Cancun

A Mexican Cultural Crossroads

We left Denver for Cancun at 5am on a recent Saturday morning in March. Our flight was non-stop on a quiet, Frontier Airbus 319. Needless to say we were tired when we landed. Then, after we learned our hotel reservation had gotten messed up, we were cranky. Early flights are fine folks, but if you arrive at the hotel before your room is ready, accept the first drink they offer you and change into your swimsuit. If you fall asleep under an umbrella by the pool, I promise they won't give your room away to anyone else.

Cancun has always been a gathering place for people from many different cultures.

Whether it's the ancient Mayan tribes who first settled on the Yucatan Peninsula or the Spanish who conquered them. Or, the French invaders who drove out the Spanish or the English who later conquered the French. Today is no different. Cancun draws millions of people from around the World, albeit, a little more peacefully. Cancun was my first trip to Mexico when I got into the travel business nine years ago. I guess it's true what they say, "you never forget your first."

I love Cancun. But, whatever my clients tell me about their experience, I believe. From every one of them, I get different accounts of what they liked and what they disliked. Their stories remind me just how important it is that I go and check out destinations and hotels. Matching the right destination and hotel to the right client is the most important thing I do. This trip was my second time back to Cancun following the devastation of Hurricane Wilma in October 2005. I am happy to say, Cancun looks wonderful and we found the people who work there friendlier and more service oriented than ever before.

Our host hotel for this trip was the Golden Parnassus. There are two Parnassus hotels, both of which are located on the Caribbean Beach side of Cancun Island. The Golden is an adult, all-inclusive resort. For those of you who are new to the "all-inclusive" vacation, all-inclusive means that you pay one upfront price for the hotel and all your meals and all your beverages (including alcohol) come included. The benefit of a hotel that's all-inclusive is fairly obvious. They are economical. All-Inclusive resorts have flourished with two kinds of clients; the young family with kids who are looking for value and the Wedding couple who wants to get married (or honeymoon) in an exotic location. Sometimes, the ones getting married are less concerned about the price than they are concerned, knowing what their family and friends will have to pay to join them at their wedding in paradise. Another interesting feature of the all-inclusive resort is that when your destination has two (or more) of them owned by the same company, you have the privilege of visiting both (or all) of them. You always sleep at the one you checked in at, but you can eat and play at the other ones as well.

I liked the Golden Parnassus. In the field of all-inclusive style resorts, both Parnassus hotels get high marks for offering a lot of dining options. The specialty restaurants are open from 6pm to 10:30pm nightly and you can show up any time without a reservation. One or two of them have a dress code but their upscale décor certainly warrants that. The food is good but not gourmet. A bellman took our bags to our room. The hotel's air conditioning is strong and the beds are firm but comfortable. The linens and pillows are good quality and 24-hour room service comes standard. There is a Spa and small work out room with sauna and Jacuzzi. The pool area is nice and over-looks the beach. There is no swim up pool bar. Stone steps give you access to the beach. The beach in from of the Golden Parnassus ranges from 25 to 40 feet in width, and there's a beach bar with two dozen umbrellas and lounge chairs close to the surf. The vendors we met on the beach were happy and pleasant. Everyone at the hotel was helpful and caring.

The Great Parnassus, is the newer, sister property to the Golden. It accepts families with children offering an excellent kids club. On this trip we found three family hotels with an on-site Water Park for kids. The Great Parnassus is one of them. The Great also has a large number of specialty restaurants (no reservations required) and a very good beach. For adults who need a break from the kids, the Great has an adult only pool and two restaurants you must be at least 14 to enjoy.

In all, we visited 12 hotels on this trip. In addition to the two Parnassus, we visited all the Palace Resorts, including the Sun Palace, Cancun Palace, Beach Palace, the Isla Mujeres Palace and LeBlanc. We dropped in at the Dreams Cancun Resort, the "Grande Dame" of Cancun Island, having once been the esteemed Camino Real. Today, Dreams Cancun is the only Mexico hotel to have it's own Dolphin Discovery right on site.

We were pleasantly surprised by the Barcelo Tucancun. The Barcelo Hotel Company bought this older resort in 2006 and did an incredible job remodeling her. Too bad the beach sand has washed away at this location, but the hotel offers 20 highly-coveted 2 and 3 bedroom villa style condo units for rent, great for families of 5 or more traveling together. We inspected another Cancun notable, the Crown Paradise Club. This hotel has to be the quintessential Cancun resort for families. I'll bet there were hundreds of screaming kids running around having the time of their lives, (and that bit of news either makes you jump for joy or run the other direction). Talk about Water Parks, the Crown has two of them and they will accept babies as young as 18 months into their Baby Club.

Our final "delight" on this trip to Cancun was the Riu Palace Las Americas. I was so happy we stayed here our last night. Many things impressed me about this hotel. First of all, it is located as close to the tourist center as you can get. Walk outside the air-conditioned lobby and you are steps away from the Mexican Market, Convention Center, or the local bus that will take you anywhere your heart desires. But, cross through her automatic revolving doors, and you enter the quiet, majestic world of European wealth. Deep woods, marble and uniformed staff befit the elegance of a different era.

The resort is 12 stories tall, built in a U shape around a series of pools and restaurants that are designed for relaxing in style. The people were friendly so it never felt "stuffy." The General Manager is visible several times every day. His care and his interest in your having a good time are evident. I would send anyone here (who could afford it) if they didn't have very young children. There are no activities for young children.

In short, Cancun reaches across all generations and cultures to provide a World Class Resort experience to her many visitors. And, judging from my recent trip, Cancun will enjoy having a good reputation for years to come.

CANCUN is number five in a series of eight Mexico beach destinations written by Stephen Lord, owner of All-Inclusive Vacations, a local Lakewood Travel Agency.

For more information, write to steve@all-inclusivevacations.com or call (303) 980-6483