Costa Mujeres
Overview
Costa Mujeres is the stretch of mainland coast between Playa Mujeres and Isla Blanca, well north of the Cancún Hotel Zone and facing Isla Mujeres across the water. It is one of the newest resort areas in the region.
The character is different from Cancún as a result. There is no boulevard of nightclubs and shopping centres, no continuous strip. Resorts sit spaced along the shore with mangrove and low jungle between them, and Isla Blanca, with the Chacmuchuc lagoon behind it, lies at the northern end. Visitors who want a town go into Cancún; those who come here generally intend to stay on the property.
The beach is pale and gently shelving, with calm water, and it is quieter than anything in the Hotel Zone.
Photo summary of last month
They are published unedited and in date order, and they replace themselves as new submissions arrive, so what appears below is the most recent view of the beach rather than a promotional photograph.
In our photo record Costa Mujeres has generally fared better than the Riviera Maya beaches to the south, although it does receive sargassum.
Position relative to the Atlantic sargassum belt
Sargassum reaches this coast on the Yucatán Current, which runs north-west from the Caribbean Sea along the eastern shore of Quintana Roo. Every beach that faces east into that flow receives it directly, which covers Tulum, Playa del Carmen, Puerto Morelos and the outer beaches of Cancún.
Costa Mujeres faces east, toward the northern end of Isla Mujeres and the open water beyond it. The island stands offshore and takes part of what arrives, but this coast is not enclosed, and sargassum does reach its beaches.
The protection is partial. A sustained onshore wind can push sargassum onto the beach, and because the water here is calm there is little wave energy to break it up or carry it out again, so a landing clears more slowly than on an exposed beach.
The sargassum season
The regional season runs from roughly May to August and peaks in June and July, when the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt reaches its greatest extent. Costa Mujeres follows the same calendar, although in our record it has often stayed clearer than the coast south of Cancún.
The full seasonal picture is set out in our Riviera Maya sargassum season guide.
Swimming conditions and safety
The water is shallow, warm and calm, with a sandy bottom and a very gradual shelf, which makes this one of the better stretches in the region for young children and weak swimmers. Currents are modest in normal conditions.
Most of the beach is fronted by resorts, so lifeguard cover and flag systems are provided by individual properties rather than by a municipal service. Between resorts the coast is undeveloped and unwatched.
On sargassum: fresh weed in the water is harmless and merely unpleasant to swim through. The sulphurous smell comes from material that has decomposed on hot sand, releasing hydrogen sulphide. Because the water here is calm rather than surf-driven, weed that does arrive tends to sit rather than break up.
Access and getting there
There is no public beach car park along this coast. All Mexican beaches are public by law, but practical access is through the resorts, and the undeveloped stretches between them are reached on foot or by rough track.
By transfer or taxi. This is the normal approach. Cancún airport is roughly 35 to 40 kilometres away, depending on the property, and pre-booked transfers are standard. Costa Mujeres is served by the same transfer operators as the Hotel Zone, though the journey is longer and correspondingly more expensive.
By car. The coast is reached via the Punta Sam road north from Cancún, past the vehicle ferry terminal. It is straightforward driving, and a car is genuinely useful here in a way it is not in the Hotel Zone, since there is no walkable town.
Public transport is limited along the resort strip. Anyone staying here without a car will be relying on taxis, which are not cheap for the run into Cancún.
What is nearby
Isla Mujeres is a short crossing away, with the vehicle ferry at Punta Sam and passenger services from Puerto Juárez, both south of the resorts. Isla Blanca, a narrow strip of sand between the Caribbean and the Chacmuchuc lagoon, lies to the north, and the shallow lagoon is one of the region's best-known kitesurfing spots. The Isla Contoy National Park lies further north, and tours there are offered from this area.
Check live conditions before you go
Costa Mujeres consistently reads cleaner than the coast south of Cancún, but conditions still change within days and the bay retains what does arrive. On the live map we track it with dated photographs and a daily condition score, so you can compare it against Playa del Carmen, Tulum and Isla Mujeres on the same morning.
See live conditions, photos & cams →