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Overview
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In 1967, the Mexican government
commissioned a study to pinpoint the
ideal place for an international
Caribbean resort. The computer chose
Cancun, and a Cinderella-like
transformation began. More vacationers
come here than to any other part of
Mexico, and many come again and again
for the white-sand beaches, crystalline
turquoise waters, sizzling nightlife,
numerous restaurants, and the proximity
of Maya ruins throughout the Yucatan
peninsula.
It's clear as you fly into Cancun
that this resort was carved out of the
jungle. When development began here in
the early 1970s the beaches were
deserted except for birds and iguanas.
Now luxury hotels, shopping malls, and
restaurants line the oceanfront. |
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Tours & Excursions
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 There
is so much to do in Cancun that the
hardest part is deciding what to do
first! The world's water sports capital
has everything you can imagine under the
sun from exciting jungle tours, to
snorkeling, to waterskiing, scuba
diving, kayaking and fishing. Mexico's
rich history is everywhere in Cancun.
Near Cancun you'll find carefully
restored archaeological sites, including
Tulum, Chichen Itza, Kohunlich and Coba.
Discover nature's finest at Xcaret, Xel-Ha
and Tres Rios parks or meet crocodiles
at Crococun.
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View our complete list of tours HERE |
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Dining
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 Cancun's
restaurants outnumber hotels many times
over, and competition is fierce. Though
Mexican cuisine, seafood and steak form
the mainstay of many menus, you can also
eat Arabic, Yucatecan, Italian, Chinese,
French, Cajun and Polynesian, not to
mention international fast food plus
some local chains.
All the
larger hotels in the hotel zone have at least one
formal restaurant, some of which are
very elegant indeed, surrounded by
tropical foliage with fountains and
music. Many also feature a more relaxed
and relaxing beach or poolside dining
room. |
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Entertainment & Nightlife
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 Since
Cancun's whole rationale is to encourage
almost two million visitors each year to
have fun, the entertainment scene is
lavish - or remorseless, depending on
which way you look at it. There's
everything from sports and gambling bars
to romantic piano bars and fun bars,
even just plain drinking bars: enough
choice to ensure that you can find a
place to have a good time. And most of the
nightclubs have a cover that includes
all-you-can-drink.
A couple of cinemas
show new American releases subtitled in
Spanish: the largest downtown is the
multi-screen Cineapolis, Plaza Las
Americas on Av Tulum south of Av Coba;
in the zona , there's a cinema in the La
Isla shopping center. |
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Shopping
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 There
is no better option for shopping than
where you find everything for everyone.
Cancun is the place. The area has both
outdoor plazas that provide shoppers
with pleasant places to stroll and dine
and indoor ultramodern malls with stores
from international brands such as the
artistic and sophisticated Plaza
Kukulcan, the young Plaza Flamingos, the
centric and eccentric Plaza Forum or the
modern and familiar Plaza Las Americas.
La Isla Shopping Village is a beautiful
mall on the
Nichupte Lagoon under a giant canopy. A
series of canals and small bridges are
designed to give the place a Venetian
look.
Downtown
there are many shopping centers, marketplaces and stores. Because of the rich
cultural diversity of the region you can
find all kinds of unique things.
You will find high-quality woodcrafts,
colorful Mexican handcrafts, jewelry,
pottery, and typical fresh clothes from
the Yucatan Peninsula. A good spot to
check out souvenirs is Mercado Veintiocho (Market 28).
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Beyond Cancun
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 Isla
Mujeres: Isla Mujeres is one
of those great places that defy
description, the name means "Island of
Women". A small island, just a short
ferry voyage from Cancun. Isla Mujeres
is always blessed with cooling breezes.
This is a great place to kick back and
forget everything but the urge to relax.
Or...rent a motor scooter and tour the
island, have a massage, dive or snorkel
in the national park, take in a Dolphin
show or even swim with them, visit the
turtle park. Or just relax on a beach
and read a book. The beaches on the
north end of the island are very calm
and vendors will pass by and offer you
coconuts and tropical fruits. There are
a some charming restaurants right on the
beach.
Playa del Carmen:
Playa del Carmen, a 45 minute drive from
Cancun is a pleasant beach town and the
home base to the ferries that cross to
Cozumel, Mexico's largest island. The
town center is situated so that you are
never very far from the beach. Shopping
here offers incredible variety with many
quaint shops. The town square is right
on the main beach and is a great place
to just relax and watch the world go by.
Beachfront restaurants and hotels offer
an alternative to the much busier
Cancun. Playa del Carmen is growing at
an incredible pace, but somehow manages
to retain the small town atmosphere that
has made it a long time favorite for
many. Playacar, an adjoining planned
development with an 18 hole golf course,
is more modern and seems to cater to a
different crowd.
Cozumel:
Mexico's largest island is also the
scuba diving and snorkeling paradise of
Mexico. This kicked back island could be
the perfect South Seas retreat, except
that it is just 12 miles off the coast
of the Yucatan peninsula. If you're a
diver, this is where you will want to
go. But the island offers much more to
the tourist than just being a divers
paradise. Great shops, selling almost
everything, are everywhere. There are
many open air bars offering up relaxing
tropical drinks, Mayan ruins and endless
miles of deserted beaches that all play
a part in the mystique that is Isla
Cozumel. Rent a buggy, car or motorcycle
and drive around the island to discover
what this island is all about. |
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Travel Info
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 When
to Go: Cancun has the sun on
permanent retainer. The city's
temperature averages an idyllic 80°F
(27°C) year-round, dipping painlessly
from time to time, hitting 65°F (19°C)
in January. It can swelter to 100°F
(38°C) in May, though ocean breezes keep
it more bearable than the rest of the
Yucatan. Rainfall is rare, though
violent storms called nortes can roll in
on any afternoon, their black clouds,
high winds and torrents of rain followed
within an hour by bright sun and blue
sky. Hurricane season lasts from July to
November. The busy season is from
mid-December to April.
Getting Here: Cancun
International Airport (Aeropuerto
Internacional de Cancun) is 8km (5mi)
south of the city centre, two hours by
air from Mexico City and just one hour
from Miami. The airport serves a busy
traffic load of regional and
international flights. Many flights to
and from Cancun also stop at Cozumel. A
departure tax is levied on international
travelers departing Mexico by air. There
are mini vans and deluxe cars that can
take you from the airport into Cancun.
Regular taxis run into town or the Zona
Hotelera but are subject to expensive
regulated airport fares.
Getting Around: There
are rental car agencies at the airport
and in town. Cancun's public bus system
is very dependable and a great way to
get around. Playa Express runs shuttle
buses to destinations within the
Yucatan, including Chichen Itza and
Tulum. Puerto Juarez, the port for
passenger ferries to Isla Mujeres, is
about 4km (2mi) north of Cancun's city
centre. Express boats leave every 30min
during the day for the 25-min journey to
Isla Mujeres. Slower open boats, which
are less expensive, leave every hour
during the day and take 45min to make
the trip.
Languages:
Spanish and Mayan, but English is spoken
in most tourist areas
Currency:
Mexican Nuevo Peso
Time Zone:
Central Standard or Daylight Time
Electricity:
Standard current is 110 volt AC, the
same as in the US and Canada |
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