Cancun Information
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Cancun Information
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.
The best snorkelling 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 snorkelling tour or go diving , contact Aqua Tours (tel 883-0440) or Aquaworld (tel 885-2288, www.aquaworld.com.mx ). A one-tank dive costs about US$50 and a full PADI open-water certification course around US$400. To view the colourful 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.
Listings
American Express Av Tulum 208, two blocks beyond the Hotel America (tel 9/884-4000).
Banks Most banks (roughly Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat 9am-1pm) are along Tulum between Uxmal and Coba and in the biggest shopping malls - Kukulcán, Plaza Caracol - in the zona hotelera (9am-4pm). Most now have ATMs with US dollars as well as pesos. The Bital bank, Av Tulum 192, stays open until 7pm on weekdays.
Car rental Available at most hotels and at the airport, or try Budget, Av Tulum 231 (tel 9/884-0204) or Europcar, Av Nader 27 (tel 9/887-3272).
Consulates Canada, Plaza Caracol, Blvd Kukulcán 8.5 (tel 9/883-3060); UK, Hotel Royal Caribbean , Blvd Kukulcán Km 16.5 (tel 9/881-0100); US, Plaza Caracol, Blvd Kukulcán Km 8.5 (tel 9/883-0272).
**Laundry **LavenderÃa Las Palapas, on Gladiolas, at the far side of the park (Mon-Sat 7am-8pm, Sun 8am-2pm); LavenderÃa Tulum, Av Tulum 213 (Mon-Sat 7am-8pm, Sun 9am-6pm).
Post office Av Sunyaxchen, at the junction with Xel-Ha (Mon-Fri 8am-7pm, Sat 9am-1pm); has a reliable Lista de Correos (postcode 77501).
Shopping The fleamarket on the central Av Tulum has an abundance of different goods - the usual blankets, ceramics and silver - but the sales pitch is rather heavy. Mercado 23 (turn left off Av Tulum, three blocks north of the bus station), has a small range of arts and crafts from all over the country and is a more relaxed place to pick up reasonably priced souvenirs.
Travel agents There’s an abundance of tour operators and travel agency desks at most hotels, which can easily fix you up with the standard trips to Xel-Ha, the main ruins or sell tickets for a cruise. EcoloMex Tours, Plaza Mexico, Av Tulum 200 (tel 9/887-1776, marand@Cancún.rece.com.mx ) is the best travel agency if you want to see the wildlife of the Yucatán.