Yucatan Peninsula Hotels

Are you browsing to find Yucatan Peninsula hotels? You have an ample choice, depending on what you're looking for. Logically, many hotels are concentrated on the Caribbean side of the peninsula.

"Good timber does not grow with ease; the stronger the wind, the stronger the trees." (J.W. Marriott)

Cancun has a 23 km long but narrow hotel strip along the beach. This is where it all started 40 years ago, on a sand dune artificially connected to the mainland.

Now, we have about 28,000 hotel rooms available (plus 32,000 along the Riviera Maya), most of which follow the all-inclusive concept. An important difference between Cancun and Mayan Riviera hotels is that the latter are more dispersed and surrounded by lush gardens.

Cancun's hotels are somewhat limited in space by the fact that they are built on this narrow strip with no room to expand. That's why high buildings are becoming more of a rule than the exception. Some of the older hotels have been either demolished or completely renovated after hurricane Wilma hit the town in 2005.

Browse Cancun hotels here

Downtown hotels are generally of lesser category. Touroperators use these facilities to accommodate groups who start a roundtrip and just stay overnight. Soon, however, Puerto Cancun will open it's gates, an exclusive complex with a marina, luxury hotels and condominiums. UNIK Resorts is about to raise the bar on Isla Mujeres just off the Cancun shore in an attempt to attract the discerning traveler with upscale facilities.

Are you looking for something more private? Check out our Boutique beach hotels. They offer intimate surroundings combined with first-rate service and take pride in your complete satisfaction. Special Category hotels push the boundaries with some unique feature.

Playa del Carmen is the hub of the Mayan Riviera. It has its own hotel/condo complex known as Playacar, to the south of the town centre and with its own access. Here there are five Riu's, the Iberostar Quetzal and the Royal Hideaway, among others, within walking distance to the 5th Avenue. Most hotels at Playacar are beachfront. If not, they generally have own access to a beach club, like the hotel Riu Tequila. At worst you'll have to walk a couple of hundred meters.

Playa Del Carmen, Yucatan, Mexico, North America
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The Riviera Maya is filled with "cruiseships on land". These large resorts may have up to 4 or 5 lobbies, 2,000 + rooms, a range of restaurants, shops, bars and kid's clubs for those who prefer all-in. Smaller hotels are found in the city centre, many of those concentrated along or not too far from the 5th Avenue and the beach.

One fascinating way to explore the yucatan peninsula is to take the hacienda route Haciendas are the Mexican equivalent of what used to be plantations. Now they have been restored in full glory and are being facilitated as luxury restaurants and guest houses. Super for a romantic getaway Yucatan style! These Yucatan Peninsula hotels/haciendas are concentrated in the Northwest region around the city of Merida. Henequen production caused the area to boom in the 19th century, bringing great wealth to hacienda owners.

Take a break from Cancun and spend a long weekend in Merida, you'll be marvelled by this beautiful city with its hospitable inhabitants. It's fairly easy to find accommodation within walking distance from the main Plaza. No big all-inclusive beach hotels within sight! In stead, colonial style buildings with heigh ceilings that keep out the sometimes suffocating heat. There's a Boutique hotel just off the Zocalo. Larger hotels like the Hyatt and Fiesta Americana are located along the Paseo de Montejo, about 1/2 hours walk from the Plaza.

Woman Walking Past Colourful House Facades on Street, Campeche, Mexico
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San Francisco de Campeche is a charming colonial town mainly visited by tourist groups travelling through on their way to Merida or from Merida to Palenque. The state of Campeche a beautiful region which will receive a strong financial impulse in the next few years. Campeche has important archaeological sites like Calakmul and Edzna. You'll find hotel density far, far less than on the Caribbean side but then again this is not the place to stay for an extended beach holiday. However, you will be enchanted by Hacienda Puerta Campeche, the only special category hotel and a jewel among Yucatan Peninsula hotels, located in several restored 17th-century mansions just next to the Puerta de Tierra, which used to be one of two Main Gates into the walled city.