cancun is extremely touristy and expensive ,however there are 2 parts ;the americanised expensive hotel zone with the posh hotels at stupid prices ,and the more traditional mexican old town which many tourists dont bother going to.the latter is full of great restaurants most of which serve mexican food only and bbqs.this part of town is for the local mexican employees who live in cancun and work in the expensive hotel zone ,which although only a few minutes drive away, is like a different world. this way you can also get cheap accommodation in a 3 star hotel with pool for about 25 pounds a night,which is cheap comparable to the hotel zone.another advantage is that, as charter flights from the uk to cancun are so cheap now,this makes a very convenient base from which to explore the yucatan penisular,which has a lot to offer.if you stay in the old town like i recommend, you do get a local atmosphere, but if you are the type of person who wants another "benidorm" then its not for you!the old town is also where the bus station is located for travel all around mexico and even into belize which is farther south.in the yucatan penisular you will be in your element if you like archaelogical remains.as chichen itza is great(try and time your visit with the spring or autumn equinox ,as the sun creates a snake like pattern on the side of the steps up one of the pyramids )and also stay at the small town there.as with all places if u do a day trip you miss out on most of the true feelings of the place,so stay at least a couple of nights,as its beautiful at dawn and dusk when the sun rises and sets and when there are few tourists left as the last tours have departed.they also offer sound and light shows in the evening in different languages (like those in egypt except here only costs about 4 pound each!,and you must do!)then you have the historical town of merida and also more ruins at uxmal(pronounced ooshmal)all have good easy and cheap airconditoned public buses throughout the day.the yucatan is also famous for cenotes=deep natural springs almost like oases ,as you will find the scenery in the yucatan is generally quite barron and flat and dry.but you must visit the town of coba which few people ever visit. this too is in the yucatan but is located around an ancient city and is set inland in solid jungle unlike much of the yucatan which is almost desert.the ruins here are only part excavated and you can walk up the steps if you look where ur going!as it hasnt really been restored yet!you get fantastic views over the jungle and lakes and the surrounding ruins aswell.the last place thats worth viviting if you dont have more than about two or three weeks,is the ruins of tulum on the caribbeancoast,but beware the coastal strip from cancun down to tulum is getting more nad more developed and the prices are getting quite expensive compared to the rest of mexico.
a great opinion on Mexico!! It may be slightly easier to read if you break this up into paragraphs (remember you can EDIT opinions at ciao too!)as there is so much good detailed information you have give here, it'd be a shame if it was missed!Well done.
NH Hotels, the hotel chain leader in Europe, with more than 300 hotels in 20 countries in Europe, Latin America and Africa. Enter into our web site and find the best available tariff at all times
Advantages: unique, in your face, great entertainment, superb value for money. Disadvantages: bit cheesy - but meant to be
TheWizardsSleeve 05.11.2007 (31.10.2007)
·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Coco Bongo, Cancun, Mexico
Advantages: Trapeze acts, stage artists, great fun party music, atmosphere, strong drinks Disadvantages: Very busy, likely to get drinks spilled on you
![Video Visits: Mexico - Merida, Cancun, Belize [DVD] [1999] [US Import] [NTSC]](http://images.ciao.com/ide/images/icons/no_pic_generic_S1.gif "Video Visits: Mexico - Merida, Cancun, Belize [DVD] [1999] [US Import] [NTSC]"){kind=icon}
very helpful by (80%):
helpful by (20%):
