I've stayed on the Mayan Riviera 10 times and never booked in Cancun "proper" until my sister suggested we stay at Cancun Plaza. We were in room 2309 during August 2011, and it was clean and up-to-date. The views are outstanding and you won't get this close to the beach for this price -- anywhere! Being a smaller hotel, if you forget your sunglasses in your room, you won't have to hike a mile to go back and get them. Ditto for the beach and pool bar. Everything is extremely near-by.
Two stores are on property which allows you to buy a few groceries (at a decent price) or beer/soda/ice cream. The pool is shallow at one end and about 4 ft. in the other. My husband and I parked ourselves at the edge of the infinity pool and would watch the ocean (or people watch those on the beach) for hours. There was no loud music at the pool, and we enjoyed plenty of lounge chairs (newer) and palapas for shade. The beach is literally steps from the pool.
Yes, there are some units that are not as maintained as they should be, but I understand the new administration is on top of it to get them to clean up their acts, but most are very nice (like the one we stayed in). I would suggest booking your room through www.condo-surfers.com.
Cancun Plaza also has laundry facilities, a palapa bar serving drinks and sandwiches, cable tv, and internet.
Just outside the security gate house is the main street and the bus stop is a few steps down the road. For 8 pesos (about 80 cents) you can ride downtown and stop at a multitude of restaurants (Outback, Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville, Bubba Gumps, Ruth's Chris, etc., etc.) There are plenty of others as well as shopping (both local crafts and high-class). We never felt unsafe -- EVER! -- even at 10:30 pm. For those wanting to do food shopping to stock their place, Carmen at Condo-Surfers can shop for you (for a small fee) or you can take the bus to Wal-Mart which has a huge selection of fresh foods. If you have too many groceries and don't want to take the bus back, take a taxi for $15 (negotiate the price before getting in).
We are going back in December and can't wait to enjoy two weeks by the Caribbean Sea!
- Apartamentos Hotel Cancun
