Honeymoon in Cancun: the best resorts & unforgettable things to do

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Planning your perfect honeymoon in Cancun? You’re in the right place. In this article, you will find everything you need to know about planning an unforgettable honeymoon in Cancun: from the perfect itinerary, to the most romantic resorts and the best things to do in Cancun & Riviera Maya on honeymoon.

If you’re new to this blog, hi! We are Liza and Jose, a Russian-Mexican couple based in London, UK. We try to go to Mexico every year and each time, I try to share the most useful city guides, tips and advice on this blog. Are you interested in more blog posts about Mexico? Read our Mexico destination page.

Here’s a brief overview of this article:

Why go to Cancun for your honeymoon?

A lot of couples ask whether Cancun is a good honeymoon destination, and I honestly don’t see why it wouldn’t be? Cancun has AMAZING beaches, great weather all-year-long, luxurious hotels, great flight connections to the US, Canada and Europe and plenty of things to do nearby (mostly in Riviera Maya, which is another region of Caribbean Mexico; it starts just south of Cancun, circa 20-30 minutes driving from Zona Hotelera).

Is Cancun expensive?

Cancun can be as expensive as you want it to be. You can find amazing hotels and resorts for any budget. You can easily find great hotels for $100-150 per night if you have a very limited budget for your honeymoon. However, most adults-only resorts would cost around $300-1000 per night (some of them will be all-inclusive).

If you want to spend time outside your resort (and I assume you want to as you are reading Honeymoon Worthy right now), there are plenty of things to do in the area. If you buy private tours, of course, they would be on the pricier side; however, you can also rent a car and explore all these places on your own. Later in the post, I will show you both options!

Cancun or Riviera Maya: where to go on holiday in Mexico
Photo by Gerson Repreza on Unsplash

Flights and insurance for your honeymoon in Cancun

Generally, Cancun is quite easy to fly to, so buying tickets shouldn’t be a problem. You can check the prices and availability of the flights to Cancun here.

If you’re looking for good travel insurance with great coverage for Mexico, I recommend using Visitors Coverage.

Do you need a car in Cancun? Where to rent a car in Mexico & how to avoid scams

Another question we get asked quite a lot is whether you need a car in Cancun?

There is no easy answer. Some people prefer to fully relax while being on vacation and the last thing they want to do on honeymoon is driving around. Other people don’t mind driving at all! And some others love driving and would love to have a very active honeymoon. So it’s really up to you.

You don’t need a car in Cancun, as you can find tours for most of the activities on Viator – I’ll be linking to the relevant tours below, in the section of the best things to do in Cancun on your honeymoon.

However, if you want to rent a car and drive around, you will be able to see more, save money and be much more independent about when and where to go.

Hiring a car in Cancun

If you’re not interested in hiring a car in Cancun, just skip to the next section. You don’t need to hire a car for the duration of your entire honeymoon; it would be enough if you hire it for 3-4 days, depending on where you’d like to go and what you’d like to see. There are a few things to keep in mind when hiring a car in Cancun.

We always rent cars through Rentalcars.com or Expedia, where you can see the providers offering the most competitive prices. The earlier you book your car hire, the more competitive the price will be. The price really depends on the season; however, you can often rent a car for a week for as low as $90 (without full insurance). If you rent a day before your trip, that price can be already around $500-600, and it’s even more expensive on arrival.

Make sure to avoid providers like Hertz and National as they are known to scam tourists in Mexico, not including the third-party liability insurance in their rental price and then asking their customers to pay two to three times more without giving them an option to opt-out of this insurance. We rented cars twice: once from Sixt and once from Avis, and it all went very well, so I can only recommend these providers. 

What to pack for your honeymoon in Cancun?

Not sure what to pack for Cancun? Well, as we mentioned before, the weather in Cancun is warm all year long. However, during the winter months, it can get a little bit chilly at night, so I recommend bringing a light jacket or a cardigan or something like a hoodie with you.

Overall, bring some cute swimsuits, a lot of different beach throws, SPF50 to protect from the strong Caribbean sun. One of my favourite SPFs is Supergoup.

Alright, let’s talk about the best honeymoon resorts in Cancun:

Cancun has plenty of hotels and resorts for any budget, so let’s look at all the different options there are in Cancun that are suitable for an unforgettable honeymoon.

If money is not a problem, then these resorts are a great option:

Turquoize at Hyatt Ziva Adults Only (All-Inclusive)

The hotel we picked for our honeymoon back in 2017 was actually Hyatt Ziva, and we stayed in the Turquoize tower, which is an adults-only building, and it was absolutely amazing. If you’re staying in the turquoise tower, you have access to an adults-only infinity pool which is significantly quieter than the regular pool.

I really like the concept of Hyatt Ziva – even though it’s an all-inclusive resort, there are plenty of à la cart restaurants that are included in the all-inclusive, so you can order pretty much anything you want from there. There is also a candy shop and a coffee shop that resembled Starbucks. Moreover, all the premium alcohol was included in the price, so we were able to get some delicious cocktails from pretty much all the bars. However, a favourite was the tequila bar station because we had a chance to try pretty much all the best tequilas in Mexico.

The turquoise tower has beautiful sea views and fantastic service. Also, Hyatt’s preferential location allows it to have access to not one but two different beaches, so you have a choice.

Check the prices and availability of Hyatt Ziva here >

Nizuc Resort and Spa

One of the newest additions to Cancun, Nizuc Resort and Spa, is a very tranquil and luxurious hotel. It’s located further away from Zona Hotelera, in a place called Punta Nizuc. It’s much closer to the airport compared to other hotels mentioned in this article – it would only take you 11 minutes to get there. Nizuc has two secluded beaches, one of which is adults-only, and it also has a stunning design. Nizuc has 6 restaurants, however, it doesn’t offer an all-inclusive option, so it’s something to keep in mind.

