block;}img#mv-trellis-img-4::before{padding-top:100%; }img#mv-trellis-img-4{display:block;}img#mv-trellis-img-5::before{padding-top:100%; }img#mv-trellis-img-5{display:block;}img#mv-trellis-img-6::before{padding-top:100%; }img#mv-trellis-img-6{display:block;}img#mv-trellis-img-7::before{padding-top:100%; }img#mv-trellis-img-7{display:block;}Cancun certainly isn’t Mexico’s most authentic destination, but there’s no denying it’s the country’s driving force for tourism. It is Americans’ favorite international getaway, after all…
As such, Cancuners have a hard time escaping the crowds, whether it be fighting for space at the swim-up bar, making reservations at a world-class spa, or simply finding the perfect spot to relax on one of many paradise beaches.
Travel experts at the Cancun Sun recently revealed the top 5 alternatives to escape the beach crowds with some names you may not know, but will surely fall in love with.
Oozing natural beauty, open space, and a sense of wild adventure not often claimed in Cancun, the following 5 tightlipped secrets are your best bet to level up your vacation with a sense of serenity instead of another foam party you didn’t ask for.
Travel Tip: Before diving in, make sure you take advantage of Travel Off Path’s latest travel tools including the new “Entry Requirement Checker”, “Mexico Vibe Matcher” and one you’ll surely love for this particular topic — the “Cancun Resort Finder“!
1) Isla Blanca: Escape To Virgin Sands
Cue Madonna, because if you’re one of those Cancun vacations that sticks to the Hotel Zone then you’ll need be begging to touch these virgin shores for the very first time!
Lying north of popular Isla Mujeres, Isla Blanca is a seemingly untouched peninsula, a unicorn for Cancun.
Stretching north of bustling downtown Cancun, Blanca serves as a wedge between Gulf and Caribbean waters. Obviously, the Caribbean side boasts gleaming white sands to enjoy with plentiful elbow room away from the masses.
Being away from the towering resorts, high winds offer great conditions for kitesurfing, but those seeking a calmer vibes will enjoy campsites and picnic areas before turning at nearby beach clubs.
Visitors should know unsightly sargassum may trickle in until seaweed season wraps up in August, but the 30-minute Uber is well worth it (though, you can find parking here if you have a rental car).
2) Playa Xcacel: Where You Are Turtle-y Enough For The Turtle Club
Playa Xcacel may have daily Wordle-ers like me wondering how to say such a name, but there’s no doubt this hidden gem south of Playa del Carmen is worth the trip.
Like the more notable day-trip destination Akumal, Playa Xcacel has a similar appeal with less notoriety.
Visitors will enjoy a protected nesting ground for green and loggerhead turtles from April to October, where you can snorkel pristine waters, spotting colorful aquatic life, or sprawl out on spacious shores like a starfish.
Reaching Xcacel is easiest by rental car. You won’t be able to ensure an Uber ride back, and as great as Castaway was, nobody really wants to hang out with a washed-up volleyball to bide time.
Xcacel is as bare bones as any Cancun region beach gets. Think toilets, showers, and a thatched welcome hut — that’s about it.
It’s pronounced “Ish-kah-sel”, by the way…
3) Punta Nizuc: The Hotel Zone’s Best Kept Secret
The Hotel Zone has secrets? Yep!
While resort pools and other beaches look like an ant farm from space, Punta Nizuc is a hidden slice of paradise along the southern tip of the Hotel Zone near km 25 of Kukulkan Blvd.
This public beach doesn’t receive much hype for reasons we at Travel Off Path don’t understand, but those in the know love the fact that there are few crowds, so you can experience snorkeling in calm, Caribbean blue waters where it’s all but guaranteed to spot parrotfish, rays, and soft, vibrant corals.
Parking here is free, but the location is feasible for an Uber too.
4) Playa Caracol: Cancun’s Most Convenient Beach Nobody Knows
“Snail Beach”, as it’s known, is super convenient to reach, yet somehow remains uncrowded, even on busy weekends.
Playa Caracol is located near the Xcaret ferry terminal, a popular drop-off point for the ferry (duh) and public buses R-1 and R-2.
Here, you’ll find beautiful stretches of white sand and knee-deep blue water to wade in without a care in the world.
There’s not a lot happening here except for an occasional passerby at either of the two docks, but that’s all part of the appeal.
5) Playa del Secreto: The Hidden Beach Living Up To Its Name
Set between Playa del Carmen and Puerto Morelos lies Cancun’s top Secreto…but there’s a reason why.
Secreto is not a public beach, but Cancun tourists can still visit the ‘soft sands, gentle Caribbean waves, and swaying palms’ as described by Cancun Sun by booking a villa in the gated community that protects these paradisal shores or a day pass from the beach club.
Otherwise, a half-mile hike from Highway 307 is your best bet, but that’s certainly no fun with a cooler full of Coronas!
Sam SearsSam, our Lead Writer & Journalist based in San Diego has visited 36 countries and written over 1000 articles with a focus on sharing his own travel experiences and shining a light on lesser-known gems.
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