Krystal Cancun holds one of the Hotel Zone's best-known addresses, the Punta Cancun headland at Km 9 where the boulevard turns and the Bahia de Mujeres meets the open Caribbean. The resort runs 502 rooms, 229 of them with sea views, across categories from Standard up to the Krystal Club and the Family Studio. The signature is the panoramic pool that stretches along the beachfront with the oversized KRYSTAL CANCUN letters standing in the water, joined by an adults-only jacuzzi facing the sea and a splash pool for children. A private beach club lays out palapas and loungers on the sand below.

Seven venues handle the dining. Aquamarina runs the buffet over the pool, Las Velas sits under a palapa and turns Italian at dinner, Hacienda El Mortero brings mariachi to the Mexican menu, Fisheria plates seafood at the poolside, and the Mediterraneo, the Take a Bite cafe and the Beach Club fill out the week, with four bars including the Cascada and the swim-up Pool Bar. The location is the real draw: Coco Bongo and the Party Center are a walk away, Playa Caracol and Playa Tortugas sit around the point on the calm bay side, and the El Rey ruins, La Isla and the Isla Mujeres ferry are all short drives. The airport is about 20 minutes out.