With more than 350 restaurants in the Cancun area featuring seafood specialties, traditional Mexican and Yucatan traditional dishes from spicy chocolate mole to fresh seafood straight from the Gulf and Caribbean Sea, you could eat out morning, noon and night for over three months and not eat in the same place twice. If you want to enjoy a panoramic view of the Caribbean Sea or the Nichupte Lagoon's waterfront, then the Hotel Zone is the place to be, and to follow are a sampling of recommended restaurants: 

Cancun’s culinary delights are over-the-top, especially at the area hotels, and you don’t have to be a guest of the hotel in order to take advantage of their eclectic variety of fare. Start with the Fiesta Americana Grand Coral Beach Cancun’s French Mediterranean restaurant, Le Basilic, which has been elevated to Five Diamond status. This fine dining French Mediterranean restaurant has only 16 tables with dim lighting, tabletop candles, stained wood furnishings, nightly piano music, and the service of a sommelier. Linger through intriguing courses of gourmet dishes infused with fresh herbs and a distinctive French flair.

Or if your preference is native cuisine, try Fiesta American’s La Joya Restaurant. Upholding its Four Diamond status, tantalizing Mexican dishes is highlighted by live mariachi music. La Joya features nightly live music and performances by the Folkloric Ballet every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30pm. With a backdrop of hacienda-inspired décor with Tiffany oil lamps, and chandeliers, the full-service bar allows guests to sample celebrated tequilas with the help of their tequila sommelier, or indulge in a hand-rolled cigar.

Did somebody say tequila?  How about a stroll through the La Destileria Restaurante & Museo del Tequila?  You bet you'll find tequila here of every flavor, size and design here at La Destileria's first tequila museum.  Developed by historians and museum specialists, the museum serves up the history of tequila, how it's produced and the way the "agave" plant is cultivated.  Lucky for you, you can purchase your tequila in their gift shop, and then hunker down in the restaurant and enjoy a meal prepared in their Mexican kitchens, featuring regional specialties from quesadillas with squash blossom flowers to shrimp in delicate tequila-lime sauce.  Have a "Tequila Sampler", or chose several shots from their list of over 150 different brands, or order a margarita. 

Did someone say shopping before eating? Visit the Hotel Zone's La Isla Shopping Village.  Check out the open-air shopping mall, along with the usual shops, artisans display and sell their goods along the way.  After all this mad shopping craze, sit down at La Isla's restaurant La Casa de les Margaritas.  This colorful theme restaurant tells the guest all about Mexico.  The menu's cuisine features modern Mexican recipes like baked chicken marinated in tequila, brown sugar and chipolte chili.  Three musical groups provide entertainment, including an 11-member mariachi band (usually evenings but check their schedule). The Mexican culture is featured in their brightly covered artisan displays throughout the restaurant.  Oh and be sure to stop by the bar and take a look at the bartender's balancing act--service with a smile while balancing the drinks on his head.  For those that like margaritas, La Casa de les Margaritas serves up some table-dancing margaritas that'll keep you dancing the night away.