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Cancun (Mexico)
by kayleigh2008
I travelled to Cancun in October 2008 with my fiancée; we stayed at the Riu Carbie (see my review on there too). It was a great holiday and I must say I really think it was my best holiday ever!
We arrived at Cancun airport around 1.40pm local time. It was soo hot! As we was driving through Cancun it wasn't what I expected ... at all. The streets were quite and there was rubbish on the roads. I was like OMG this isn't like the pictures!
Anyway we as we was driving along I noticed how weird it was that you have the lagoon to your left and then the hotels and the sea to your right! It was amazing!
When we arrived at hotel I was in complete shock. It was beautiful and because it had the big glass windows you could see the sea! Just pure blue sea!
We checked in and couldn't wait to go and check out the beach! As we was walking along I couldn't believe how soft and not hot the sand was. It was lovely! The only thing I didn't like was all the seaweed but that was cleared quite a few times a day!
We booked one of the clubbing nights with our rep; this was going to take us to 4 bars! When we got ready and went out I was surprised about how Cancun changed from day to night!
Cancun by night is probably the most amazing place in the world! It is crazy! Everyone is like your best friend.
There are loads of restaurants' in Cancun, lots of "chains" too. We ate in Planet Hollywood which was lovely. There was also hooters which I really wanted to go in but people had come out compiling about the food so we decided against it.
Shopping in Cancun is okay but the same prices as over here so please don't expect to come back with loads of cheap handbags!! They have a shopping centre called Luxury Avenue which has all the designer shops you can think of including, tiffany, Chopard, Louis Vitton, Versace, Gucci, Chanel. Again all much the same price as the UK!
Getting around in Cancun is soo easy. The best way for me was the bus! It cost like 20p in for a trip. I thought they was great for getting into Cancun or doing downtown. You can also get taxi's but I found these quite expensive so we just got the bus everywhere!
Trips in Cancun are also good too! We done the speedboat trip and it was fab! You start in the lagoon and cross over into the sea then go snorkelling before heading back! We also done the captain hook's ship cruise at night, this trip was probably my best trip of the holiday! You get on board one of two ships and go out into the sea. You have games, DJ's and lots of fun on board until both ships meet up and "fight" for the treasure! We also done a trip to Xcrat, this was the worst day of the whole holiday! I found it so boring and a very long day! We actually debated getting a taxi back to the hotel which would of cost around $100! The only good thing about the trip was I done sea walking which was fab!
The weather in Cancun is lovely! When I went in october for two weeks we had raina bout 4 days but it was amazing to watch the thunderstorm and hurrican that was on the otherside of the island!
When it was hot it was HOT though!
For me personally the best thing about cancun was meeting some wondeful people who we still see now!
I would go to Cancun every year if it wasn't for the 10 hour flight!!!!
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San-Blas-Islandn (Panama)
by poonam82
San Blas is made up of over 160 islands there! If you're looking for a place where there is a scrap of sand, a palm tree and nothing else - this is the place. In San Blas, there are limited places to stay - on an island, the place usually has rooms and serves you three meals a day (usually lobster!)!
If you're a vegetarian or ... don't do sea food, it is somewhat limited - try and get in touch with the hotel beforehand although be warned, this usually doesn't mean you'll get anything different!!
San Blas is where the Kuna Yala people of Panama are based - trying their hardest to be autonomous from main land panama - with their own language, currency and governance. On some islands you'll see women selling traditional crafts, usually the fabrics with embroidered designs - molas. Really great for souvenirs!
Most hotels have a boat service as part of what you pay a night - to take you to the various islands. They usually take you to another island, drop you for a few hours, come back for you, take you to another and then back to the island you are staying!
There is a museum based on one island - it is more really a house with some preserved items inside but worth the visit - certainly to find out more about the indigenous people there.
If you want to escape to a place where you just island hop, swim and read your book, this is the place :)
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Antigua Guatemala (Guatemala)
by poonam82
Antigua is the former capital of Guatemala.
It has now become a bit of a tourism paradise - BUT I don't think it's spoilt by tourism completely yet!
Having lived in Guatemala, I used to escape to Antigua for some kind of normality. It is without a doubt the safest place in Guatemala for tourists (danger/muggings at knife ... point-gun point-machete point...etc is still rife. In my first year, all three happened to me by living in the city) - Antigua even has tourist police protecting you.
It is filled with good places to eat, places to stay and bars to go out in at night. Granted it is more expensive than the rest of Guatemala BUT if you have limited time, it is worth spending it here. From Antigua you can do so many tours to other parts of Guatemala. Whilst I would recommend the chicken bus experience (as it has to be done just to see the dynamic on board!) I appreciate it's not everyone's cup of tea. Particularly if you are limited on time or are a nervous traveller and get worried about changing, getting off at the right stop...etc
If you don't speak Spanish very well, almost all tourist places in Antigua speak English so another plus to organising things here.
Lots of beautiful old ruins to see that have been destroyed sue to earthquakes in the past, but if you go at night, they are lit up and look stunning! Lots of artisan to be bought here (although if you want it cheaper, go to Mercado Central in the capital)
There is a look out point to visit here - Cerro de Cruz - but go in a group and make sure you come back down while it is still light. Previously gangs were known to mug people as they climbed the hill - now tourist police do go up and down too but if it doesn't feel right, don't go.
You can walk around safe at night in Antigua, you can sample great Guatemalan coffee, cakes and delights here (café condesa serves amazing cakes!) you can eat Guatemalan food or have western food, you can drink Baileys or Gallo cerveza, you can stay in the hub or the tourist hustle and bustle, you can be removed form it, you can make the effort to learn the language at a language school or you can get away with not trying.
In short, it really does have everything - it is a little more expensive but if you're not extreme budget travelling, people from the States and UK will never find it as expensive as back home (unless you really are going out to town to party as there is a very upper class market end too!!)
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