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> Homepage > Homepage > Welcome > Destinations > Cancún >   Sunbathing
 The white sands of the Mexican Caribbean are composed of tiny fragments of shell and coral and are always cool to the touch, quite a relief in the hot midday sun.
The side of the Hotel Zone that gives out to the Caribbean is fringed with powder-white beaches. The stretch from town to Punta Cancún faces Mujeres Bay and the water, being sheltered, is shallow and calm.
The water on the open-ocean side of the Hotel Zone, from Punta Cancún to Punta Nizuc is just the opposite, characterized by pounding surf and currents. Care should be exercised on these beaches as the undertow can be quite strong. Always check the warning flags on the beach in front of the hotels: red or black mean dangerous conditions, yellow that precaution is needed and green or blue that conditions are ideal for swimming. Bayside playas or beaches include Las Perlas, Juventud, Linda, Langosta, Tortugas and Caracol, while on the Caribbean shoreline there's Gaviota Azul, Chac Mool, Marlín, Ballenas and Delfines.
Some bayside beaches have embarcaderos or docks from which the different tourist boats come and go, for example Playa Langosta, Playa Caracol, Playa Tortugas and Embarcadero Isla Mujeres/Playa Linda.
Signs mark the access to the public beaches, which can become quite crowded on Sundays and holidays when local families enjoy a day out. Trash cans are few and far between and fill up quickly so if you can't find one please take your garbage with you when you leave.
Thatched palapas or shade umbrellas, bars and restaurants dot the shoreline and there's always something going on, impromptu games of beach volleyball or football or sometimes even concerts. Not all the beaches are so crowded, however, just a short stroll away are near-deserted stretches of sand.
The hotels line the shore between the public beaches and have their own access points. Palapas, chairs and sun beds are available for their guests and there are plenty of beach bars and restaurants open to anyone. Activity directors organize beach games and aerobics, there's also parasailing for those who want a bird's eye view of Cancún and hotel marinas offer jet ski, wave runner and other water sports.
Strong winds blowing in from the Caribbean or the south can occasionally change the coastline. Waves breaking on a beach at a certain angle and with greater power can erode the sand and deposit it further north on the coast. Hence some beaches may become smaller for a season while others grow. Hawkers selling silver sometimes approach tourists on the beach. Apart from the annoyance factor, we recommend that you don't buy their wares as the jewelry they offer is not silver but an alloy called alpaca. Visit one of the jewelers in the Hotel Zone malls or Downtown for the real thing.
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© 2004 Editorial Veras. La guía Oficial del Caribe Mexicano.