Zona Hotelera in Cancun

There is one thing I can say about Zona Hotelera in Cancun otherwise known as the Hotel Zone by the locals—Very American!

The Hotel Zone, with a very impressive postcard perfect aerial view (click here to see) forms a lucky number 7 pristine thin coastline strip, a pride of Cancun in the Quintana Roo region stretching to an endless twenty-three kilometers. A long boulevard displaying white sandy beaches with towering plush hotels facing the Caribbean Sea and flanked with the calm Nichupte Lagoon on the other side. All the big names and fames of international hotel chains have its own share of representation in Cancun offering a total of 24,000 rooms and 380 restaurants… and the number is increasing.

This is the Kukulcan Boulevard, the 23 kilometers stretch of Hotel Zone lined with posh and massive hotel chains.


The Plaza La Isla Mall that has a flowing man-made river exiting to the Nichupte Lagoon. The staff in my hotel told me this is her favorite mall in the Hotel Zone because its more charming compared to the others.

An Interactive Aquarium, that is a real man inside the aquarium swimming with the fishes and he talks too, there is a speaker in the lobby where you can truly interact with him! Next foto is my view to the Nichupte Lagoon from my table while waiting for my nachos to arrive.

The pedestrian boardwalk along Nichupte Lagoon in Plaza La Isla Mall.

People say Cancun Hotel Zone is like California but filled with fancy hotels, lined after each other, they are not the diminutive ones but rather big names with lavish lobbies and immense garden parks! There is a bid for so much space here you can build your own house but surely not a handy place for walking from a hotel or mall to another; you would need a rental scooter/car or the bus to move around.

The buses go every 15 minutes and a 1-way trip within the Hotel Zone and between El Centro (Cancun downtown) is $7,50 Mexican Pesos or US$1. Better pay in Mexican Pesos because US$1 is $12+ Mexican Pesos. It takes approximately 10-15 minutes to get to downtown Cancun from the Hotel Zone and vice versa. Of course, taxis abound too and are going between $50 and $100 Mexican Pesos, depending on your negotiation skills.

Here are some videos I took from the bus of the Hotel Zone area:

Hotel Zone 1 footage of Kukulcan Boulevard starting from Westin Hotel (across Plaza La Isla Mall) going north.

Hotel Zone 2 footage of Kukulcan Boulevard going to Plaza Flamingo area. The hotels are facing the Caribbean white sandy beaches and entrance from the boulevard looks to the Nichupte Lagoon.

Hotel Zone 3 footage of Kukulcan Boulevard between Plaza Flamingo to Plaza Forum/Caracol area.

Hotel Zone 4 footage of Kukulcan Boulevard just before reaching Plaza Forum/Caracol.

If you are looking for a very local type of holiday to experience Mexican culture, learn about their history and see how the locals live, then the Hotel Zone is not the place for you (although there are side trips to the ruins and charming sea-side towns that you can book with tour agencies and buses can pick you up in your hotel).

Alas, the Hotel Zone is a beach resort slash relaxation slash pampering slash partying slash shopping kind of holiday but executed the American way—everything big, preference on large hotels type lodging, all-inclusive meals and drinks plan, everything far from each other and the abundance of malls. No wonder most tourists in the Hotel Zone are Americans, while Europeans tend to only visit for a day or two. Europeans mostly congregate in and nearby Playa del Carmen in the Riviera Maya, a once small fishing village down south about fifteen minutes away that is interestingly fast becoming “the place to be” which I must admit is a very charming town indeed and a future entry of this blog =)

There are a couple of malls in the Hotel Zone along Kukulcan Boulevard namely, Plaza Caracol, Plaza Forum Mall, Plaza Flamingo Mall, Plaza La Isla Mall, Plaza Kukulcan Mall, Maya Fair Plaza Mall and the Luxury Avenue Boutique Mall. I only have pictures of the Plaza La Isla Mall because it is here that you can find great views to the peaceful Nichupte Lagoon.

These two kids in matching get up spent half an hour playing and drenching themselves in the water fountain and later the older brother in also the same get up joined in. It was a pretty sight to see the cute kids play and enjoy themselves. Next foto is my Gambas Nachos everything apart, even the cheese as per request, and the waiter gave me a very full Chardonnay serving in a supersize wine glass, it was probably twice the normal wine serving. After lunch my cheeks felt very warm and they turned red.

More fotos can be found here: Hotel Zone, Cancun – Mexico