Cancún: Spanish travel guide
Beaches, cenotes and Mayan ruins. English is common in the hotel zone, but step outside it and Spanish makes your trip.
- MoneyMexican peso (MXN)
- Tipping10–15%, check if service is included
- Emergency911
- VoiceLatin American Spanish
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Greetings and handy phrases
- ¡Buenos días!Good morning!Say it: BWEH-nohs DEE-ahs
- ¿Cuánto cuesta la entrada?How much is the entrance fee?Say it: KWAHN-toh KWEHS-tah lah ehn-TRAH-dah
- ¿Dónde está la playa?Where is the beach?Say it: DOHN-deh ehs-TAH lah PLAH-yah
- ¿Hay sargazo hoy?Is there seaweed today?Say it: ay sahr-GAH-soh oySargassum seaweed comes and goes, mostly in summer.
Money and tipping
- Dollars are often accepted in the hotel zone, but at a poor rate. Paying in pesos is usually cheaper.
- Restaurants: 10–15%. Tourist restaurants sometimes add it to the bill (servicio incluido), so check first.
- At all-inclusives, small tips in pesos for housekeeping and bar staff are appreciated.
Five local words
- el cenotenatural swimming hole in the rockSay it: ehl seh-NOH-tehFrom the Mayan word dzonot.
- el colectivoshared minibusSay it: ehl koh-lehk-TEE-boh
- la zona hotelerathe hotel zoneSay it: lah SOH-nah oh-teh-LEH-rah
- el bloqueadorsunscreenSay it: ehl bloh-keh-ah-DOHR
- ¡Qué padre!How cool!Say it: keh PAH-dreh
Good to know
- Many cenotes and reefs ask you to use biodegradable sunscreen, or none at all.
- Colectivos along the coast are cheap: wave one down and say where you're going.
- Drink bottled or purified water.
Keep learning
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