Cancun Travel Guide

The city is actually split in two main area, the Zona Hotelera, which is an 18 Km long island which is located facing the Caribbean on one side along a long sunny beach strip with many large fancy  hotels and on the other  back side it is surrounded by a beautiful lagoon called Laguna Nichupte. The second part of the city is called Ciudad Cancun, which is in the mainland. This is where most of the Cancun local people live, and also where tourists can find more budget accommodations. Ciudad Cancun and Zona Hotelera are joined by this long causeway/bridge. They are literally two different worlds. Ciudad Cancun has some nice restaurants and bars along Avenida Yaxchitlan, and a more Mexico feel to it. The Zona Hotelera has the opulence of Las Vegas, Nevada with a beautiful beach, nice malls, fancy bars but no casinos. Nearby are many Maya sites that are easy to explore. They offer a unique insight in the Precolombian civilization of Mexico. Many tourists get packages to visit Chichen Itza,a good 2-3 hrs away by car. But, if a tourist takes local buses, or even better, rents a car...there are many wonderful places to see. Cancun is a wonderful destination. For beachcombers who do not want to leave the sun, they can just do that. But for those who want to get some culture and explore the richness of Yucatan and Quintana Roo, the opportunities are endless.  This is a very unique area, very different from Mainland Mexico. -Taken from world66.com