Cancun Vacation

Mexico has many delightful holiday resorts and none of them can beat Cancun for its beautiful white sand beaches, entertainment and sporting amenities. This area on the eastern coast, in the state of Quintana Roo, is internationally popular with tourists. It's surrounded by a bay, lagoons and the Caribbean Sea. A Cancun vacation can be a very active affair or can you can sunbathe and watch the world go by.  Mexican pesos are the official currency but most places will take American dollars. Getting around the island is fun on a motorcycle or buggy, which are available for rent.

The district known as the hotel zone is the most expensive, with hotels, bars and restaurants at the top end of the market. Some hotels offer opportunities to view ancient Mayan ruins. There is an aquarium where visitors can feed the sharks and swim with dolphins (hopefully, not the other way round!)

Downtown Cancun City, approached by bridges to the mainland, is generally less expensive and has familiar chain stores, flea markets and cheaper restaurants. The wide thoroughfares are lined with pretty white buildings. Downtown is more popular for a Cancun vacation for young travelers, particularly from the US. The hotels are less expensive and there are lots of dance clubs.

This area is a haven for water sports enthusiasts. You can take a break from chilling and go for a banana ride or have a go at parasailing, snorkeling or jet skiing. There are also scuba diving sites, a real treat in these clear waters and reefs.  Fishing is also a popular activity, including sportfishing for marlin, dorado and bluefin tuna etc. You can charter a boat with all the equipment supplied. Keen golfers and tennis players love a Cancun vacation too because the facilities are world class. There are 18 hole championship courses and areas for children to practice their golf too.

There is a water park near the town of Punta Nizuc, which has rivers, rides, slides and wave making machines. Other attractions include an alligator farm and a botany park. The temperature is usually between 26oC and 36oC and there is often a pleasant breeze. Hurricane Wilma hit in 2005 and tourism was put on hold for a while but businesses made a rapid recovery and tourism doesn't appear to have suffered. A Cancun vacation is a good excuse to practice your Spanish, although English speakers will find that most people speak English too.