I ended up in El Cuyo because I was at a wedding down in Cancun at an all-inclusive resort for three days. Spent with beautiful, amazing, and long-time friends. That was actually my second time at the all-inclusive resort, having been there six years ago as part of a corporate trip. Anybody who has been to an all-inclusive resort in Mexico can probably tell you that you are not really getting an authentic taste and experience of local culture. You're confined to a container of other tourists, many if not most of whom are foreigners and I was hard pressed to find a even a taco that tasted nearly as good as you could find from just about any taco vendor anywhere in the country, right on the street.
Traveling two and a half hours north from Cancun by rental car to El Cuyo reminded me so much of the joys in discovery I've experienced more and more and more since taking up kite surfing as a hobby and then as a true insatiable passion. If it weren't for discovering El Cuyo Via Windy app, and then deciding I wanted to build out more spots in the Yucatan within Kite the Planet to dig a little deeper. This is probably a place on Earth I would have otherwise never have discovered.
El Cuyo is a mellow, hidden gem of a beach town that is primarily inhabited by five to ten extended families that make up the occupants of this town. It it caters to tourism, yes, but probably far more to Mexican tourists than it does to the kiters that come to experience the winds and the charms of this small town.
The scene here when I visited was small; it was not peak season. Of three kite days, two were pretty good. I only rode the beach on the north side of the island. I didn't get a chance to experience the lagoons. I am actually not sure how often those are ridden. More research to be done on this and verification with local kite school operators.
El Cuyo is a charming beach town with a beautiful, long, stretching white sandy beach with eco lodges independently run, with charming gardens and owners, and without the pretensions of many other well-known tourist destinations your average non-kite focused traveler may flock to. The town is quiet, and you won't find much in the way of nightlife. You really won't find any people. They go to bed early; they rise early, and there is a sense of independence, with most people on the Kite Beach happy to meet you, share a beer, hang out later on, but no real single hangout kite or spot that I could find in my three days there.
While here, I mostly ate more than my fill of some of the best tacos I've had in years: ceviches and grilled fish also delicious, authentic, and reinforcing why I believe true Mexican cuisine is among one of the best that the world has to offer.