Playa Coral (Mirador II), Cancún
Overview
Playa Coral, known locally as El Mirador II, is a small public beach at Kilometre 25 of Boulevard Kukulcán, at the southern end of the Cancún Hotel Zone in the Punta Nizuc area, near the road to the airport. It is best known as the beach in the Hotel Zone where dogs are officially allowed, and it is used mainly by local residents and their pets rather than by visitors staying in the hotels.
The beach is equipped with palapas for shade, benches, toilets and showers, and it has ramps and access features for visitors with disabilities. It received Blue Flag certification for the first time for the 2016 to 2017 season. Parking is available beside the beach.
Our current condition score for this beach is .
Photo summary of last month
Each photograph is published unedited and in date order, and is replaced as newer submissions arrive, so what appears here is the most recent view of the beach rather than a promotional photograph.
Playa Coral sits at the southern end of the Hotel Zone, so its photographs are best read alongside those of Punta Nizuc and Playa Delfines on the same day.
Position relative to the Atlantic sargassum belt
Sargassum reaching the Mexican Caribbean crosses the tropical Atlantic, enters the Caribbean and is carried north along Quintana Roo by the Yucatán Current. The Cancún Hotel Zone faces east into that flow. Playa Coral lies on the stretch beyond Punta Nizuc where the coast turns south-west, and our photographs from this beach have often shown sargassum on the sand and brown water at the shoreline. Visitor reviews describe the same, so the water here is frequently less clear than on the central Hotel Zone beaches.
The sargassum season
The regional season runs from roughly May to August, with the heaviest arrivals usually in June and July, and the coast is generally quieter from late autumn into spring. The wider picture is set out in our Riviera Maya sargassum season guide.
Rules for dogs
The municipal beach authority sets the rules for dogs on this beach. Dogs must be healthy, must enter and leave the beach on a lead and must be kept under their owners' control, and owners must collect their dogs' waste. Dogs are permitted only during set morning hours, which are best confirmed on arrival.
Swimming conditions and safety
The water is generally calm. The beach is small and can be busy with dogs in the morning, which visitors without pets may prefer to avoid. When sargassum has arrived, the water at the shoreline can be brown and murky.
Access and getting there
The beach lies at Kilometre 25 of Boulevard Kukulcán, at the southern end of the Hotel Zone, about fifteen minutes from Cancún International Airport. The R1 and R2 buses run the length of the Hotel Zone, and taxis serve the whole route.
Check live conditions before you go
On the live map we track Playa Coral with dated photographs and a current condition score, which makes it easy to compare with Punta Nizuc and the other beaches of the Hotel Zone on the same morning.
See live conditions, photos & cams →