Cancun - Forgoten Yucatan Heaven

Caught between the relentless beat of progress and the echoing shouts of tradition, the Yucatán Peninsula stands at a crossroads. On one side you have the brawny mega-resorts like Cancún and Playa del Carmen with their oft-preposterous pomp and circumstance. On the other are the proud, steadfast traditions of the Maya, the mystery of the ceremonial centers created by their ancestors, and the Old World allure of colonial masterpieces such as Mérida and Campeche.

 Cancun is an exotic tropical beach in the Yucatan Peninsula on the sleepy southern end of Mexico. Yet it is as close to the U.S. as the Caribbean. Numerous airlines operate nonstops to Cancun. And Cancun International Airport is under a half-hour from most Cancun hotels. A Cancun getaway is so convenient, many visitors fly in for just the weekend.

 Cancun occupies a 14-mile-long, crescent-shaped peninsula that juts out into the Mexican Caribbean. A vast coral reef, the worlds second-longest, parallels Cancun a half-mile into the water. It breaks the waves that have rolled softly onto Cancun's beach for eons, smoothing its white sands.

Caribbean tradewinds assure clear skies and a perpetual, gentle breeze. And nature has provided a natural fringe of palm trees. Add a constant water temperature exceeding 80º, and you have a surfside paradise.

Cancun hotels honor their beachfront gifts, keeping the sands clean and inviting. A social vibe enlivens certain stretches of the beach, so visitors can choose whether to schmooze or to snooze.

Travelers who want to explore Cancun's liquid blue expanse have their pick of waterborne activities: swimmming, surfing, snorkeling and scuba-diving the reef, jet-skiing, windsurfing, kayaking, fishing expeditions, and more. Cancun is a wet and wild world.

This destination is more than sand, surf, and sensational hotels. It is also avibrant metropolis with a real downtown, actual sidewalks, and all the lures of a stylish resort town.

It made its name as a party-hearty capital. While Cancun has gone way upscale, its nightlife is stll among the very best nocturnal scenes in Mexico.

The Cancun lifestyle celebrates the body beautiful and worships wellness. Spas take full advantage of Cancun's glorious Caribbean setting, offering beachfront services that combine indigenous ingredients with Mayan traditions like the temescal sweat experience.