Mexico’s most popular tourist destination combines the best of Mexico and the Caribbean. One of the world’s largest resort towns with over 25,000 hotel rooms, Cancun features swinging nightclubs, upscale shopping and dining and miles of magnificent white-sand beaches with turquoise waters.

After years of frenzied building, reconstructing and phenomenal population growth, Cancun is no longer the quiet Gilligan’s Island it was just twenty five years ago.  Rather, it is a city of over 500,000 residents, fronted by a 14-mile long hotel zone which extends out between the Nichup-te Lagoon and the glittering Caribbean like a crooked finger. Most of the hotels are quite astonishing - fabulous palaces and pyramids with hundreds of rooms, abundant restaurant choices and fantastic swimming pools striving to outdo their neighbors.

Looking for the ambiance of the old Cancun? Try the adults-only Club Med, which was brilliantly located, 25 years ago, on the very tip of the Hotel Zone, the only Cancun hotel protected by a barrier reef. Others have encroached nearer and nearer, but Club Med still offers the best off-the-beach snorkeling and uncrowded atmosphere on all of Cancun. 

That stuff about the teenagers in Cancun - it’s true, but not always. During college spring break weeks and the beginning of June, when high school seniors arrive for their “summer break,” Cancun does indeed transform. Young people pack the Hard Rock Cafe, Planet Hollywood and scores of throbbing discos, tattoo and piercing parlors and all-you-can drink fests. The rest of the year, however, is for the rest of us. And the quiet, Mayan-flavored Cancun can still be found. For those who want pampering, luxury and one of the most beautiful coastlines in the world, Cancun is close, affordable and friendly.

Cancun’s recreational choices abound - you can golf, visit  numerous theme parks, shop endlessly, deep-sea fish, parasail, dive, windsurf, visit three small sites of Mayan ruins on the hotel strip or try just about any other water sport imaginable.

A visit to the old Parque Palapas in the centro is delightful, full of ice cream stands, balloon vendors and the usual Mexican plaza feel - scampering youngsters, courting youths and grandmas fanning themselves. Kids will love the playground. Don’t miss the local specialties served at several restaurants in town - Cochinita Pibil, Tikin Chic and a cool drink with the Mayan liqueur, Xtabentun.

The recently monikered 100-mile “Riviera Maya” entices tourists to explore this beautiful region, chock-full of ancient Mayan ruins, spectacular beaches, quaint fishing villages and incredibly well run eco-archeological parks. Just 41 miles from Cancun, the once-sleepy town of Playa del Carmen is growing, carefully, into a wonderful tourism destination in its own right. With some of the finest beaches and coral reefs on the coast, the Riviera Maya boasts a gentle surf, very little undertow, and a healthy family ambiance. Playa del Carmen’s hotel zone (known as Playacar,) has been well-designed, without the concrete jungle feel of some areas of Cancun.

From Playa del Carmen, take advantage of several attractions nearby. Snorkeling and Mayan ruins are renowned, but don’t miss Xcaret, a privately owned eco-archeological park which is everything, naturally, that many Florida amusement park try to be artificially, at much higher prices. Xcaret offers a true nature paradise, with its 1590-feet long underground river, down which you’ll float on its cool, gentle waters, through ancient limestone caves, Mayan ruins and lush vegetation. You will also see many endangered local animals, such as jaguars, pumas, sea turtles, and flamingoes, in special protection and research islands. The butterfly pavilion is exquisite, and the aviary, full of toucans, macaws and more is thrilling. Stay for the evening events, with an action-packed Mayan ball game, played by athletes in full Mayan regalia, and for the mystical procession through the caves, gazing upon reenactments of Mayan fire rituals, and Mayan village scenes. You can snorkel here, swim with dolphins (additional charge) lie on hammocks, visit an active bat cave, see a Mexican rodeo, and more.

Other excellent side trips in the area include the wonderful snorkeling site of Xel-Ha, the important Mayan archeological sites of Tulum and Chichen Itza and the delightful tiny island of Isla Mujeres, still relatively undeveloped and providing shallow snorkeling with rainbows of fish flocking around.

Irene Middleman Thomas is a Colorado-based writer for dozens of local, national and international publications and websites. She is the 2004 winner of the Pluma de Plata, the highest honor for travel journalism about Mexico.

About 4.1 million Americans reside in other countries, according to the Association of Americans Resident Overseas, with about 1 million living in Mexico and 688,000 living in Canada. If all of these residents living abroad were placed in one U.S. state, it would be the 25th most populous state in the country, the association reported. The statistics don't include travelers who are visiting briefly and who don't secure visas, and don't include members of the U.S. military. --

By Glenn Roberts Jr.