Cancun Travel Guide, Mexico

Cancun is situated on the eastern side of Mexico, having its beach at the Caribbean Sea. It is often called the Mexican Caribbean or the Mayan Riviera. These nicknames are real trademarks of the city guaranteeing that you will spend a holiday here you will never forget.

These nicknames weren’t given to the city due to its location, because the climate in Cancun is not similar to that in the Mediterranean. Of course, its location also had an influence on the development of the city and helped it to become a world-renowned tourist resort.

The weather was a real advantage for Cancun to become one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. It is a perfect place for everyone who would like to leave behind him the cold winters. No matter when you visit this beautiful city, the temperature won’t be lower than 18 °C, even in winter. In summertime the daily maximum can reach even 32 °C. In only extremely rare cases the temperature drops below 10 °C.

Even the buildings and their placement here became a real attraction among the visitors. The majority of buildings in Cancun have fewer than four stories. When the city was built, a master plan was used to create supermanzanas. These are in fact super blocks, which are derived by the grid of streets. You can find here many cul-de-sacs, which help keeping the traffic away. Because of the reduced traffic, marketplaces are also typical for this area, just as parks and walkways. Historical monuments are also characteristic to the numerous green areas.

Despite its favorable location, foreign investors were skeptical about the profitability of their investments. Because of this, the Mexican government financed the first couple of hotels. Shortly after the first pieces of data were available, many foreign companies bought property in the now Hotel Zone area and started building hotels. According to certain studies between 50 and 70 percent of the currently operating hotels are owned by foreign companies.

The Hotel Zone includes time-shares, condominiums, private residences and commercial buildings, beside the hotels of course. You can find here many restaurants, bar, clubs, shops - many representatives of world-brands.

There is a high demand for restaurants and for places offering the opportunity of distraction. Over four million tourists visit the city every year. This is almost seven times the city’s population, which is just under 600,000. Visitors usually arrive to the city with one of the 190 daily flights. Nearly 150 hotels are operating in Cancun.

A real unique feature of the city is the Hotel Zone, which is a seven-shaped island thick with hotels. A gradation is visible here: in the inner side of the island the prices are lower and the more you are getting closer to the outer coast the higher prices you get. You can find here everything from motel styled facilities to luxury hotels. A large number of condominiums with kitchens are waiting for you. Several all-inclusive hotels offer everything you need, like unlimited eating and drinking, entertainment, sightseeing, included in the price of the hotel room.

Numerous restaurants and shops are in the Hotel Zone too. Generally, the prices here are higher than in the downtown area of the city, but this is understandable if you consider that restaurants offer beautiful views of the sea and bay.

In downtown, you can find hotels too, like the Radisson Hacienda Cancún or the Oasis America. The largest hotel chain also has one of the 4,000 hotels operated by it in Cancun, the Best Western Plaza Caribe.

Just 13 kilometers from the city, you can find the Isla Mujeres. This island is also very popular among the tourists. After a short ferry ride, you can conquer this small island. If we don’t count the walking as a means of transportation, you have three choices: taxis, mopeds and golf carts. You can find hotels here too. The prices vary a lot. You can choose anything from cheap hotels to extremely expensive resorts, like Hotel Villa Rolandi. Whenever you need, you can find fresh seafood and specialties from Mayan cuisine. The surrounding waters are home to a coral reef and scuba diving is also available. Situated on the northern side of the island, the Playa del Norte is a very popular beach.

Many beaches and hotels were damaged by the thunderstorms in 2005. The government and insurance companies quickly gave money for restoration. Many hotel owners realized the opportunity in this and redesigned the damaged buildings rather than just restoring them. In 2006, many hotels and resorts had brand new designs.

If you want to enjoy every minute of a day than you will be happy being part of the vibrant nightlife for the first time. The best-known disco in the city, without any doubt, is the CoCo Bongo. It has everything that you need for a memorable night: a large dance floor with hanging stage and large video screens. The acrobats, the foam and bubble parties just add to the truly unique feeling.

After you visit this superb party place, you may think that only one such club operates in the city. This is not true. The Bulldog Cafe is another great place to spend your night. Here you can party with 2000 other people. In case if you are in the VIP, you have the opportunity to relax in a Jacuzzi. On the stage of this club, several rock stars held concerts, like Shakira, Radiohead, Guns’N’Roses and even AC/DC just to name a few.

You can even find a club of the famous Hard Rock Café chain here. The Dady’O clubs are famous for their themed nights with breathtaking laser shows.

Call it the Mexican Caribbean, the Mayan Riviera or anything you want one thing is sure: if you want to spend a great time, you will never forget, visiting Cancun one of the best places in the world to do so.

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