CANCUN info wanted
Jun 12th, 1998, 12:05 PM
#2
Guest
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We went to Cancun about a year ago, and I was enchanted with the whole place. The weather was lovely, the people friendly and the food great. We had been warned before leaving not to drink the water, but ignored the advise and had absolutely no problem what so ever. I drank lemonade and iced teas made with local water, had locally made ice in all my drinks, and even drank the water from the tap in the hotel, without so much as a hicup. We also ate the local ice cream and used milk/cream in coffe without incident (I had been warned that dairy products in Mexico are not always pasturized.) I think if you are staying in any of the tourist hotels on the island of Cancun, not in the old fishing village part of Cancun, you should be fine with all food and beverages. <BR> <BR>Do go into the old part of Cancun for an afternoon if you can, though. It is very interesting to wander through the marketplace and see the colorful dress of the locals, shrines to the Virgin Mary, etc. I recommend going in a group of 4 or 6 people though, as I found all stall vendors in and around Cancun can be very insistant that you buy something from them, especially in the smaller market places, and especially if husband and wife get separated from one another for even a moment or two. It helps a LOT if you learn how to say "No thank-you, I'm just looking" in Spanish. They all speak English very well, except no one seems willing to understand that you are not interested in being sold the entire bazaar contents just this instant. <BR> <BR>There are lots of great beaches. Scuba and snorkelling is very popular, and equipment can be rented quite easily. If you can find a tour guide to take you diving in one of the many cenotes (natural underground fresh water lakes) it is definately worth doing, and not that expensive (our snorkel tour was $50 U.S. per person for the day, and included tranportation by jeep, lunch and all equipment). Some guides will even take non-swimmers (using life jackets) so anyone can see these natural wonders. <BR> <BR>I also recommend the following tours/activities: <BR>Visit "Xcaret" for the day. They have horse-back riding, beaches, bird sanctuary, butterfly farm, Mayan cultural centre, and an underground fresh-water river (more like a slow moving stream) you can float down. You may want to skip the re-enactment of Maya ceremonial life at sundown and go have supper instead, though. This portion of the day was a bit too contrived and crowded for my liking. Do stay for the stage show they have in the evening after the Mayan displays if you can though, especially if they have the Mexican folk dancers. <BR> <BR>If they don't have the folk dancers at Xcaret the day you're there, you can see them in Cancun at the cultural center as well. I think it was about $20 per person for the show, which included supper. <BR> <BR>Take the day trip to Chichen Itza (ruins of a Mayan city), and stay for the light show after dark. The tour bus takes two hours to get to Chichen Itza, so it's a long day, not getting back to your hotel until midnight, but well worth it. If you have kids, and don't think they can make it through a 14 hour day, catch the noon bus instead of the 9:00 am. They'll probably sleep on the way back. So will you. <BR> <BR>Closer in is Tulum, another Mayan archaelogical site. It is quite different from Chichen Itza, but equally awe inspiring. Bring your bathing suit to this one as they have a lovely beach as well, and a cool dip in the ocean is very refreshing in the hot sun. A hat and sunscreen are also a MUST at Tulum - there is absolutely NO shade. <BR> <BR>Cancun at night is very touristy in a glitzy, Las Vegas sort of way. There are night clubs and casinos and dance bars and all the usual "American" things to do. There's also a very modern shopping mall (Kukulcan Mall) and "American" restaruants like McDonalds and Pizza Hut. Personnaly, I prefered the local food, but I guess it's there for those that want it. <BR> <BR>Money is no problem. Don't even bother with travellers cheques. Almost all stores and restaruants take Visa, Mastercard, or cash in Pesos or American dollars. Some will take Canadian dollars. For an even better bargain, use the local bank machines to extract money in Mexican Peso's from your own bank back home. CIBC charged me only about a $2 transaction fee, and I got the bank exchange rate between peso's and dollars as of noon that day. Furthurmore, I didn't have to argue with the shop keeper over 7, 8, or 9 pesos to the dollar. <BR> <BR>There's lots more to see and do. We were only there one week, and didn't have time to do it all. We didn't have time to go parasailing, to Isla Majeres, to the bull fights, or to lots of other places. <BR>Last but not least, take a pocket Spanish-English phrase book for travellers with you, available from your local book store. At only $9, it was an excellent investment in a good vacation. <BR> <BR>Good luck and have fun! <BR> <BR>Daryl
Jun 14th, 1998, 10:19 PM
#3
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i went to cancun last year, and cancun is the most beautiful place in the caribean,it has beautiful beach, nice people, good food, etc. <BR>i recommend u to visit xcaret, xel-ha, akumal, chichen-itza, tulum,cozumel, isla mujeres,all the ruins. <BR>and for the nights u can go to the disco in cancun. <BR>the disco are great. u can dance allnight. <BR>is the safest place, u can walk by the streets without problems. <BR>go to cancun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jun 15th, 1998, 12:33 PM
#4
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My wife and I have been to cancun four times in 11 years, and each visit was a great deal of fun. Ceryainly, for a first visit, go to the Mayan ruins that have been suggested. Also a day trip to Tulum provides a visit to a wonderful beach and also some ruins. We visited Isla Mujeres by taking a bus from the Hotel Zone to the end of the line in downtown Cancun, and transferring to a small bus/van with a sign indicating it was going to Puerto Juarez (ask at your Hotel and they'll probably give you directions). At the port, we took the local ferry to the island. The trip was slow - took about 45 minutes - but was fun. There was a Mariachi (sp?) band and drinks available, and about half the people were tourists (European, Asian and American). The cost was negligible - a few dollars - and we rented snorkeling gear in town and took a taxi to the reef. When you get to Cancun, pick up a copy of a magazine at the airport called Cancun tips - good info and maps, and not available at the hotels. Sometimes the restaurants and merchants will give a better exchange rate for dollars when you make a purchase, and so you should carry dollars as well as pesos. A great way of getting around is to take the bus. We found the best Latin dancing to be at Batacha in one of the hotels on the beach (I can't recall the name of the hotel). We danced 'til it closed, and were the only Americans left! You can also take a ride to the floating island - a dock anchored off of the reefs - at the southern end of Cancun near Club med. The reefs here are quite nice. Of course, the best diving and snorkeling is over in Cozumel, but Cancun is still good. Beautiful beaches, and absolutely great pools at the hotels.
