Cancun Beach - Sun, Sand, and Surf at Cancun

     The coastal city of Cancun is nestled in Quintana Roo, Mexico's easternmost state on the Yucatan Peninsula. Cancun is one of the major tourist destinations in the entire Mexico region and offers a lot of things to do and visit for the tourist. An interesting story about Cancun is that it is actually a result of a feasibility study done by the Banco de Mexico to determine the possibility of capturing more dollars and other foreign exchange through tourism development. Since investors were hesitant to invest their money on a relatively unknown place, the Mexican government had to finance the first nine hotels in the area. The very first hotel was Cancun Caribe, which is now Hyatt Hotel. Having started out with only three residents, Cancun today has become a city that has about 600,000 residents, covering even the nearby mainland.

The Coastlines and Other Water Activities

     The foremost tourist spot is the Cancun beach. Cancun has miles and miles of coastline with beautiful beaches that will surely satisfy the even the most hesitant of water lovers.

In Cancun, there are about 150 hotels; most of the major ones litter the coastal areas, supplying more than 24,000 rooms and 380 restaurants. The Hotel Zone of Cancun is shaped like the number 7 with bridges on each end connecting to the mainland. Hotels on the vertical or long side of the 7 sometimes have a problem with beach erosion, while the ones on the short end of the 7 tend to have gentler surf because the waves are protected by the island of Isla Mujeres. Opposite the Isla Mujeres lies the amazing Nichupte Lagoon, which is best if you want to experience jet-ski jungle tours or go on boating excursions. There are so many beautiful Cancun beaches and resorts in the area that you are sure to find the ideal spot for yourself to bask in. However, if you intend on soaking up the sun, it is best to avoid the Cancun beach during the summer months since this is the peak of their tourist season and chances are you will have a very difficult time finding even a small spot that will be to your liking.

     If you are open to other less populated beaches, you can find some of those near the regions of Playa del Carmen, about 40 miles off Cancun. They have excellent coral reefs that you can dive in, some of the best in the world, and they have plenty of deserted beaches if you want one of those adventures.

Life After Hurricane Wilma

     When Hurricane Wilma passed in 2005, it left an almost 8-mile stretch of Cancun's beach washed away, exposing jagged lines of rocks. Cancun's recovery from the storm however has been noteworthy that even the United Nations Tourism Organization has declared it a model to follow in future disasters. The Mexican government paid roughly $24 million to a Belgian firm to vacuum the offshore sand off the coast of Cancun and pump it back to resort front beaches. The result of the completed beach restoration is that Cancun's beachfront is now roughly twice as wide as it was before the storm.