This section is dedicated to take away all your "I wish someone had told me that before I went!" experiences. This way, you can spend less time settling in, and more time making new friends in your chosen hostel.
Famous as a spring-break destination and for the great influx of American tourists wanting a taste of the Caribbean lifestyle, Cancún is much more than the all-inclusive-resort paradise it's famous for being!
The city is informally divided into two different areas. The first one is downtown, where the locals live and that feels like any other regular Mexican city, with streets full of life, Mexican food counters, and traffic with buses full of hospitality-industry-employed locals. The other one is the glamorous "zona hotelera," or hotel zone. The hotels are lined up on a strip of land bordered by blue waters and white sands. Most accommodation options in this area are massive, all-inclusive resorts surrounded by a few clubs that offer an alternative for nights out for those tourists wanting to take a vacation from their resort.
Downtown, though, is where the budget hostels in Cancún and guesthouses with more of a family and local taste are. If you are on a budget, head downtown for accommodation and food and to the hotels area during the day to enjoy the paradise-like beaches. Contrary to what most people believe, Cancun is not an exclusive destination for the wealthy ones and you can really get around without spending much, if you know where to go!
No matter where you decide to spend your nights, all beaches in Cancún are public and although sometimes the big resorts can block the view from the street toward the ocean, you can access them through walkways with pointing boards with each beach's name on it.
Written by local expertz for Cancún
zararock
