I am going April 16 - right after spring break - whew - which is also nice because the rates drop dr

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If you're young and look fab in your bikini, you'll love it. The atmosphere is festive, as we used to warn older tourists considering a trip there. And you didn't say when you're going but right now we're in Spring Break season, followed closely by Easter, and the place is a zoo. If that's when you're going, and if you're not young, I'd suggest last minute travel deals to las vegas you hop in a taxi and head down the penninsula about 30 miles or so and try to find a quieter spot. Over Spring Break, Cancun is beer bongs and booze and boobs tossed about in a restless sea of raging hormones -- complete with film crews documenting the whole thing for various last minute travel deals to las vegas episodes of Wild On and Girls Gone Wild.
The only reason Cancun exists at all is to entertain visitors, and at that it's been wildly successful, pumping millions of dollars annually into Mexico's coffers. I think of it like Las Vegas with a beach, and without the casinos. Most of the hotels are located along a strip of sand that is a narrow island in the shape of a 7. The hotels are all glitzy high-rises lined up one after the other, like so many pastel cement dominos. There are luxury spa-type hotels, moderate and budget hotels. There are also a few enormous time-share type hotels that you'll get lots of recommendations for that I personally loathe (and I don't use that word lightfly). Many of these have the word Palace last minute travel deals to las vegas in the name. If you stay in one of them, be prepared for many invitations from the staff for various parties, such as orientation party, last minute travel deals to las vegas Mexican night, etc. These are really just hard-sell time-share pitches, so beware.
If you're going there to do a lot of swimming, or are with young children, get out your map and study the island. The hotels on the beaches at the top of the 7 are much better in that regard. Along the length of the 7, the beaches face the ocean and the currents and rip tides can be dangerous.
The sand in Cancun is formed of something (I can't remember what) that doesn't absorb and hold the heat like most sand. Therefore, you can walk on it without burning your feet off. It's fine as white powder and just beautiful. last minute travel deals to las vegas The color of the Caribbean is just as shockingly neon turquoise as you hope it will be. Indescribable.
Cancun, contrary to what most Americans think, does not cater just to Americans. It is a worldwide vacation last minute travel deals to las vegas Mecca. The last time I was there was for a ten-day stay with my teenage daughter. The first few days she took up with the whitest folks on the beach. They were a team of young Irish soccer lads playing tournaments in Mexico. The second day, they were the reddest folks on the beach. Next up was a brief romance with a Peruvian fellow that was there with his entire family celebrating his parent's 25th wedding anniversary. One funny thing is that my daughter speaks fluent Spanish, although from spending last minute travel deals to las vegas so much time in Mexico, it turns out that she has a Mexican accent (who knew?). So the Peruvian family initially thought she was Mexican.
There are nonstop flights from Cancun into various European cities, and several South American gateways, so you'll last minute travel deals to las vegas find lots of visitors from all over the world. Upper-class Mexicans, too, like to vacation in Cancun because it's clean, modern, last minute travel deals to las vegas and a nonstop last minute travel deals to las vegas party.
If you're young and look fab in your bikini, you'll love it. young is relative and so is looking fab in a bikini thanks for the advice last minute travel deals to las vegas on the time share stuff and honestly i'm expecting it to be completely touristy - we're going just to get AWAY and because it's relatively cheap but i certainly won't mind splurging on great meals we're staying at the JW Marriot and aside from the Ritz Carlton restaurants - any place you'd recommend for great dinners? also any advice on places where the locals eat?
