A great holiday destination (Cancun)

Member Name: johnny8977

Product:	Cancun
Date:	12/03/02 (370 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fantastic weather, So much to do, Sexy American girls

Disadvantages: Long flight, Tipping expected, Sexier than me American boys

Me and my girlfriend went to Cancun in March last year. It was absolutely fantastic!

Cancun is a lot of things. But one thing it is not is traditional Mexico. If you want to experience the real Mexico, Cancun is not for you. If you want to have a holiday in a nice hotel but still get glimpses of traditional Mexico and its history Cancun is for you. If you want not stop sunshine, sun and tequila, Cancun is perfect for you!

Basically Cancun is a computer designed holiday resort. Imagine a island the shape of a number '7'. The long spine it is about 25 miles long and is joined to the mainland by bridge at either end. The width varies from about 300m to 700m and one major road runs along its length. Because of its ideal shape and location, Cancun was chosen by computer to be the site of a huge holiday resort in the 70's, and this is what it is today.

Cancun gets its name from the Mayan language and means "pit of snakes", a nickname from the construction workers who built it and found loads (that's what we were told anyway :} ).

Along the islands length are hundreds of hotel complexes. There are about half a dozen large shopping centres, including a fantastic Hard Rock cafe complex and Planet Hollywood. There are also a few golf courses spotted around.

Getting around could not be easier. Buses run 24 hours a day and at about 1 minute intervals. The cost is about 30p and this will take you from one end of the island to the other. This is very useful as places to visit are spread equally along Cancun's length, from downtown (traditional) Cancun at the north end to the Aquapolis water park at the south end. Do not hire cars as the local police apparently pullover tourists and fine them for anything. Likewise with jet ski's as you have to sign a waver saying you will pay for any damage - we were warned that when you then take the jet ski back innocuous scratches are found and you have to pay hund
reds of $.

All the hotels operate all-inclusive deals. So when you check in you will be asked to wear a bracelet that will identify you with a particular hotel. We found our hotel food to be quite boring most nights, apart from a few themed nights. You will probably want to visit downtown for a traditional meal.

There are just so many things to do in Cancun. Do not go for less than 2 weeks. Everyone we met who went for a week so badly wanted 2 because they didn't feel they saw it all. Don't forget the flight is about 11 hr from the UK too, so that severely cuts into a 7 day holiday.

We went for 2 weeks so this allowed a trip every second day, and the days in-between spent on the beach or wandering around Cancun itself.

There is a nature park about 50 miles away called Ichcaret (sp). This is on a ancient Mayan site and is built as a sort of educational theme park. There are no rides as such but there are shows and displays as well as more active things like an underground river to snorkel in or a fantastic beach. They even had dolphins. (I actually got to swim with dolphins in Cancun so anyone that has wanted to do that would love it). I highly recommend going to Ichcaret. The cost is about £25 including coach travel there, with is about a 45 min journey. It is an experience you will never forget. Another Mayan site near Cancun is Citchen Itza(sp). This is the site of a huge Mayan pyramid. We didn't visit there as it was a little further to travel and not so 'active', but if you enjoy a bit of history, this is the place for you. This is where you can see a bit of the real Mexico.

Just off the coast of Cancun is the worlds second largest coral reef. As such there are many companies offering excursions. These are all fairly cheap (the one we went on included 45 mins driving your own mini speedboat). Please be aware though that you must wear biodegradable sunscreen when going in the sea at the reef. This i
s more expensive than regular sunscreen (about £8) but is well worth it to protect the wildlife and the reef itself.

Cancun is a beautiful place. Ok, its brash, bright and very Americanised. But, it has everything most people look for in a holiday. Great weather, fantastic people and countless things to do. It is now getting cheaper and cheaper to visit so everyone should consider it as a slightly more exotic alternative to the Canary Islands or the Med.

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