In short
Cancún did not exist before 1970: it is a resort planned by the Mexican state on an empty sandbar. The hotel zone and the city where residents live are two separate worlds.
Its interest lies mainly in being the gateway to the Yucatán: Chichén Itzá, Tulum, Valladolid, Holbox and the cenotes are all within three hours.
What it really costs
The hotel zone runs on dollars and North American prices. Downtown, fifteen minutes away by bus, costs half as much for the same thing.
ADO buses link the whole Yucatán from the central bus station, comfortably and cheaply. Hiring a car is only useful for remote cenotes.
What nobody tells you
Sargassum, a brown seaweed, washes up in quantity on the Caribbean coast from April to August. Some beaches are covered in it and the smell is strong. Daily monitoring reports exist and are worth checking.
Hurricane season runs from June to November, peaking in September and October. It is also the low season for prices, and the trade-off is made knowingly.
Taxis in the hotel zone have no meter and charge several times the bus fare. The price is agreed before you get in.
