Cancun

Cancun is a high-energy, big-on personality resort town on the Yucatan Peninsula. Where you can begin your day with a cup of coffee from your ocean-view room, and spend the rest of the day sightseeing, eating, lounging, shopping or exploring. The city is overflowing with an abundance of treasures; with your biggest decision being taking your pick. Be it a trip to one of the architectural ruins that tell the story of Mayan life? Or how about a salt wrap at the hotel spa? Or indulging in a host of aquatic attractions such as Palancar Reef - the longest barrier reef in the Northern Hemisphere? Welcome to "Paradise made breezy" where no choice is ever wrong.

Cancun

Cancun has long been a tourist Mecca with an intoxicating array of options, making it ideal for all kinds of vacationers. Variety is its biggest draw. Spend a day touring Mayan architecture at the world-renowned archeological site Chichen Itza, shop the Hotel Zone starting from where the lagoon meets the sea, mingle with a rainbow of colorful fish in the world's second largest reef, take a ferry to Isla Mujeres (Island of Women), or simply spend the day swimming, kayaking, or laying in the tropical sun. This coastal city has enough variety for every taste and budget, along with a 24-hour energy where you can't help but get swept up in the action.

Don't Miss

• Floating through underground caverns at Xcaret Park
• Snorkeling at Gran Arrecife Maya
• Visiting Chichen Itza or Tulum
• Golfing on expertly-designed course...and including the family in mini golf
• Deep sea fishing for sailfish, marlin, dorado, wahoo, grouper and blue fin tuna, or angling for tarpon, snook, and bonefish more inlet
• Shoppingfrom ultra modern malls with chic boutiques to street vendors and open-air markets. (We like La Isla mall, in the heart of the hotel zone)
• Taking a ferry ride to Isla Mujeres (Island of Women)

Getting There

Cancun is located in the Northeast point of the Yucatan Peninsula in the Caribbean Ocean. Though it is often referred to as the Mexican Caribbean or Mayan Riviera, this area technically starts south of Cancun and is considered a destination of its own. Cancun is surrounded on three sides by water: the Caribbean Sea, the Bahia Mujeres (Bay of Women) and the Nichupte and Bojorquez lagoons. You fly into Cancun International Airport, a hub for numerous connections and nonstop options from all over the world. Valid passports necessary to enter.

Weather

Tropical, meaning the city is warm year-round with an annual temperature of 80 degrees. It is hottest from May to September, rainiest from September to December and more temperate from November to February.

When to Go

Off season is generally May to mid-December, with July and August popular "summer break" months; rainy season is September and November; High season is mid-December through April.

Festival Highlights

Carnaval rocks the city in February; there's music in the air come May for the week-long Jazz Festival and from late September to early October. Check out Cancun's website for details.

A Brief History

If a newspaper was writing a headline about Cancun it would read, "Once a Mayan hub; now a tourist hot spot." For centuries, it was home to the Mayan people. Its name, in fact, comes from the Mayan words "Can" and "Cun" meaning "Nido de Viboras" or "Snake Nest", though nowadays snakes are rare. For decades after, it was virtually uninhabited with little more than marshes, mangroves, virgin jungle, architectural ruins, small hostels and those pesky snake nests. The Mexican government, for a host of reasons, began building here in 1970 as part of a plan to attract tourism. The Hotel Zone officially opened to visitors when the first hotels opened in 1974, just about the same time that the international airport was inaugurated. Over the years, Cancun has become one of the country's premier destinations.