pamplemousse

We are planning a trip at the end of January 2007. How are the beaches in Cancun? We are interested in snorkeling, scuba, and lying around.

Also, how far is it driving from Cancun to Playa del Carmen?

dadof3

Two thoughts:
My brother and wife just returned from the Cancun area. Hurricane damage still very much evident. Many resorts still not open.

My good friend, Julie, who sells tours to Cancun for a living, said the hurricane at Cancun was Mexico's 9-11. She recommends going to the Pacific side for now.

Little_Man

Cancun is a 45 minute drive from Playa.
There has been a massive beach restoration project ongoing in Cancun which should be complete by the end of this month. Major hotels will be reopening this summer; I think visiting Cancun in Jan. 07 will be fine. I plan to stay a few days in early August 06.

Little_Man

Not to mention President Bush, Fox, and Harper from Canada just had a major conference there 2 weeks ago. I remember Lou Dobbs going down there and staying at the Omni and remarking on what a lovely hotel it was and how beautiful the surroundings were.
It was an awful hurricane, but to compare it to 9/11 is uncalled for and inaccurate.

schmerl

The hotels on the Riviera Maya have been up and running for quite some time. They are south of Cancun and were not hit nearly as hard by the hurricanes. They are closer to Playa del Carmen too. We were there in January and our resort (Iberostar Paraiso Del Mar) was gorgeous. You would never have know a hurricane had come through.

Dee3

You should be fine. As a Cancun timeshare owner, I've followed the beach reconstruction project very carefully. Although some hotels and restaurants currently remain closed, the beaches are beautiful -- wider than pre-Wilma. The Mexican people have worked extremely hard to restore Cancun, remarkably fast. Our family is headed to Cancun in July and then again in November. I'm expecting to have a glorious time, as per usual! Just check on the status of your hotel prior to booking.

Little_Man

I just bought plane tickets for a trip to Cancun in August !

butsey

Way to go Frankie Wish I was going!!!!

Little_Man

Hey Butsey! It sure makes it nice having something to look forward to!

Dee3

Something to look forward to! That's EXACTLY how we feel about our upcoming vacations in our Mexican home, CANCUN!

Diana

"My good friend...said the hurricane at Cancun was Mexico's 9-11. She recommends going to the Pacific side for now."

Goodness, how alarmist and misleading.

Cancun is well on the road to recovery, and I agree with frankie. By '07 it should be hard to even tell anything at all happened.

South of Cancun - Playa down to Tulum - is already just about back to 100%.

I plan to travel to the region (Playa del Carmen and Isla Mujeres) in July.

For snorkeling and SCUBA, look into Akumal or Isla Mujeres. Lots of good choices. For lying around, (always a favorite of mine ) consider Tulum or Akumal or Isla Mujeres.

Have a great time!

smneale

I'm thinking of going in August this year (2006) and staying at the Crown Paradise Club Cancun. Is the Crown Paradise open and recovered from the hurriance?

Little_Man

I think it is open...

kikahead

Lying around--can you not lie around in NYC? I think you should stay in Playa del Carmen. I have maps.

Wouldn't you still have to wear reef shoes in the ocean? In Kauai the ground inside the water has billions of rocks to eat your feet and that hurricane was in '92.

I think the statement re: 9/11 was only in regards to tourism! I know those of us who worked in the travel industry at that time were screwed as a lot of travelers were not around. It was a rough hit and a lot of companies/hotels/etc in our area did not survive. I can easily see how someone in the hospitality industry would make this comparison.

gomexico

There is still a lot of misinformation eminating from the tourism industry in Cancun that "all is well, back to normal." It's a lie, IMO. Yes, some of the beach has been restored, but not in the same width/condition it was prior to the hurricanes. Many resorts are not fully-repaired nor are the restaurants, etc. It's a place I'd continue to stay away from for the next six months, unless you have some sort of special attachment to Cancun and just have to go there, no matter.

Little_Man

gomexico, where do you get your info from? I've seen pics of the "new" beach in Cancun, and from the pictures it looks great. I'm not arguing, truly, would just like to get the real picture from someone with no agenda.

senorojo

Just got back from Cancun April 9th. First time, what I saw impressed me mucho. Did not look like a disastor zone. In fact told my wife that it kinda looks like the Vegas strip with beaches. You can't tell a hurricane hit. Yes some hotels are not yet opened but from what I saw most are taking the opportunity to upgrade and modernize their facilities. I definetly found plenty of beaches for swimming and relaxing. If you go do take side trips to Isla Mujeres and Playa De Carmen. You won't regret it.

karens

Wow. I also got back from Cancun (yesterday) and I could clearly tell that a hurricane had been through.

On the positive side, the beach is great. My son's teacher went in Jan. and said her hotel was raking glass every morning. This was not the case this past week. Beach was beautiful, water was GREAT, no rubbish in the water. A mile walk up the beach revealed that the beach project was a success - the beaches are wider now.

The hotel next to ours looked like someone cut it in two. A few doors down, the hotel is fenced off; next door to that it looks like a hotel was leveled. (No debris, but an open lot). Many standing hotels still do not have glass in the windows. Several areas it looks like a giant plucked off the vegetation from the tops of the palm trees.

I have been to Cancun twice before - what I saw this week was NOT business as usual.

The Mexicans are hard workers and they are working hard at re-building the area. Much progress has been made, but there's a significant part left to go.

Little_Man

thanks so much Karens ... so good to hear from you, a trusted fodorite, lol,!
Would you recommend not going at this time? I've been to Cancun before, and am expecting to see some damage, but not a war zone. The beaches are good??
Which hotel did you stay at? I'm planning on the Fiesta Condesa in August. Perhaps Playa would be the better choice? Thanks so much.

karens

Hi Frankie. We stayed at le Meridian. It is my understanding that b/c the hotel was built perpendicular to the ocean (instead of length-wise parallel) and b/c it was built with hurricane proof glass, it survived the hurricane quite well. It was only closed a week! It is quite a testament to proper building construction.

I thought the beaches were great. I love the color of the water, and I like waves, too, so I think it was a great beach.

From what I remember, some of the hotels used to have really narrow beaches. It seems that the beach reconstruction really widened the beaches.

All the tourist stuff is up and going: snorkeling tours, Xcaret, Tulum trips, La Isla Mall re-opened,etc. I've never been to downtown Cancun, so I can't comment on that. Not sure the status of restaurants.

I have heard that Playa was barely affected by the hurricane v. Cancun, so maybe that's an option? I also understand that several hotels have May opening dates. (However, I will say that the Westin originally had an opening date of Jan, then April, and it's been pushed back again. Not sure how accurate those dates are...)