By Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon
CJ Travel Editor

Cancun has a not entirely undeserved reputation as a mecca for rowdy Spring Breakers and tacky tourist-trap bars. But what often gets forgotten in the criticism of this Yucatan, Mexico tourist town is the number one reason why people flock here:

Stretching for 14 miles, Cancun’s bone-white ribbon of white sand unfurls parallel to the Hotel Zone, a magnet to the thousands of visitors who arrive seeking sea and sand with their sun and oversized sombreros.

It’s remarkably pristine for a beach that for decades has seen such heavy year-round traffic, its sands still blemished only by footprints, its turquoise waters still as clear as glass.

But as enchanting as the beach is from ground level, it’s a strand whose magnificence is best appreciated from on high — in this case 12 stories above the sand at the JW Marriott Cancun Resort & Spa, where waking up to this stunning view makes you feel lucky to be alive – and eager to try that luck in the “Vegas of the Caribbean.”