I’ll be making another trip with my family in July to Cancun. We stay in the hotel zone and haven’t had a problem. Not gonna venture off the tourist path. That’s where trouble could find you.
I spend the winters in the Zona Maya, in a small village. I am the only gringo. I have never ever had any problems. Quintana Roo has been off the drug trafficking maps because the drug trade is run by the police, and as long as you are just a tourist you have no problems. Tulum has been over-run with the jet set and NYC crowd, but if you get out of the Riviera Maya and go inland it is very very nice. I would rather spend a month there than Hawaii. A thousand bucks in Hawaii lasts a couple days. In Mexico it lasts a month.
Just got back from a trip of a lifetime at Moon Palace in Cancun. It was wonderful. The people were great and we had some amazing food. This is very close to the airport with no trouble at all. I would not dream of going too far into the wild...