Cancun (Mexico)

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Once a small, unremarkable fishing village, the resort of Cancun is today the reason most people visit Mexico. It is made up of two parts: the glitzy hotel zone dedicated to tourism, and the downtown area inhabited by the permanent residents. A different atmosphere prevails in each, with a dramatic contrast between the air-conditioned shopping malls, chic restaurant dining, and wealthy pleasure-seeking tourists in one; and bustling market street stalls, noisy vendors, and the daily grind of people at work in the other.

The hotel zone, situated on a thin strip of land (Isla Cancun) in the shape of a figure '7', is what people imagine when they talk about Cancun. It is a vision of Caribbean paradise with soft white sand beaches and clear blue-green waters. There is plenty of high quality accommodation available, a wide choice of restaurants and shops, a notoriously energetic nightlife, and an array of activities, including both land and water sports.

The city is also a good base from which to explore some of the nearby attractions, particularly the ancient Mayan site of Chichén Itzá on the mainland, which is the best restored and most famous of the archaeological sites on the Yucatán Peninsula.

Very few visitors to Cancun have found reason to complain, even during peak season, and perhaps it has been justifiably called 'vacation utopia'. The resort is expensive, but most hotels offer all-inclusive rates which are generally good value. Petty crime is common, but sensible precautions should ensure there are no problems. Some visitors are afflicted by cases of diarrhoea and fever, known colloquially as 'Montezuma's revenge', caused by unfamiliar bacteria in water and food. This can be avoided by drinking bottled water and taking care about over-indulgence in spicy Mexican foods, margaritas or Mexican beer.

Cancun's beaches are extensive and spread out enough to never become too overcrowded even in peak season. The resort is exceptionally busy during America's Spring Break, when it is the favoured destination of hundreds of thousands of college students; those wanting a more relaxing and less frenetic holiday should visit Cancun outside this season.

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One of the main ingredients for a satisfying holiday is being able to return home with some worthwhile souvenirs. Shoppers can rejoice in Cancun, with a choice of seemingly endless shopping facilities, from ultra-modern malls with chic boutiques to street vendors, open-air markets and department stores. The Plaza la Fiesta is a favourite shopping venue in the Hotel Zone, and there is also a popular handicraft bazaar called El Zocalo, opposite the Convention Centre. Numerous malls line the main drag of Paseo Kukulkan that runs down the eight-mile (13km) hotel strip.

It is well nigh impossible to go hungry in Cancun. Food outlets abound, from high-class restaurants to familiar franchises, taco stands and fast-food joints. Those who wish to go native can be assured that Yucatan cuisine is regarded as the finest in all Mexico, combining Mayan and Spanish influences. Local dishes worth sampling include cochinita pibil (suckling pig baked in banana leaves with annatto sauce) and panuchos (tortillas with fried black beans, chicken and pickled onions). Seafood is also plentiful. A popular romantic option is to book for one of the numerous dinner cruises offered. For a true taste of Mexico visitors can pay a visit to one of the many cantinas, traditional bar-restaurants, which are situated mainly around the downtown bullring. The atmosphere at the cantinas is particularly lively on Wednesday afternoons after the weekly bullfights, but the food and drink remains good quality every day of the week.

Tourists should pack their dancing shoes when visiting Cancun, as there are a huge supply of nightclubs, discos and bars to suit every mood, from romantic to raunchy, funky to frenetic, rock to reggae and salsa to techno. After dark the city, particularly the Hotel Zone, comes alive, most clubs opening around 10pm and pumping out the music until sunrise, or later, the next morning.

Most clubs and pubs offer a continual variety of promotional or theme evenings, with foam parties, mini-skirt and bikini contests being hot favourites. Most offer ladies nights with free drinks for women. Those seeking some more cultural entertainment should not miss the internationally renowned Ballet Folklorico, which holds performances in various venues around Cancun, featuring lavish costumes and traditional dances.

The main reason for visiting Cancun is to take advantage of the legendary beaches with their powdery, incredibly white sand washed by the warm, turquoise waters of the Caribbean. A wide variety of beach-based activities are offered on every beach in the tourist zone: volleyball, parasailing, snorkelling, jet skiing and so on. Alternatively just relax in a hammock. People-watching is also a major activity all over the many miles of beaches.

Diving and snorkelling are the most sought-after water pursuits of the energetic, with some of the world's most famous coral reefs on the doorstep. All equipment can be rented and dive operators are in evidence everywhere. Cancun also offers some excellent deep-sea fishing; charters can be arranged at hotels or one of the many marinas. Thrills and spills can be had at the modern water park near Punta Nizuc.

Out of the water it is impossible to be bored. There are local Mayan ruins and archaeological sites to explore such as the famous Chichen Itza ruins. There is an alligator farm, botany park, fun fairs and other attractions. There are two championship 18-hole golf courses and numerous other sports facilities, including well-maintained cycling routes.

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Population: 106.202.900
Languages: Spanish, various Mayan, Nahuatl, and other regiona
Currency: Mexican peso
Currency code: MXN
Local Times:
Mexico - Federal District - Mexico City

Country Dialling Code: +52
Voltage: 127V 60Hz
Electrical plugs:
2 parallel flat prongs

Mexico forms a bridge between the slick first-world commerce of North America and the more chaotic Latin tempo of its southerly neighbour. Mexico is a traveller's paradise, crammed with a multitude of opposing identities: desert landscapes, snow-capped volcanoes, ancient ruins, teeming industrialised cities, time-warped colonial towns, glitzy resorts, lonely beaches and a world-beating collection of flora and fauna.

With a Native American heritage and a distinct Spanish flavour, Mexico is vibrant, colourful and unique. Its varied terrain ranges from cactus-studded deserts to white sandy beaches and blue waters, tropical rainforest and jungle-clad hills to steep rocky canyons and narrow gorges, and from snow-capped volcano peaks to bustling cities.

Since the height of Mayan and Aztec civilisations, Mexico has suffered the destructive force of the Conquistadors, European colonial rule, civil and territorial wars, rebellions, dictatorships, recessions and earthquakes.

Yet its people remain warm and friendly, much of the countryside remains unspoilt by development, and its cities display a unique style of architecture. The extraordinary history is reflected in the ancient Mayan temples strewn across the jungles and ruins of Aztec civilisations, rural indigenous villages, Spanish colonial cities and silver mining towns, and traditional Mexican ports.

Buildings display a unique combination of colonial and pagan architecture, blending together Art Nouveau, Baroque, Art Deco and Native American design into the structure of their churches and public structures. The country's culture displays a similar blend of the traditional and modern, where pagan meets Christian in a series of festivals, or fiestas throughout the year.

Besides a combination of unique culture and fascinating cities, Mexico also boasts several hundred miles of coastline extending down through both the Pacific and the Caribbean, which has branded the country as a popular summer retreat destination.

Beach resort cities such as Acapulco, Cancún and those of the Baja California peninsula are accepted vacation havens. The countryside is also rich in archaeological treasures with pyramids, ruins of ancient cities and great stone carvings of ancient gods standing as testament to a country once ruled by the Aztecs and Mayans.