Cancun: A Luxury Resort Engulfed in Tourist Attributes
by Habeeb Salloum

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The most reasonably priced abodes and restaurants are located in Cancún City with many of the hotels offering hotel vans to take guests to the beaches. Most are within walking distance to shopping centres and handicraft shops. Along the city's main drag, the Avenida Tulúm, the products for sale are much less costly, if one knows how to bargain, than those found in the Zona Hotelera.

For nightlife, the resort is crowded with attractive bars and taverns; fine restaurants, offering the pleasures of the table in every variety and, some, featuring colourful folkloric entertainment; and countless discos that open until the wee morning hours. If romance is in the air, there are the nightly starlit cruises where one can eat and drink to their heart's content while they dance the night away.

For unforgettable experiences in nature, tourists interested in eco-tourism can explore some of the area’s thousands of cenotes (sinkholes) and caves, visit the magnificent nearby resorts of Xcaret and Xel-Há, explore the biosphere of Sian Ka'an, the bird refuge of Isla Contoy and the Rio Lagartos Wildlife Preserve; or fish in the edging ocean, teeming with the creatures of the sea. The resort's waters also offer every type of water sport amid coral reefs filled with marine life. On land, there are five golf courses, in operation or under construction.

In addition, Cancún is the gateway to the world of the Mayas. Nearby is the Yucatán jungle peppered with about 2,000 sites of Mayan cities and towns - 100 of these near Cancún. Some like Cobá, the heart of a Mayan road system; Tulúm, the only Mayan city built edging the sea; Ek Balam, with its spectacular pyramid; and Chichén Itzá, the queen of Mayan urban centres, have been partially excavated and are easily accessible by car or organized tours.

Chichén Itzá stands at the top of these once jungle-covered ruins and is considered to be one of the most spectacular and interesting of the ruined Mayan cities. Only 1 1/2 hours drive from Cancún on a super highway, a tour to that Mayan city is usually a never-to-be-forgotten trip.

For other vacationers, a short ferry ride to Isla Mujeres with its charming town and beaches or a 20 minute flight to the Island of Cozumel, the diving capital of Mexico, are preferred options.

Ideal for every type of tourist, Cancún has much to offer. In a single day, travellers can climb a pyramid, explore fascinating caves and cenotes, dive the reefs, swim with the dolphins, have an encounter with the modern Mayan, and if on honeymoon enjoy the days of intimate bliss in some of the most luxurious abodes in the world. The resort is considered to be three vacations rolled into one - the sunny Caribbean, colourful Mexico and ancient Mayan ruins.

IF YOU GO

How to Get There:
The most economical way to spend a vacation in Cancún is to join an organized one or two weeks tour offered by many travel agencies. If one shops around, there are bargains to be found.

Facts About Cancún:

1) City buses run through the Hotel Zone and downtown. Buses run every few minutes through the hotel zone - cost 6 pesos (60 cents). Taxis are very moderate in price - approx. cost of taxis from airport US$25. Bargain for the cost before entering a taxi - some drivers are always waiting for the unwary tourist.

2) Prices in the Hotel Zone shops are fixed, but be wary of the marked prices in the tourist section of the city, especially handicrafts. Some are marked up to five times higher than the merchant is prepared to accept.

3) Visitors to Cancún should try the Yucatán cuisine - considered one of the best in Mexico. Sopa de lima, chicken broth with lime; codzitos, fried tortillas topped with tomato sauce and cheese; poc chuc, grilled pork with pickled onions and a sour sauce; panuchos yucatecos, fried tortillas filled with black beans and other goodies; pibil, a pork or chicken dish baked in banana leaves; and papadzules, tortillas with eggs, pumpkin seeds, tomato sauce and grilled seafood, are some of these foods.

4) Some of the Mayan handicrafts offered in Cancún are hipils (white cotton dresses with colourful designs), grayaberas (men’s short-sleeved cotton shirts), attractive tablecloths; and handwoven wicker baskets, blankets and rugs.

For further information about Cancún:

In Canada contact the Mexican Tourism Board
2 Bloor St. West, Suite 1502, Toronto, Ontario M4W 3E2.
Toll free number: 1 800 44 MEXICO.
Web: www.visitmexico.com or Fax: 416/925-6061

In the U.S.A. contact the Mexican Tourism Board
21 East 63rd Street, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10021
Tel: (212) 821-0314. Fax: (212) 821-0367.

E-mail: newyork@visitmexico.com