Cancun and the turtles go way back. Every year from May to December, sea turtles come ashore on the same beaches as the sun loungers to lay their eggs. This year the city has counted 10,407 protected nests (most of them from green turtles).
None of the resorts on our list keeps animals in captivity, and three of them fence off the nests on their own sand.
So choosing between the best resorts in Cancun and the Riviera Maya comes down to pools, plates and a good bed. Our six run from a family all-inclusive in the Hotel Zone to a rooftop pool where nobody is under 18, with starting rates between $397 and $930.
Here are the six our editors would book.
Which Cancun resort suits you?
Families should book Grand Velas, or Coral Beach for the lower rate. Couples have ATELIER, Mousai and Live Aqua to choose from, and anyone who came for the mangroves and the reef should book NIZUC.
| Resort | Area | Adults only | All-inclusive | Rates from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NIZUC Resort & Spa | Cancun, under 15 minutes from the airport | No (Ocean Suites over-16s) | No | $726 |
| Grand Velas Riviera Maya | Playa del Carmen | No (adults-only pool for Grand Class) | Yes | $773 |
| ATELIER Playa Mujeres | Playa Mujeres | Over-16s | Yes | $706 |
| Hotel Mousai Cancun | Costa Mujeres | Over-18s | Yes | $930 |
| Live Aqua Cancun | Hotel Zone, Km 12.5 | Yes | Yes | $547 |
| Grand Fiesta Americana Coral Beach | Hotel Zone, Km 9.5 | No | Yes | $397 |
Done Mexico before? Puerto Rico makes a fine Caribbean alternative for the all-inclusive crowd, and our guide to the best all-inclusive resorts in Puerto Rico has the picks.
Which Cancun resorts are adults only?
Three of our six are adults only, and all three are all-inclusive. Hotel Mousai Cancun takes over-18s only, in 88 suites with a rooftop infinity pool in Costa Mujeres, and its rates start from $930. ATELIER Playa Mujeres takes over-16s, with 593 suites, the NUUP Spa and a Greg Norman golf course next door, from $706. Live Aqua Cancun is adults-only in the middle of the Hotel Zone, with a Blue Flag beach and a butler for Aqua Club guests, from $547.
Two more resorts keep a grown-up corner. At NIZUC, the Ocean Suites are kept for over-16s, though children are welcome in the rest of the resort. At Grand Velas, Grand Class guests have an adults-only pool, and there is a kids’ club and a teens’ club.
Do any Cancun resorts include animal parks or dolphin swims?
Yes. A stay at Hotel Xcaret Mexico or Hotel Xcaret Arte includes Grupo Xcaret’s parks, which keep jaguars on Jaguar Island, manatees in a lagoon, an aviary and a coral reef aquarium. Xel-Há, another of the group’s parks, sells dolphin swims at extra cost.
If you’d rather see the wildlife on its own terms, head north. Isla Holbox has kept its sand streets, and the whale sharks turn up from June to September (it made our list of the most beautiful islands in the world). And if the turtles have you hooked, Costa Rica’s best hotels put nature first, too.
What are the best 5-star resorts in Cancun?
We’d start with NIZUC. Forbes Travel Guide rates the hotel and its ESPA spa five stars. It has six restaurants under one executive chef and EarthCheck Gold, too. Grand Velas comes next: Forbes gives SE Spa five stars, and Cocina de Autor holds a Michelin star. ATELIER has four Forbes stars for the hotel and four for NUUP Spa. Over on the Pacific side, Montage Los Cabos looks out over the Sea of Cortez.
Plan around the turtles
The turtles nest on this coast from May to December, so that’s when we’d come. Book NIZUC, Grand Velas or Live Aqua and the nests are on your resort’s own sand, fenced off and looked after.
No. 1: NIZUC Resort & Spa
Fifteen minutes from the airport, NIZUC's 29 acres back onto protected mangroves and look out over the Mesoamerican Reef (the second largest coral reef in the world, if you're counting). There are 274 suites and private villas to choose from. Children are welcome, though the Ocean Suites are kept for over-16s. Book one of those if the trip is just the two of you.
Six restaurants share the grounds, all under executive chef Sylvain Desbois, and we'd happily eat our way from Ramona to Indochine to NI Peruvian. The spa was the first in the Mexican Caribbean to carry the ESPA name, and it comes with a thermal circuit. NIZUC isn't all-inclusive, so dinners come on top of rates from $726.
NIZUC nursed its mangroves back to health, and it now guards the turtle nests on its shore and helps the hatchlings on their way to the sea. It holds EarthCheck Gold, too.
- Location
- Cancun, Mexico
- Price
- $$$
No. 2: Grand Velas Riviera Maya
Grand Velas spreads across 212 acres of jungle, mangroves and cenotes, five minutes from Playa del Carmen and 35 from Cancun airport. Each of the 539 suites has its own terrace and plunge pool. Bring the children: there's a kids' club for ages 4 to 12 and a teens' club for 13 to 18, and Grand Class keeps an adults-only pool for when you need a break from both.
Cocina de Autor holds a Michelin star. SE Spa runs an eight-step water ceremony, and Forbes Travel Guide gives the spa five stars. It's all-inclusive, from $773.
The resort runs a sea turtle nesting project and has built an artificial reef. Tulum's cenotes are ticketed at industrial scale these days, and at Grand Velas the cenotes are in the resort's own jungle.
- Location
- Playa del Carmen, Mexico
- Price
- $$$
No. 3: ATELIER Playa Mujeres
ATELIER is an all-inclusive for over-16s, inside the gated Playa Mujeres estate and 30 km from the airport. Mexican creatives shaped its art and design, and the Inspira suites come with a swim-out or a plunge pool.
NUUP Spa runs to 3,600 m2, with 18 treatment cabins and a hydrotherapy circuit, and golfers have a Greg Norman 18-hole course next door. Rates start from $706, and the spa and the golf cost extra. At 593 suites it is a resort rather than a hideaway. It suits a couple who want a long spa day and a round of golf.
- Location
- Cancun, Mexico
- Price
- $$$
No. 4: Hotel Mousai Cancun
Mousai is strictly for over-18s. Its 88 suites and its rooftop infinity pool are on the Punta Sam road in Costa Mujeres, and the suites run from 947 to 2,187 sq ft.
Dinner at NOI is Italian, and the beach is cleared of sargassum every day. It's all-inclusive, and its $930 is the highest starting rate of the six. It's our honeymoon pick.
- Location
- Cancun, Mexico
- Price
- $$$
No. 5: Live Aqua Cancun
Live Aqua is adults-only and all-inclusive, right in the middle of the Hotel Zone at Km 12.5. Its 371 rooms share a Blue Flag beach, the Feel Harmony Spa and restaurants including Siete and Varenna.
Book the Aqua Club level and a butler comes with it. This season, Cancun's Ecology Department said Live Aqua kept its turtle-nest enclosures properly managed. Rates start from $547. If you want the Hotel Zone without children at the next lounger, book Live Aqua.
- Location
- Cancun, Mexico
- Price
- $$$
No. 6: Grand Fiesta Americana Coral Beach Cancun
Coral Beach is the family all-inclusive of the Hotel Zone, at Km 9.5, and the Coral KidZ Club keeps the little ones busy. On Fridays and Saturdays, La Joya serves an eight-course table, and there's a GEM Spa on site for whoever is off kid duty. Its $397 is the lowest starting rate of the six.
- Location
- Cancun, Mexico
- Price
- $$
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