Check prices and availability of Nizuc here >

Le Blanc Adults-only All Inclusive

Le Blanc is a paradise for foodies – if you want to enjoy gourmet food at a luxury resort, Le Blanc is your safe bet. Moreover, Le Blanc is absolutely stunning and is catering for adults only. What else would you wish for a perfect honeymoon?

Check prices and availability of Le Blanc here >

Budget-friendly honeymoon resorts in Cancun:

As we have mentioned before, Cancun has plenty of resorts for any budget! If the above options are out of the question, here are some amazing budget-friendly (or at least budget-friendlier) resorts to check out: 

Sun Palace Couples Only All Inclusive

Paradisus Cancun

Hyatt Ziva in Cancun - Best Cancun Honeymoon resorts

The best things to do in Cancun on a honeymoon:

Let’s talk about the best things to do in Cancun on your honeymoon if you don’t want to spend all your days off on the beach!

Visit one of the theme parks (or maybe even all of them) – Xcaret, Xel-Ha, Xochimilco and Xplor.

In the last 10-15 years, Grupo Xcaret has built 6 different open-air theme parks, Xcaret, Xel-Ha, Xochimilco and Xplor (and some others). Each of them has a different theme, for example, Xplor is all about zip-lines, underground rivers and adventure; Xcaret has underground rivers, a large zoo and an incredible show; Xel-Ha is all about snorkelling, and Xochimilco is basically a gondola ride with live music, show and food!

You can either visit one of them or some of them or even all of them if you have enough time! The parks are located all around Riviera Maya & it would take you from 10 to 50 minutes by car to reach some of them. You can either buy tickets and go there by yourself or buy one of the tours that would bring you there and back!

Here are the tours you can pick from:

Tour to Xcaret

Tour to Xel-Ha

Tour to Xplor

Tour to Xochimilco

Explore one of Mexico’s natural wonders – Cenotes

My personal favourite activity in Cancun (and Riviera Maya) is exploring different cenotes. Cenote is basically a natural sinkhole and there are so many of them around the entire Yucatan peninsula! The easiest way to explore various cenotes is to drive there yourself, however, you can also buy a tour that brings you to some of the best cenotes near Cancun. Check the prices and availability for the tour here >

Here are some of our favourite cenotes:

Cenote Azul

Cenote Dos Ojos

Gran Cenote

Visit one of the new wonders of the world – Chichen Itza

Chichen Itza has been voted one of the new wonders of the world, and there is a reason for that – Chichen Itza is stunning. This archaeological park is located circa 2.5 hours away from Cancun (each way), hence, it makes sense to plan the entire day for visiting Chichen Itza. You can totally drive there yourself. You can pre-book tickets for Chichen Itza in advance here, so you don’t need to stand in the queue for 30-60 minutes.

Alternatively, you can take one of many tours that will bring you to Chichen Itza! Depending on your budget and preferences, you can either take a group tour (check the availability here) or a private tour to Chichen Itza (check the prices here).

DRIVING TO CHICHEN ITZA FROM CANCUN, PLAYA DEL CARMEN OR TULUM: FAQ

Take a ferry to Isla Mujeres

Isla Mujeres is a very beautiful island famous for scuba diving and snorkelling, as it has quite a large reef. As Isla Mujeres is located just 13km away from the coast near Cancun, getting there is super easy! The speed ferry only takes about 15 minutes and goes every 30 minutes from 5am until 9:30pm.

If you want to try something unusual, you can book one of the tours, which includes swimming with whale sharks. These tours only happen from May to September, so it’s something to keep in mind.

Visit Cancun’s underwater museum (MUSA)

Another exciting and unusual honeymoon activity in Cancun would be visiting Cancun’s underwater museum (MUSA) that has over 500 statues located underwater. You can only see them if you take a boat ride with a glass bottom or go diving.

In order to book your scuba diving experience at MUSA, you can use this link.

Explore Tulum

Tulum is a very trendy town at the end of Riviera Maya, circa 1.5-2 hours driving from Cancun. Tulum is home to long pristine beaches, boho shops, trendy nightclubs and incredible instagrammable hotels. Moreover, Tulum has a historical part – don’t miss the Archeological Park of Tulum, where you can see stunning archaeological ruins.

A perfect itinerary for 7 day-honeymoon in Cancun:

Alright, let’s talk about the perfect itinerary for a 7-day honeymoon in Cancun! Let’s assume you will stay all the 7 days in one place (resort or hotel) and you will also need some relaxation time. For proper relaxation, you can get a spa package at your resort, as there aren’t many places outside resorts where you can get some proper spa procedures.

Here’s how I would plan an optimal itinerary for a 7-day honeymoon in Cancun:

Day 1: Arriving from the airport and relaxing at the resort.

Day 2: Relaxing at the resort + getting a spa package

Day 3: Visiting one of the themed parks (e.g. Xcaret or Xel-Ha) or going to Isla Mujeres

Day 4: Relaxing at the resort

Day 5: Visiting Chichen Itza

Day 6: Driving to visit 2-3 different cenotes or buying a tour that brings you to different cenotes, where you can swim and have a great time

Day 7: Relaxing in the morning and flying back

I hope you enjoyed our article about honeymooning in Cancun. Cancun is a great destination for a honeymoon and has plenty of things to do for that adventurous couple who prefer a very active vacation (even if it’s their honeymoon). 

Any questions? Give us a shout on Instagram (@lizatripsget)

You might also like:

Cancun vs Riviera Maya: the best place to go in Mexico

The most Instagrammable hotels in Tulum for couples

Is Tulum worth it? Is it overhyped?

Driving to Chichen Itza from Cancun, Playa del Carmen or Tulum

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