When a person thinks about Cancun, Mexico, one word typically pops into mind: spring break. I have taken two trips to this touristic beach area, and I can honestly say that the location does have the party atmosphere associated with spring break. When you first get to Cancun, you are greeted by many locals surrounding the airport trying to grab your luggage to stuff into their taxi. Then, you drive along the most beautiful expanse of coast line until you see a stretch of beach resorts right on the beach. I stayed at the same resort, Hotel Royal Solaris, on both of my vacations. To be honest, the resorts all provide the same amenities and look very similar, so it does not matter which resort you pick. Also, you can do what my family did, because when we got tired of our resort’s food or pool, we hopped over to another one for an afternoon. The truth of the matter is a little sad though: most people who go to Cancun are in a foreign country, but they stay in the resort area and never truly get involved in the local culture.
About halfway through both of my trips, I got tired of lounging on the beach and eating unlimited food from the resorts. The charm of being in a resort where you can eat, drink, and be pampered wears off after awhile (believe it or not). To make my vacation more interesting, I decided to take a bus with my family and venture away from the touristic area. This is when I discovered the true local areas of Mexico.
On my first trip to Cancun I took the bus to this small area where locals would eat true Mexican food in one shack located in the center of the small town. The locals there did not speak English, but they were very patient in listening to me attempt to communicate in Spanish. Then, my family and I went to this quarry recommended by the locals. People could jump off of rocks on the top of this quarry into a hole of deep water in the bottom. This was something I have never experienced anywhere else, and it was so much more memorable to me than any of the days my family spent lying on the beach.
The second time I went to Cancun, I took a trip to ancient Mayan ruins called Chichen Itza. It was breathtaking seeing the pyramids and structures built by human labor. I was especially touched when a Mayan woman spoke to me about how her ancestors put their efforts into preserving the area for future generations. There was still a major Mayan population living near the ruins, so my extended family and I explored through the locals’ towns on the way back to the “resort row” of Cancun, as we would call it. Words cannot accurately describe what it was like meeting people and seeing the accomplishments of the Mayan culture, for it made me feel like I was having first hand experience with architecture and a culture that I had learned about in textbooks.
Overall, I think that Cancun, Mexico is one of those locations that you can go to once in your life and see everything you desire in a week. If you do choose to take my advice and go, please do not just stay on the resort property. It is honestly a hub of American tourists eating and drinking a lot and sitting on a beach for hours. If you want the true Cancun experience, hop on a bus, hail a taxi, or find a way to get to the local areas that make this city really special.
I thought your post was very interesting, because I’ve been to Cancun a couple times now, but have never left the resorts. To be honest, I hadn’t even given leaving the resorts a thought while I was there, but after reading about your experiences I do somewhat regret it. Hopefully, if I go to Cancun again for vacation, I will have the opportunity to also explore the “real” Cancun.