Cancun. It all came together more that 30 years ago, when a group of forward thinking Mexicans caught on the “peso potential” of the tourism. Moving to the beat of a booming Acapulco, these modern-day explorers traveled from one end of the country to the other, in search of the next perfect vacation spot. Gathering data on possible mountain top Shangri-La´s and seaside Edens, they worked their way back to their base, where the final selection would be left up to a newfangled technological tool the computer. Feeding all their findings in the gigantic, buzzing machine, they were rewarded at last with a paper printout that read: Cancun. And, today, this formerly deserted stretch of Caribbean coastline the “future resort of their dreams” is one of the most highly visited vacation destinations on the planet. But 3000 years before no computer touted Cancun´s great potential, the mysterious ancient already Maya inhabited the land, their civilization thriving here until about A.D. 1200. Now you, too, can lay claim to this picture-perfect place where Mayan magic meets modern know-how, where luxury hotels meet jungle wilderness, where white expanses of sand meet turquoise waters, and where star-studded nights meet sun-soaked days. The sight of one sunrise in this paradise will make you a believer: the possibilities are as vast as the endless Caribbean horizon. Cancun, situated on the east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, is divided into two zones: The Hotel Zone, located on Cancun Island, and Downtown, on the mainland. The island is shaped like a “7” and is joined into the mainland by two bridges, each spanning less than 100 yards. The lovely Nichupte Lagoon nestles inside of the “7” to the island´s south and west, while the north and east, the Caribbean Sea caresses 22 kilometers of white sand beach. Just minutes away, downtown Cancun bustles with activity, its more than 500,000 residents and international tourists sharing the bountiful public services available in the burgeoning community. Visitors may get loose with the wide assortment of things to do here, and it´s very easy to get around.
