Cayenne-hot cancun

CEBU, Philippines – Think party crowd and serious fun.  This is Cancun, and what a flaming hot experience this city was for me!

I had absolutely zero experience with either Mexico, the country, or Cancun, the city. When one mentions the destination, what immediately pops to mind is the college crowd stampeding off for spring break bacchanalia.  So only Google saved me from total ignorance, and I was able to (somewhat) prepare for the destination awaiting me.

I had booked a flight from San Francisco, which didn’t cost too bad, considering the distance (loving Expedia for the ease in making the booking).  But I wasn’t looking forward to the five hour flight to the Yucatan Peninsula, which is just about there on the Caribbean.  Turns out, all that travel was worth it.

First off, the gorgeous beaches.  If we Filipinos are proud of Boracay as one of the finest beaches in the world, the Mexicans are also rightly proud about Cancun.  The powdery white sand is comparable to Boracay’s, and what’s more, there’s more of it there.  As in, miles more.  If Boracay can boast of seven miles of continuous beautiful sand in the White Beach, the coasts of Cancun number in the hundreds.  The Hotel Zone alone has 14 stunning miles of publicly accessible beach, so considering the numerous coasts within the Quintana Roo province, one can imagine the sheer space within which to play.

Then, there’s the unique geography of the Hotel Zone. Think of an elongated “7,” or an “L,” and that’s the makeup of this resort paradise.  Through some fortunate geographic confluence, the strips where the hotels have been built form this singular shape, and allow for stunning ocean and lagoon views from both the front and the back of one’s hotel.  Talk about catching both sunrise and sunset! As far as your eyes can go, there are snapshot-worthy vistas.

So, if the only agenda one has in mind is to enjoy sun, sand and sea, such as mine was, then Cancun is the right place.  There’s plenty of room in this city for tourists and more tourists (more than 12 million passengers per year pass through the airport), and so the numerous beautiful beaches and coves seem to never fill up. (Word of caution though: this was not spring break season, so the impact of hordes of college students descending upon this escape valve is unaccounted for).  So stock up on piña coladas and margaritas, as this city is the life.

However, it would be a crime to come to Cancun and not enjoy the ancient Mayan culture upon which this city was founded.  Mayan ruins dot the city and the province, and tour operators can arrange expeditions that take only a couple of hours to get to.  El Rey Ruins is probably the nearest to the Hotel Zone, but Chichen Itza and Isla Mujeres (the island of women!) are highly recommended.  Wander around centuries-old structures and marvel at the superior cultures of ancient times.

At night, the Hotel Zone offers areas where restless partygoers can congregate.  Our group made it to a cavern of clubbing called The City, and hundreds of beautiful Latino youths mixed with restless gringos out to enjoy themselves. Cloud machines, balloons, go-go dancers and international DJ’s plus throbbing music should be enough to slake that clubbing thirst. Other choices for night crawlers include the Coco Bongo, where drag performers can make one’s night rib-tickling hilarious, and gay bars like Karamba and Picante.  Then take a dip in the waters at dawn if you’re up to it (although, just in case, watch out for the red flags that mean swimming is prohibited, as the currents can be pretty strong!).

Or course, like any other tourist destinations, Cancun is crawling with touters, some of whom can be very aggressive.  But firm “No’s” are respected well enough, so when someone comes up trying to offer Mexican food or massages or day tours, just shake the head, and smile.  That’s usually enough to do the trick.

Several sites recommend going downtown as well for amusement.  I checked out the two top destinations recommended by Travel + Leisure, Mercado 28 and Parque las Palapas.  Unfortunately, these picks were disappointing, so I would recommend that you skip these.  Mercado 28 is a flea market offering all sorts of bargains.  But the souvenir selection isn’t that appealing, with cheap trinkets and tee-shirts hardly worth the 20-minute or so cab ride.  Plus, the touters that watch out for clueless tourists to rip off were a turn-off.

Likewise, Parque las Palapas was supposedly a quaint square where authentic Mexican food can be enjoyed within a local setting.  But the setting was more grubby than charming, and I left thinking I could be flirting with dysentery if I tried the local fare.  (A small church can be seen at the side, and if the Catholic traveler wanted to see their Mexican contemporaries practice the faith bequeathed by their Spanish colonizers, then this could be a pit stop).

I was so exasperated with these disappointments that I just repaired to the local mall, the Plaza de los Americas, and there, buried my sorrows in the local Starbucks.  Nothing fancy in this mall, with only Zara and Forever 21 being their international clothing chains, but one does see the local populace going about their daily shopping lives.  There is a cineplex here and department stores, and local brands galore to attract curious shoppers.

I also tried another mall, Plaza Kukulcan, and while this mall had pretensions to luxury brands at its Luxury Avenue section, the rest of the mall is depressing, and boarded up shop windows and a half-empty second floor hinted at economic hardships.  High end shoppers can instead try the nearby La Isla, which boasts of Louis Vuitton and Cartier. And guess what? Italiannis, that wonderful family restaurant of Italian comfort food, is here! Talk about finding a familiar face.

So the best advice I could probably give the intrepid traveler would be to either take the tours available for ruins-exploring or jungle-wandering, or stick to the Hotel Zone and bask in the sun.  For souvenirs, perhaps the works of local contemporary artists can be tapped.  I was fortunate to chance upon the sleek canvasses of a young artist named Raul Urbina, whose urbane characters are combined with gothic elements to create interesting counterpoints.  Now that would be a nicer souvenir to gift or to keep rather than kitschy sombreros or faux Mayan jewelry.

Pack plenty of sunscreen, as the sun here is fierce.  By the third day, members of our party already had uneven skin tones, even though we hadn’t really made an effort to get a tan.  We also thought bug spray would be important, but there were no insects pestering us, which was a pleasant surprise.  Be careful about tap water and food intake, as many horror stories abound about street food and stomach bugs.  If one is not sure about the hygiene of the establishment, avoid uncooked vegetables. Fortunately though, nobody in our party had a nasty digestive experience, and we had our hotel to thank for that.

Speaking of hotels, there are plenty of choices to be had there catering to all budgets, and one can choose between luxury resorts and simple inns.  My hotel was a slightly higher than average establishment called Beach Palace, and while it was no castle, it was very comfortable and served loads of good food.  My room came with a giant jacuzzi, and a balcony that boasted of its own queen sized lanai daybed.  Plus, unlimited food and alcohol!

This was my first time to try an all-inclusive package at a hotel, and boy, it really was all inclusive.  All the food that one can eat, from buffet meals to snacks to 24-hour room service, came with the room rate.  My favorite pastime was passing by the pool snack bar, where ice cream, espressos, and mini-burgers were available for snacking.  The room mini bar is restocked every so often, and there is a liquor cabinet in the room for those who want to mix their own vodka or tequila concoctions.  Giant mineral water bottles are also on hand to quench that Mexican thirst.

Did I say tequila? Apparently, the varieties of tequila that can be found there in Cancun are limitless, so enjoy tequila sipping and shooting while gobbling fried enchiladas and burritos.  No worries about getting drunk: with that balmy weather and calor Mexican sun outside, siestas and naps are the order of the day.

So grab a nice cold drink, lie back, and chill.  The only way to beat the Cancun heat!