Playa Langosta - The Calm Side of the Seven

Photo: Alfonzo Buscemi, CC BY 3.0 (cropped)

A stop on Cancun: Downtown and the Hotel Zone, a free self-guided tour.

Welcome to the Hotel Zone. You have crossed onto the old sandbar, a strip of land a little over 22 km long, shaped like the number 7. Over thousands of years, ocean currents piled up sand along the coast until a barrier island formed, trapping Nichupte Lagoon behind it.

Playa Langosta sits on the top bar of the 7, facing north into the Bahia de Mujeres rather than the open Caribbean. That is why the water here is usually shallow and gentle, with a small breakwater keeping the waves down. It is one of the easiest swimming beaches for families and a good place to get your bearings.

Remember that beaches in Mexico are federal property and open to everyone; hotels can own the land behind the sand, but not the beach itself. Look across the bay: the low island on the horizon is Isla Mujeres. Check the flag at the lifeguard tower before you swim.

Getting here: Take a taxi or the R1 or R2 bus heading into the Hotel Zone along Boulevard Kukulcan and get off at km 5, Playa Langosta. Allow about 20 minutes.

Did you know?: Mexico's beach flags follow a simple code: green for good conditions, yellow for caution, red for no swimming, and black when the beach is closed.

Photo op: Walk to the water's edge and frame the shallow turquoise bay with Isla Mujeres low on the horizon.

More on Wikipedia: Hotel Zone · Isla Mujeres

Playa Langosta - The Calm Side of the Seven

Stops on this tour