also any advice on places where the locals eat? The locals. Hum. Well, the locals are all Mexicans that came from somewhere else to work in the hotels, restaurants, bars, discos, taxicabs, diveshops, tour companies, parachute and banana-float rides, etc., and they don't eat anywhere on the island. For one thing, they can't afford it. And for another, last minute travel deals to las vegas during their leisure time they're trying to get away from us. There actually is a town of Cancun, over on the mainland. It's small, but there are quite a few restaurants there; some tiny and unassuming, some larger and fairly nice. Many specialize in seafood and the Yucatecan/Mayan cuisine. I've eaten there several times, in various places, and had some really great meals. Although overall, I think that the food is better farther down the pennisula, around Playa. I'm not any good at recommending restaurants for places where I've visited, but have not lived. I just like to explore around, try different things, open to everything. Regarding restaurants, I don't take notes and I don't remember well. (I've reflected upon this oddity and I think it's intentional, as I do very well with sightseeing last minute travel deals to las vegas and other attractions. Maybe some sort of system my subconscious has developed in order to keep me from returning to favorite restaurants last minute travel deals to las vegas rather than seeking out new ones.) The island with all the tourists has quite a few restaurants that offer the sorts of cuisine last minute travel deals to las vegas that tourists like. An Italian one comes immediately to mind. Most of those restaurants are pretty darn forgettable and very high-priced. Many of the hotels offer good food, but if you want a real Mexican experience with the local seafood/Mayan/Yucatecan dishes, try to buddy up with the people that work in your hotel and ask them where, last minute travel deals to las vegas over on the mainland, they eat. If you manage to turn them into friends, they'll even meet you there, and bring along some more folks. last minute travel deals to las vegas That's the best. For breakfast, whenever I'm in Mexico, last minute travel deals to las vegas I always get chilaquiles with fresh fruit alongside -- I particularly love papaya with a couple of squeezes of fresh lime. Everybody down there makes great chilaquiles for breakfast. And I also love ceviche, and the Mexican-style shrimp cocktails. They make a great lime soup on the Yucatan, which I always get. And there are several traditional preparations using anatto seeds/achiote paste. It's bright red, so you'll see Pollo rojo on the menu. Very good, and tipico. And there's usually some sort of fish (red snapper, huachinango, is traditional) served Veracruzano -- which means Veracruz last minute travel deals to las vegas style -- with a sauce of peppers, tomatoes last minute travel deals to las vegas and onions. That's always good, fresh. Look for it.
Definitely head into downtown Cancun, just to get a different feel (and geez, you'll need it if you're there near spring break at all). The Parque de las Palapas is really pleasant on weekend nights, and there's a bunch of stands selling little snacks. Also, if you go over during the daytime, check out the main market--even more food, and it's especially cool because there's food from all over Mexico, catering to all the different workers last minute travel deals to las vegas in Cancun. And Gory Tacos, on C Tulipanes, is tasty--but only open until 8 pm.
In the hotel zone, there's an Italian last minute travel deals to las vegas place called Dolcemente Pompeii that's very laid-back and has plastic chairs on the beach--good food and a little cheaper than most places last minute travel deals to las vegas in the strip, and nice not to be affiliated with a hotel for a change. I got that rec from a PR rep at a hotel--it's kind of where the locals with the better jobs go. It's on C Pez Volador, which is right across (north) of the giant Mexican flag on the top side of the hotel zone. Also, the various incarnations last minute travel deals to las vegas of the Rolandi mini-chain (Casa Rolandi, Pizza Rolandi) are reliably good northern Italian with wood-oven pizza. And waaay on the south end of the hotel zone, near where the lagoon meets th sea, is a little ceviche place--I'm blanking on the name.
I've traveled quite a bit but have never 'journaled'. I've always relied memory- which usually boils down to remembering the really good and the really last minute travel deals to las vegas bad - only. I think this time I might actually write stuff down and would gladly report back.
I am going April 16 - right after spring break - whew - which is also nice because the rates drop dramatically - on the 16th (The JW Marriot was asking 359 per night on the 15th and 179 per night on the 16th.)
Chilaquiles are a sort of tortilla caserole thing that were invented a long time ago as a way to use up stale tortillas. I suspect that the day after tortillas were invented, somebody said, Boy, these are tough now but we can't just throw food away. How can we moisten last minute travel deals to las vegas them up a little?
That has evolved into what is a major breakfast dish all over Mexico. Basically it's stale tortillas torn up, salsa and cheese added. Although you see all kinds, including with chicken last minute travel deals to las vegas or other meat later in the day and served as lunch or supper, what you generally find for breakfast is much simpler. It's pieces of tortillas layered with Mexican white cheese and that wonderful tangy green tomatillo sauce and baked. It's ubiquitous at Mexican breakfast buffets. So if you go to any, look for it.
I spent a little time in Cancun - -damn party kids were calling me sir ; I have never felt so old. I had one good meal, at a place called La Destiliria . OK, it's a tourist trap like every single other restautrant on the island and, perhaps more damning, offers 150 different tequillas. On the other hand, the food was very good. The lime soup was spectacular. All those tquilas are served neat, with a spicy tomato-juice back, and taste pretty good. And there were no rowdies. I would go back.
I spent a little time in Cancun - -damn party kids were calling me sir ; I have never felt so old. at thirtysometingish myself last minute travel deals to las vegas i anticipate being called ma'am at some point ain't that what the margaritas are for??? anyway, Jaymes, thanks for the explanation on Chilaquiles - leftovers for breakfast sounds good to me. and gracias lleechef for the info on Perico's and Busboy