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There's little to see in downtown Cancún.
Most visitors head straight for the zona hotelera and
the beaches. Though you're free to go anywhere, and
signposted public walkways lead down to the sea at regular
intervals, some of the hotels do their best to make you feel
like a trespasser, and staff will certainly move you off the
beach furniture if you're not a guest.
To avoid being eyed suspiciously by hotel
heavies, head for one of the dozen or so public beaches:
all are free but you may have to pay a small charge for
showers. Entertainment and expensive water sports are laid
on all around the big hotels; if you venture further, where
more sites await construction, you can find surprisingly
empty sand and often small groups of nude sunbathers.
To catch a bit of culture while you're out
here, the Sheraton boasts a small Maya ruin in its
grounds, above the pool, while the Museo de Antropologia, located behind the convention centre (Mon-Sat 9am-8pm, Sun
10am-7pm; US$2, free on Sun), has a small but absorbing
outline of Mesoamerican and Maya culture and history, with
information in English and Spanish.
Cancún's largest Maya remains, the Ruinas
del Rey (daily 8am-5pm; US$1.70, free on Sun), are at Km
17, overlooking the Nichupté Lagoon. They're not especially
impressive - and, if you decide not to take one of the
guides at the entrance, there's no information available to
explain them - but the area is peaceful and very good for
bird- and iguana-watching.
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The best snorkeling in Cancún is at
Punta Nizuc, next to Club Med territory. You aren't allowed
to cross the grounds unless you're staying there, so you
have to get off the bus at the Westin Regina Resort,
cross their grounds to the beach, then turn right and walk
for about twenty minutes until you reach the rocky point.
Walk across the rocks and snorkel to your heart's content.
To join a snorkeling tour or go
diving, contact Aqua Tours (phone 883-0440) or Aquaworld
(phone 885-2288, www.aquaworld.com.mx). A one-tank
die costs about US$50 and a full PADI open-water
certification course around US$400. To view the colorful
underwater life in a more leisurely fashion, take a trip on
the Sub See Explorer, a glass-bottomed boat
that leaves from the Aqua World centre at Blvd Kukulkan Km
15.2 every hour from 9am until 3pm (US$35).
Both jet-skiing (US$50 for 30min) and
parasailing (US$40 for 10min) are very popular in
Cancún and operators are dotted at frequent intervals in
front of the big hotels on the beach.
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Cancún
travel guide
Cancún
Cancún geo
Town and beaches
Arrival and transportation
Restaurants
Entertainment and nightlife
Bars and nightclubs
Shows and dinner cruise
Listings
moving from Cancun
Ferry
Cozumel
Cozumel
Getting there
Airlines and airports
Getting there from Cancun
diving
Chankanaab Park
Museum of the Island of Cozumel
Isla Mujeres
Brief history
Exploring Isla Mujeres
Places to visit
Contoy Island
Sleeping sharks
Biking
Caribbean
guide, hotels
Bahamas
guide, hotels
Pictures
of Mexico by
Cecilia dos Guimaraes
Bastos |
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