In the 1970s Mexico's ambitious tourism planners decided to outdo Acapulco with a brand new, world-class resort in the Yucatán Peninsula. The place they chose was a deserted sand spit offshore from the little fishing village of Puerto Juárez, on Yucatán's eastern shore. The island sand spit was shaped like a Lucky 7 and its name was Cancun.
In the last two decades Cancun has grown from a tiny jungle village into one of the world's best-known holiday resorts. The Mexican government sunk vast sums into landscaping and infrastructure, yielding straight, well-paved roads, drinkable tap water and great swaths of sandy beach. Cancun now attracts planeloads of divers, Mayan archeology buffs and sun-seeking resort tourists.
History
Cancun is known for being a young and vibrant resort area, but it also has a rich history dating back thousands of years. Everywhere you go when you travel to Cancun you can see glimpses into this rich past of long before there was such a thing as Cancun vacations.
In the late 60's the Mexican Government authorities focused their interest on a remote and untouched sandbar on the East coast of the Yucatan Peninsula when at that time travel to Cancun would have been impossible by car. This sandbar which was soon to host some of the best hotels in Cancun, was inhabited by as few as eight family members, making a living as fishermen. Centurys prior to that the Indiginous Peoples of the area had left their legacy.
After the arrival of the Spanish and the then subsequent creation of the Country of Mexico, the Yucatan area seemed to fall away from the memories of the people and became forgotten. Cancunwas yet to be! This Caribbean jungle region wasn't even given an official territory name until 1902. Then it was named after the illustrious army general Andréas Quintana Roo, even though he had never served in the area. This was to become one of the most visited states by people from all over the globe
who would travel to Cancun, the creation, of one of the top tourist destinations in the World Cancunhas something for everyone and for all ages and travel to Cancunhas never been easier than it is today with the multitude of flights offered by airlines from all over the world. Coming to Cancunis easy but finding the will to leave Cancun will be the difficult part!
Weather
The weather in Cancun only has 35 days a year where the maximum temperature doesnt hit 80F and with a third of the year over 90F. Cancun weather is hot! Cancun can ensure to be at least 80F April to end of October. There are two rainy seasons from April through July and then October through January. It can rain heavily at some times but is very unlikely that the weather will rain for the duration of your holiday.
Cancun is blessed with warm tropical weather. In the summer it gets a little warm by some standards. There is a strong possibility of afternoon rain during the summer, starting in June. Usually the rain lasts for a few hours after which the air is clean and the humidity drops. Sometimes the rain weather lasts through the night.
Arriving in Cancun
There are 3 different terminals in Cancun Airport you might land at depending on where you are flying into Cancun from. Flying from any city within Mexico, then you have already cleared customs so all you need to do is pick up your bags and you are off! The other two terminals are for international flights. One is for all the charter flights and the other is for all the regular airlines. In both case you clear customs in Cancun Airport. The first step is to line up and go through the immigration line. Here is where you get your "tourist visa" stamped. It is a small form you fill up during your flight. You are required to present this tourist visa when you exit Mexico so keep it with your return flight tickets. Once that is done, you head to the baggage claim area, find you bags and proceed to customs Cancun Airport. You might have heard of the "red light / green light" customs button. Mexican customs randomly selects tourist to check
their bags. Every family will need to press this button and if you get the red light, your bags will be searched. If you get a green light, you are good to go.
Now, inside the Cancun Airport terminal you will see MANY people trying to help you. They will be at "information" booths. EVERY ONE of these booths inside the airport terminal is a timeshare person. They will tell you anything to get you to take a timeshare sales presentation. If you are not interested in a timeshare presentation do not even stop to talk to these guys.
Transportation
How to get to your hotel? Many packages to Cancun have airport transfers included so you will need to find the transfer company. In all cases they are holding up a sign of their company so you will need to look for them. If you DO NOT have no transfers included then you can A) take a public shuttle van at $9 per person one-way. These vans wait until they are full, load you in and take you to the hotel zone area. The van will stop and drop off people along the way until they get to your hotel (they are NO taxi stands at the airport). Option B) Private car/van service. Private means just that. Your party will be the only ones in the vehicle. Once you depart the Cancun Airport terminal a driver will be holding a sign with your name on it. Once you find each other the driver will escort you to the vehicle and take too directly to your resort. The cost depends on the number of people you have .
Restaurants
Cancun is full of fabulous restaurants. You will not go hungry as they serve up some incredible meals. Steak lovers to vegetarians, everyone has a vast choice of meals. Everywhere you go there are waterfront restaurants and taco stands, food courts to fast food. Have it delivered to your hotel or dress up and go out, the choice is yours. Some of the fancier restaurants have a dress code; you may want to inquire ahead of time. Do sample some of the local Yucatecan dishes that are an absolute treat.
Nightlife
Cancun’s nightlife offers a wide variety of discos and other local establishments, where you can dance the night away. You can party till dawn with the friendliest people you’ve met from all around the world. The Night life in Cancun is so diverse, you'll find yourself going to a new nightlife scene almost every night you spend in Cancun.
Spring Break
Cancun is the number one spring break vacation destination. Go to Cancun for spring break and you will not be disappointed. Cancun, located 600 miles south of Miami on the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, is a relatively new resort -- the crowning gem of all Caribbean resorts with over 20,000 Spring Break vacationers enjoying the clear blue water and white sand beaches. Cancun is HOT — both in temperature and in action and is known for unbelievably warm, sunny days and wonderful nights! There will never be a dull moment when you're Spring breaking in Cancun. In addition to the beautiful beaches and the great nightclubs, there's a lot of activities to keep you occupied during your spring break, including:» Scuba diving, Snorkeling, Deep-sea fishing, Kayaking, Water-skiing & Parasailing. Spring break in Cancun means non stop fun!
Money & Banks
Credit cards, US dollars and travelers cheques are accepted almost everywhere in Cancun. It is advisable to convert some dollars into pesos at your bank or at the airport before arrival to Cancun for small purchases. Banks are open from 9:00 AM - 1:30 PM. Monday through Friday and closed on holidays.
Time Zone
Central standard time year round
Electric Currency
The electric current all over Mexico is the same as in the US.
Population
As of January 1999 Cancun has more than 600,000 inhabitants.
Language
Spanish is the national language in Mexico, although in Cancun English is spoken in most shops, restaurants and public places. |
