Guide · Updated October 24, 2026 · Research-based guide; Conteluma hasn't stayed at these resorts. Prices change, so confirm the final total before you book.
Close to the airport. Far from the crowds.
Reef-calm water, a small-town feel and all-inclusive resorts.
Know before you go
- Time zone
- Eastern Standard Time all year: same as New York in winter, 1 hour behind in summer.
- Language
- Spanish. English is widely spoken at resorts and in tourist areas, much less in local towns.
- Currency
- Mexican peso (MXN). US dollars are accepted in resort areas, usually at a poor rate.
- Cards
- Widely accepted at hotels, resorts and restaurants; cash is better for taxis, markets and small shops.
- Cash & ATMs
- Get pesos from a bank-branded ATM at the airport or inside a bank branch, and skip the exchange booths. Carry small bills for tips and taxis. If an ATM offers to charge you in dollars, decline and choose pesos.
- Plugs & voltage
- Same as the US (Type A/B, 127V). No adapter needed.
- Tap water
- Don't drink the tap water. Use bottled water or your resort's purified water.
- Tipping
- 10–15% at restaurants. At all-inclusives, small tips (about $1–$2 or 20–40 pesos) for bartenders, servers and housekeeping are appreciated.
- Getting around
- Pre-book your airport transfer (about 20–30 minutes) and use official taxis. Ride apps are restricted and disputed in Quintana Roo.
- Entry requirements
- A valid passport book (a passport card isn't valid for flights). Mexico's tourist permit is digital at e-gate airports like Cancun, and its fee is included in your airfare. Pay Quintana Roo's Visitax online before you fly.
- Safety
Levi's advice: Use common sense. Leave flashy jewelry at home, carry money in a front pocket if you can, and don't wander around on foot late at night unless you're close to your hotel.
Stick to tourist areas, use official taxis or pre-booked transfers, and check the US State Department's current travel advisory for Quintana Roo before you go.
- Emergency number
- 911
Checked October 2026 for US travelers. Entry rules and fees change, so confirm them with official government sources before you fly.
The town or the resort strip?
Puerto Morelos town is small and walkable, with a leaning lighthouse, a relaxed main square and seafood restaurants. The Puerto Morelos Reef National Park sits about 500 metres offshore, which keeps the water calm and makes for excellent snorkeling. The resort strip north and south of town, sometimes called Riviera Cancun, is lined with large all-inclusives on the beach, a short taxi ride from town.
Puerto Morelos
- About 20–30 minutes from Cancun airport
- Calm, reef-protected water and great snorkeling
- Quiet small town, minimal nightlife
Cancun Hotel Zone or Playa del Carmen
- More restaurants, shopping and nightlife
- Busier beaches and streets
- Better if you want to go out every night
The reef also catches much of the sargassum, so Puerto Morelos is usually better than Playa del Carmen or Tulum in seaweed season, though never guaranteed.
Featured hotel: Royalton Riviera Cancun
A large, family-friendly all-inclusive on the beach at Puerto Morelos, about 20 minutes from Cancun airport. Built in 2014, it reopened on December 7, 2025 after a full renovation and is part of Marriott's Autograph Collection. It has eight pools, a water park, nine restaurants, a kids' club and a casino, with an adults-only section, Royalton Hideaway, inside the same complex.
Strengths
- Marriott Bonvoy points and benefits, as part of the Autograph Collection
- Freshly renovated rooms and public areas
- Eight pools, a water park and a free kids' club
- Diamond Club rooms add butler service and extra perks
Watch out for
- A big resort; ask for a room near the beach and the pools you'll use
- Little to walk to outside the resort
- À la carte restaurants can need reservations
Before you book
- Book direct with Marriott if you want points and elite benefits
- Compare a standard room with Diamond Club for your dates
- Ask for a room close to the beach when you book
Sources: Caribbean Journal: Royalton Riviera Cancun reopening · Royalton Riviera Cancun (Marriott) · Puerto Morelos travel guide
See these resorts: photos, prices and availability
Photos, guest ratings and live prices for the featured Royalton, its family water-park sister and an adults-only alternative, from our booking partner Stay22. Change the dates to see your own prices. Booking through the map may earn Conteluma a commission at no extra cost to you. A hotel that is sold out for your dates won't appear.
See photos and live prices for these hotels. The map loads from Stay22 and uses affiliate tracking, so it needs your OK first.
What it costs, and when to go
When it reopened, Royalton Riviera Cancun's entry-level December rates started in the mid-$200s a night. In our October 24 check of our partner's map, using its default sample dates, the three resorts in this guide ran from about $375 to $714 a night for two, all-inclusive.
- Peak season: mid-December to April, with the driest weather and the highest prices, especially around Christmas, New Year and spring break.
- Hurricane season: June 1 to November 30, with the highest risk from August to October. Prices drop, but buy travel insurance and watch the forecast.
- Sargassum: seaweed can wash up on some beaches from about April to September. It varies by year and beach, so check recent guest photos.
Costs to plan for
- Visitax: Quintana Roo's tourist tax for foreign visitors, about 280–300 Mexican pesos (roughly $15–$18) per person in 2026. Pay online at the official Visitax site before you fly.
- Environmental fee: a small per-room, per-night charge the hotel collects. The amount varies by municipality, so ask your hotel.
- Transfers: Cancun airport is only about 20–30 minutes away. Book a shared or private transfer in advance.
- Snorkel trips: guided reef trips from town are inexpensive and well worth it; go in the morning for calmer water.
- Tips: small tips for housekeeping, bartenders and waiters are appreciated, even at all-inclusives.
Use the trip cost calculator to add flights, transfers and extras to your hotel price, or the true-cost calculator to compare two hotels' real totals.
Two more hotels to compare
A family water-park sister next door, and a highly rated adults-only resort a little further south.
| Hotel | Why compare it | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Royalton Splash Riviera Cancun Check prices → | Family-focused Autograph Collection all-inclusive in Puerto Morelos, built around a water park. | Guest ratings are lower than the main Royalton's; compare recent reviews. |
| Valentin Imperial Riviera Maya Check prices → | Adults-only all-inclusive on the coast south of Puerto Morelos, with excellent guest ratings. | Transfer time from the airport, and whether you want an adults-only stay. |
Five checks before you book
- Decide whether you want a family resort or an adults-only stay.
- Compare the all-inclusive total for your dates, including taxes.
- Pay your Visitax online before you fly.
- Check recent guest photos for sargassum if you're going in summer.
- Book direct with Marriott if you want points and benefits.
More help: hidden hotel fees checklist · book direct or use a booking site? · Marriott vs. Hilton status
Resort facts come from Caribbean Journal, Marriott and hotel listings; prices and ratings in the map come from our booking partner. The photo shows the Riviera Maya coast, not any resort in this guide.