I have visited Cacun 6 times,i first went there in 1996 when it was little known by the brits and the all-incl package was still a new experience.I have stayed at the Royal Solaris Caribe 4 times,finding the standard excellent and consistent each time,and would reccomend it any time.
I have stayed at the Moon Palace once,due to the constrainsts of a cruise and stay, and would not visit again .The hotel is situated away from the main hotel zone making access to downtown Cancun an exspensive trip out.The beach at the hotel is full of seaweed alougth they do make an effort to keep it clean, but it is an effort.The Moon palace is a big complex and there a golf carts to help you get around,in my opinion there are better hotels to stay at in Cancun.
I have also stayed at the CrownParadise Club,again due to travel constraints,overall i found this hotel ok ,food and staff were pleasant ,there was an adult only pool area which i found useful and would stay again,but my favorite is still the Royal Solaris Carribe.
here are a few facts about
Cancun
Cacuns brief history. In 1978 the Mexican goverment decided they needed a way of boosting Mexicos economy,they could do this by tourism.So they entered into a computer all the req they needed to make the best tourist area,eg best beach,location ,weather.The computer came up with the area of Cancun which at the time was only a samll town,they put the info into the computer again and each time it came with the same ans,and so Cancun was born!
Location. Cancun is mainly a strip of land divided by the sea and a lagoon.Most of the hotels are located on ths land with a dual carrigeway running adjacent to the hotel for easy access.Further down where the strip end you will find 'downtown Cancun' where you will find all bars,shops and entertainment areas .
Hotels. Approx 90% of Cancuns hotel are on the strip ith easy access to downtown Cancun and airport.Most if not all are on an all-inclusive basis,and most are of good standard and cleaneness,as a quick rule of thumb the ones charging around £600-£800pp for 2 weeks tend to be the lesser nice ones,expect to pay £1000+pp and the standard is good value for money.
Weather Most days the sun is up and hot at 6am, usual day-time temp are in the 90s,shower can occur mid afternoon but these are tropical and welcome and short,after half a hour back to sun.The sun goes down around 6pm between apr-sep.Dont forget you sun cream you will burn.
Beach and watersports. The beach at Cancun is man -made as the rest of Cancun,but they really did select the best sand,haven't yet been on a nicer beach, well maintained and clean,also accessed mainly by hotels making it semi-private. There are plenty of watersports the usual paragliding jet skis and sailing (sailings free at some hotel).Scuba diving is available at the watersport centres with dive instructors at most hotels for those that would like to try,bieng a diver myself i highly reccomend it. The sea is wonderful,with an average temp of 23 degrees,beware of strong currents in certain areas,there are also lifeguard on duty to advice .
Shops Shopping can be exspensive,there are a few shopping malls offering designer goods and food.The malls are modern air-condtioned and well maintained where you can shop in comfort ,Not many bargains to be had though.Outside is where you find the bargains,here your're find traditional Mexican flee markets where you can take part in haggling mexican style,just say no if you dont want to play and youre usually left with a genuine smile and friendship.
Food. Eating out can be exspensive,this is mainly because most of the hotels are on an all-inclusive basis and most people eat at there hotel.The restaurants are off good quality especially the steak and lobster houses but its worth a visit.There are also the usual mcdonalds and burger kings availalble.
Drink. Can be exspensive again because of the all-inclusive element,use to be cheap in 98 but prices have quadruppled over the years.Booze bands offer the best value available in the clubs with offers of all you can drink for $25.The drinks in hotels are usually free if on an all-incl package,but often offer local brands only free.
Entertainment. Cancun really does come to life at night .Downtown Cancun is where you will find mostly nightclubs and bars such as Daddy rock ,Signor frogs and Planet Hollywood.This area really buzzes at night with surprising little trouble and plenty of laughter.Entrance to most bars and clubs are free,but they usually req you to by a booze band to obtain drinks,good value if you intend to stop in thst club,but if you want to move on single drinks are available but at a price!
Places to see. I can only comment on places i have been.First stop, Chichen itza,this mayan ruin is a must see especially if you've never encountered a pyramid before.Organised tours can be taken by air-conditioned coach,i opted to hire a car with another couple this worked out alot cheaper and conveinient with being able to stop at a real mexican village on way back,but if this is not for you the tours are very good.
XHAL is a ecological waterpark where you can float down a lazy river ,swim with dolphins and take in mexicos wild life ,worth a visit.
Isle of majeres is an beautiful island off Cancun getting there i opted for a catermaran all day trip,by sailing on a catermaran over to the isalnd with snorkling and lunch included at a restaurant on the isalnd,Access around the island which is only approx 3 miles long can be obtained by golf buggys that you hire.Local shops offer plenty of food and souveniers while you tour this unspoilt,uncommercialised beautiful island.
Getting about Taxis are cheap and the bus system is excellent.The buses run 24hrs a day on the strip with a bus every 3 mins costing you around 70p to take you anywhere on the 6 miles strip,you also get excellent entertainment on board with the local buskers.
Safety Cancun is very safe to walk about at day and night,i have seen very little evidence of street crime on my visits and have never felt intimidated,however it does exsist so use youre common sense as always.
Times to aviod SPRING BREAK for americans which is around the first two weeks of april.This is when the american youth usually unaccompained have there college break ,now because they cant drink until there 21 in the states,and the drink age limit is 18 in Cancun, they get slaughterd, kids everywhere,not the best time to go.
Times to go Any time after spring break but best before end sep begin oct because of hurricane season.
My opinion Cancun has alot to offer alougth very commercialised now,it makes up for this with good standard hotels, excellent beach,excellent food and the Mexicans genuine appreciation to have you as guests,i probably wont be going back for a few years because i have been 6 out of 10 years,but for me it has tended to spoil me finding myself comparing other holidays to Cancun because the weather,sea ,beach sand entertainment and food are hard to beat !
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Welcome to Ciao. I just about found enough information and opinion in this to rate it Helpful, but I understand why others have rated it lower and wouldn't disagree with the advice given in the comment below. Duncan
mayalld 14.01.2006 10:11
By keeping it short, you have lost much of the value that the review could bring.
If your review is to help people, it needs to be big on facts, rather than just opinion. Include opinion by all means, but back each opinion up with plenty of fact, and give plenty of unadorned factual information to allow the reader to make up his own mind.
Above all, get the layout right. Use paragraphs, make your review easy to read.
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful
Review of Cancun (Mexico)
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Jan 14th, 2006
(Jan 16th, 2006)
helpful by (70%):
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