Where to Find Cancún Beaches Without Cancún Crowds
Fast on the rise, Costa Mujeres provides a tranquil alternative to the bustling hotel zone.
Some people go on vacation seeking an escape: from stress, from noise, from crowds. Others go wanting the thrill of being with others—eager for nightclubs and tour buses and beaches packed with sunscreen-slicked bodies. Of the 21 million people who visited Cancún last year, I would bet almost all are in the latter camp. It’s not a destination known for its tranquility. Look just a few miles north, however, and there’s a completely different experience on offer.
This year marks 50 years since the first hotel was built there. In 1968, encouraged by the increasing number of visitors to the Caribbean, the Mexican government and Infratur (Fund for the Promotion of Tourism Infrastructure) fed information into a computer to decide the best area to anchor a resort development to attract tourists from the United States. Eventually they settled on a nine-mile strip of jungle in the Yucatán Peninsula, previously occupied by coconut groves. Chosen for its location, year-round good weather, and economic benefit—the region was struggling at the time—they took those coconut groves and willed them into a multimillion dollar resort playground now known as Cancún's Hotel Zone.
Today the Cancún Project has spurred 35,000 hotel rooms and counting (Marriott International just opened their first all-inclusive there this year, among others). It’s inspired resort developments all over Mexico, including Playa del Carmen and Puerto Vallarta. A visit to these rambunctious resort towns means engaging in competitive relaxation: Fail to reserve your pool chair in the morning and you’ll miss out for the day. Hit the beach too late and you’ll be beset by crowds.
But here on my rooftop of the adults-only Hotel Mousai in Costa Mujeres, just north of the hotel zone, I feel no such pressure. I’m literally the only one here—if I wanted, I could claim all the pool chairs as mine. Costa Mujeres is the latest Quintana Roo region marked for development. There are already plenty of hotel options, but in the next few years the area will see all-inclusives and residences coming from Almare (late 2024), JW Marriott (2026), and the W (2026). A St. Regis resort and residences is also slated to open in 2025.
While the average hotel in Cancún might have 400 to 500 rooms, the new arrivals to Costa Mujeres are focusing on upscale digs and privacy. The Hotel Mousai, the second in the Mousai brand from the Mexican-owned Tafer Hotels & Resorts, has just 88 suites. The St. Regis will have 160 rooms, the Almare will have 105. The recently-opened SHA Wellness Resort also has just 100 rooms. The goal of this Cancún alternative will not be to replicate it, but offer a respite from the bustle. But if you want excitement, it’s just a short taxi ride away. Heck, you can see it from your rooftop.
You may be more familiar with the island directly across from Costa Mujeres: Isla Mujeres, a tiny five-mile sliver with white sand beaches, a town built around a cenote, and salsa dancing that makes for an incredible island vacation. It’s usually billed as a day trip from Cancún. Both the island and Costa Mujeres were once a sacred region for the Mayans and were named in honor of Ixchel, Mayan deity of fertility and healing.
In addition to Hotel Mousai, Tafer Hotels & Resorts also owns Villa del Palmar and Garza Blanca Resort & Spa in Costa Mujeres (guests of Mousai can hop over to both of the other locations). Like Cancún, this area started as a blank slate, with beaches backing up to the jungle. When Liliana Vanessa Goñi Jimenez, Mousai’s general manager, first visited the strip three years ago, there was not much to do outside of the handful of resorts. “It wasn’t deserted, but there weren’t traffic jams, or people around,” she tells me. “Now there are more services, facilities, some small convenience stores, pharmacies, and activities on the beach.”
Rates at Hotel Mousai (beginning at $522) include kayaking and snorkeling gear. Each room has a plunge pool. There’s also a pool on the roof, and another one on the ground floor. Rooms have free mini bars. The place is designed like an art haven, with local artists featured on the walls and visual stimulation all around. Food melds tradition and gastronomy, cocktails come with smoky theatrics, and with so few rooms, service is individualized. Really, like most resorts, there’s no reason to leave the property. But should you want to, a pier within walking distance offers you boat service to Isla Mujeres, or opportunities for parasailing. A stone’s throw away is the Museo Subacuático de Arte (MUSA) underwater sculpture museum for snorkeling and diving. And right at the bottom of the Costa Mujeres strip are the El Meco Mayan architectural ruins.
“I think people who are staying in the hotel areas in Cancún are looking to walk around and have everything close and want to have more activities outside, instead of spending time at the hotel,” says Jimenez. “People in Costa Mujeres are looking for luxury, and privacy.” Cancún will surely remain a popular destination for college kids on spring break, but if you want an escape from the stress of grown-up life, and you’re making a very grown-up salary, it might be worth sharing a flight with the party people.