Where to stay on the way to Xcalak
If your flight into Cancun arrives much after 12:00 pm, you may be better off spending the night in either Cancun or Tulum. So assume you have an hour to hour and a half to get through immigration and customs at the airport and get your rental car. That puts you at 1:00- 1:30 then it is a 5 hour drive to Xcalak, which puts you in town around 6:00-6:30 pm. We highly recommend you don’t drive after dark (Around 6:00-7:00 pm depending on the time of year). The exception is the 100 KM from Cancun to Tulum. That stretch of road is well maintained and 4 lanes for the most part. So if you have to stay the night, where should you stay? These are some recommendations, we haven’t personally stayed at all of them, but our guests have and have reported good experiences.
Where to stay in Cancun
Assuming you don’t want to stay in the Hotel Zone, there are a couple of hotels that we like.
- Courtyard Marriott – It is close to the airport and has a complementary shuttle.
- 4 Points by Sheraton – A little closer to town, it is one of the newer hotels and is relatively inexpensive. They don’t have a complementary shuttle. You need to either order one or take a taxi.
- Hotel Margaritas – Relatively cheap. Is right in the town of Cancun. There are lots of restaurants and bars within walking distance.
- New Hotel to try – Hotel NH is just south of the Airport. Brand new, but in a quiet area.
Bonus Tip: If you stay in Cancun and don’t want to eat at tourist traps like Señor Frog’s or Coco Bongo, try Loncheria El Pocito. It is kind of hard to find, but it is in Google Maps. See our review.
Where to stay in Tulum
Beachfront hotels in Tulum can be prohibitively expensive. Here are a few hotels for a more reasonable price.
- Posada Yum Kin – Cool little Inn on the Jungle side of Tulum. UPDATE Mar 2017: A squatter’s camp has sprung up in front of Posada Yum Kin. There are a lot of open flame cooking fires, etc. so may not be the best choice right now. I will update this when I hear more information.
- Hotel Casa Sofia
- Rancho Tranquilo
- Villas H20 Update June 2017: Got great review of this place from guests who stayed there.
- Teetotum
- Posada 06
- Casa Santiago
If you want to stay on the beach you can try Tankah Inn. I’ve stayed there in the past and it is right on the beach about 15 minutes north of Tulum. Haven’t been there in years, so if anyone stays there let us know what you thought.
