Travelers arriving from the Caribbean side of the peninsula will find the Gulf coast rather underwhelming. The sand is coarser, and the water doesn’t have the brilliant shades of blue that make the Quintana Roo coast justly famous.
But the beach at Progreso [1] is still fairly broad and clean and will do just fine, especially when the mercury rises inland. The water stays shallow a long way out and is relatively calm, although expect some chop during the stormy season (June–October) and know that the wind never really dies down. The beach is dotted with palapa-roofed sun shelters; across the street are a line of restaurants and cafés.
Links:
[1] http://www.moon.com/destinations/cancun-the-yucatan/the-state-yucatan/progreso