Berlitz Pocket Guide Cancun & Cozumel (Travel Guide eBook)

• Editore: Berlitz Travel
• Anno: 2017
• ISBN:
  9781785730825
• Edizione: 10
• Argomento: Personal Development
• Categoria: Travel

Newly updated edition of Berlitz Cancun and Cozumel
Over 45 million copies sold across the series worldwide
High production values - fresh colour-coded design, full-colour throughout, with glossy maps on the inside cover flaps
Exciting opportunities for bespoke promotions - please contact your Account Manager for details
Content overview:
- Top Ten Attractions and Perfect Day itinerary suggestions, including Playa del Carmen and Chichen Itza
- Insightful overview of landscape, history and culture
- Essential practical information on everything from Eating Out to Getting Around

Where To Go

When the Mexican government decided to improve its economy by developing its tourist industry, a totally new, tailor-made, high-class resort was the aim; the major decision was where its site should be. Many factors were taken into account before a short list of locations was entered into a computer. When the final results were correlated, Cancún was top of the list.

Tulum beach

AWL Images

Cancún

This location had many natural attributes in its favor. Twenty-seven kilometers (17 miles) long and less than a kilometer wide, the island is shaped like the number seven, and separated from the Yucatán peninsula by only 10m (33ft) of water. Its eastern shoreline is one long beach of fine white sand, which is washed by the translucent azure waters of the Caribbean. Between the island and the mainland is Laguna Nichupté, a huge seawater lagoon bounded by mangrove swamps that are havens to numerous species of wildlife.

Today a string of hotels has taken much of the beachfront real estate, with the balance given over to bars, nightclubs and shopping malls. On the lagoon side, water sports and eco-tours abound in the calmer shallow waters. Blue signs denote public beach access and there are no restrictions, so you can walk the island’s full length without concerns about trespass. All in all, Cancún 1 [map] has everything needed for the perfect relaxing vacation.

Finding your way around the resort couldn’t be simpler. There is only one main thoroughfare, Kukulcán Boulevard, running the full length of the island, and every hotel and attraction is only a few strides from it. The addresses of most hotels or restaurants will include their position on Kukulcán Boulevard in kilometers; the farther south, the bigger the number. This guide explores the island from north to south, giving the exact location of attractions in kilometers to make it easy for you to find what you need. You could rent a vehicle of some sort to travel back and forth to your hotel, but there is a very reliable and inexpensive bus service stopping regularly and usually directly outside the major hotels, at intervals along the route. The buses run from early morning to midnight.

Aerial view of Cancun’s Hotel Zone

Getty Images

Hotel Zone

Crossing from the mainland onto the island – into the area called the Hotel Zone – the lagoon with its rich mangrove forest is on the right. This part of Cancún has the calmest sea for swimming and snorkeling, lying as it does in the shelter of Isla Mujeres just offshore. At km 4.5, just before the causeway over to the island, you’ll find the Embarcadero Playa Linda, where a number of boats depart for sunset cruises and trips to Isla Mujeres (for more information, click here). Captain Hook’s offers a small fleet of pirate ships; shipmates eat lobster dinners, compete in contests and watch a show while sailing the high seas.

At km 5 you will pass a huge Mexican flag which serves as a landmark and can be seen from most points on the island. It is only taken down in high winds. Just beyond the flag on the left is Tortuga Pier, hosting boating trips and the ferry terminal, plus access to Playa Tortuga beach. Kilometer 7 sees a right turn to the 18-hole Pok-Ta-Pok golf course, which is located on a large landmass that juts out into the lagoon.

Punta Cancún, the area around km 8.5, where the island bends south, forms the heart of the Hotel Zone, the focus for activity of all kinds. A number of shopping malls can be found here, including Plaza Caracol, Coral Negro, the Mexican artesian market where prices are generally lower than in the malls, and Forum by the Sea, with several popular restaurants and a cine-complex showing the latest Hollywood movies. Dominating the scene here is the Centro de Convenciones (Convention Center), which hosts musical and artistic exhibitions: check the program during your visit.

South of the Convention Center is the Hotel Zone craft market – designated the Flea Market on the sign outside. Prices for crafts and knickknacks in this warren of stands are negotiable, and generally lower than in the malls.

Travel by bus

Taxis are very expensive in Cancún, particularly for travel within the Hotel Zone. So the best and cheapest way of getting around is by bus. Regular buses travel between the Hotel Zone and downtown, and they cost just a few pesos a ride. They stop outside all the major shopping and recreation centers and the main hotels.

Kilometers 11 to 13 are home to some more shopping malls. On the lagoon side, the first is Flamingo Plaza; a bit farther south is La Isla Shopping Village; fashioned after a Venetian lagoon and featuring many US-based franchise stores. This development also has several restaurants, nightclubs, movie theaters and an Interactive Aquarium where visitors can have a close-up look at tropical fish, feed the sharks or swim with the dolphins. Next to La Isla Shopping Village, Plaza La Fiesta sells all kinds of Mexican handicrafts and souvenirs and houses a Mexican bazaar. Plaza Kukulcán, at km 13 on the ocean side, features a luxury-brand shopping area where, due to favorable Mexican tax laws, customers can buy world-class brands such as Rolex and Louis Vuitton at the lowest prices in Latin America.

At km 15.2, on the lagoon side, is Aquaworld (www.aquaworld.com.mx; daily 7am–8pm) which sells and rents just about every piece of equipment you need to travel on, under, or above the water; it is also one of the largest accredited diving instruction centers in Mexico. Head out into the lagoon on one of the fleets of jet-skis or small power boats, sign up for a snorkeling tour, or if you’d like to see marine life but stay dry, ride the Sub See Explorer, a mini-submarine with viewing windows so you get just as good a view as those in wetsuits. If you still have the energy, Aquaworld also offers Skyrider, a two-seat para-chair that floats in the sky across the lagoon, and Jungle Tour, a tour through mangrove jungles that ends with snorkeling on coral reefs. You may also try the newest popular sport in Cancún, the jet-propelled flyboard.

At kilometer 16.5 is a fascinating recent addition to Cancún’s museum scene, the Museo Maya de Cancún (Cancún’s Mayan Museum of Archaeology; Tue–Sun 9am–6pm). It boasts an imposing collection of over 3,500 Mayan artifacts including sculptures, ceramics and jewelry, but only around 400 pieces are on display at one time. There are two permanent exhibition halls – one covering the archaeology of Quintana Roo and the second devoted to Mayan culture as a whole. The modern museum, with hurricane-resistant reinforced glass, replaced the original archaeological museum of Cancún that was destroyed by hurricanes. It was designed by Mexican architect Alberto García Lascurain and inaugurated in 2012. The admission price includes access to the adjoining San Miguelito archaeological site.

Maya stone panel, Museo Maya de Cancun

Alamy

Kilometer 18 is the location of the the Ruinas del Rey (King’s Ruins; daily 8am–5pm; free on Sundays), a Mayan site set in low jungle, and bounded on the lagoon side by the greens of the Iberostar Cancún. The El Rey buildings are not large by Maya standards. The temples were built in line rather than in a cluster, with the largest in the middle. Lizards about half a meter (2ft) ...