 OVERVIEW
The silky sand and the crystal-clear blue sea constitute part of the main
draws of this no.1 Mexican resort. Despite the plethora of the Mayan ruins
one can spend weeks to cover, Cancun is distinctive in the sense that it's quite
a recent invention on the part of the Mexican's tourism authority. As a
result, its sleek and modern look remarkably stands out from other Mexican
resorts. One can travel here without even having to speak Spanish or
exchange for pesos (if you carry US$). International restaurants and wild
nightlife thrive throughout the city as well as the range of recreation along
the beaches. Accommodation choices are vast and varied both in settings
and prices, as is shopping. Cancun has become such a success that now it's
being used as a model for other planned developments which are spreading down
the Mexican coast.
HISTORY IN BRIEF
In the 1970s Mexico's ambitious tourism planners decided to outdo Acapulco
with a brand new, world-class resort in the Yucatan Peninsula. The place
they chose was a deserted sand spit offshore from the little fishing village of
Puerto Juarez whose name was Cancun. The Mexican government had spent
exhaustively on developing infrastructure and facility in the city that in the
last two decades Cancun has grown from a tiny jungle village into one of the
world's best-known holiday resorts.
GEOGRAPHY & CLIMATE
Cancun is a principality of the state of Quintana Roo on the northeastern
tip of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, fronted by Bahia de Mujeres, the Caribbean
Sea and two lagoons. Cancun is actually two places in one. On the
mainland is Ciudad Cancun, a planned city founded as the service center of the
resort, whereas the Isla Cancun is the sandy island, also known as the Zona
Hotelera or Zona Turistica. The city's temperature averages 27C
year-round. Hurricane season lasts from July to November.
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