EL
NUEVO CANCUN
by Mark Chesnut
Unlike some Mexican
beach destinations, Cancun didn’t develop organically.
It was chosen by tourism officials (with the help of a
computer) in the 1960s. The region’s natural beauty,
as well as its geographic proximity to the eastern United
States, convinced planners that this would be the next
great vacation paradise. The rest is history. By the 1970s,
what was once an unknown spit of sand dunes was well on
its way to becoming Mexico’s top tourism moneymaker,
as high-rise after high-rise grew along the sandy beach
and stunning blue Caribbean waters. Cancun offers a bit
of something for everyone, but its public image hasn’t
always been stellar. As the years went by, the city earned
a reputation for attracting rowdy college students on
spring break and for a sometimes less-than-glamorous offering
of hotels. It’s also never quite made it onto the
gay travel map. In recent years, however, Cancun has witnessed
the debuts of some stylishly upscale properties worthy
of the attention of any traveler. Surprisingly, this is
largely because of an unwanted guest named Wilma.
One evening after dinner, my local friend Israel brings
me to El Mirador, a lookout point above the beach. The
wind whips against us as we gaze at the moonlit waters
of the Caribbean. “The wind is really strong now,
so you can just imagine how bad it was during Hurricane
Wilma,” he says, motioning toward the four-lane road
at the top of the hill. “Water was all the way up
there. And for days after, if you looked out at the Hotel
Zone from downtown, it was just completely black. There
were no lights. No people. It was sad.”
Indeed, Hurricane Wilma put Cancun out of commission when
it struck in October 2005. At least 63 lives were lost,
as well as millions of dollars from ruined homes, hotels,
and businesses.
To the credit of many residents, entrepreneurs, the local
and federal government, and major international companies,
Cancun converted the catastrophe into an opportunity to
improve.
More than 85 percent of Cancun’s 27,822
hotel rooms are now up and running (and there will be
more by the time you read this), but more importantly,
they are running better than before. Nearly everything
imaginable has been upgraded: architecture, décor,
furnishings, design, and amenities. New hotels have opened,
upping the ante for everyone. Terms like high thread count,
rainfall showerhead, and flat-screen TV are now so common
in Cancun hotel parlance, you’d think that every
hotel in the world had these features.
The city completed a $20 million beach recovery project
in 2006, bringing sand back to most of Cancun’s 15.5
miles of sunny coastline. Cancun International Airport,
infamous for being overcrowded, has opened a sparkling
new third terminal, with 84 new check-in counters and
11 gates. In short, there probably has never been a better
time to visit Cancun.
Hip lounge music, stylish décor,
and moody lighting greet me when I check in at the ME
Cancun, one of the first three hotels representing
a new brand from Spain-based Sol Meliá (the others
are in Madrid and Los Cabos). Opened in December 2006
in the former Melia Turquesa, this completely revamped,
448-room trendsetter has all the trappings to become
one of Cancun’s hottest hotels.
The ME Cancun’s handsomely appointed guestrooms
are outfitted with DVD player, 32-inch plasma TV, iPod
adaptors, Aveda amenities, 300-thread-count linens,
and rainfall showerheads. While it doesn’t share
the eye-catching architecture of its sister property,
the luxurious Gran Meliá Cancun (which looks
something like a Mayan spaceship), ME oozes delicious
atmosphere: from live DJs and Bali-style beds on the
beach to a lobby dominated by striking sculptures from
artist Marie France Porta. By night, the façade
is bathed in purple light, standing out like a trendy
beacon. Guests can also relax at the 11,000-square-foot
Yhi Spa, named after the goddess of light.
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Like nearly every hotel in the city,
the ME Cancun sits in the Zona Hotelera (Hotel Zone),
a peninsula shaped like the number seven.
Cancun’s long strip of hotels may
not attract fans for its beauty (aside from the sparkling
Caribbean waters and powdery beach), there isn’t
a whole lot of natural splendor in the Zona Hotelera itself.
For what it is, the hotel strip works remarkably well;
it’s clean and safe, with excellent hotels, dining,
shopping, and even a tourist-friendly public bus system
that makes getting around a cinch. The zone is also home
to interesting examples of contemporary hotel architecture:
a late 20th-century mix of Mayan pyramid shapes and sleek
exteriors.
The next day I check-in at the Sun
Palace, which since its renovation is sleekly minimalist
and modern, a far cry from what I used to picture when
I imagined an all-inclusive hotel. The 252-room Sun
Palace, which reopened following a major re-design in
January 2007, is an adults-only resort. Like other recently
renovated Palace Resorts properties, the Sun Palace
is built around soothing neutral colors and very spa-focused
amenities. The spa itself has been greatly expanded,
with five new massage rooms; treatments include sea
mud wraps, oshiburi facials, and sacred stone massages
(spa services aren’t included in the all-inclusive
price). Other improvements include a swim-up bar and
a new open-air Oriental Lounge that has a 20-person
Jacuzzi. Speaking of Jacuzzis, all the guestrooms here
have two-person Jacuzzis, conveniently close to the
bed; rooms also have a flat-screen LCD TV and generously-sized
Farouk bath amenities (no tiny bottles of lotion here).
The all-inclusive price includes 24-hour room service—perfect
for a bite to eat after a night out. On-site restaurants
include the elegant La Tratto, an Italian eatery with
stunning views of the Caribbean (get there early to
get the best seat).
Guests at the Sun Palace also have all-inclusive privileges
at the 601-room Cancun Palace, which reopened
in February 2007. This larger property has several new
restaurants, an expanded swimming pool area and spa,
and an extensive children’s program that makes
it a good choice for families with kids (you might also
see a few spring breakers between February and April).
The well-designed new lobby features completely separate
check-in and checkout counters, assuring that guests
never get caught up with a big group when it’s
time for them to approach the desk. Like the Sun Palace,
all guestrooms have a two-person Jacuzzi and balcony.
Animal lovers will want to take note of Dreams Cancun,
an all-inclusive resort that this year opened Delphinus
Dreams Cancun, its own dolphinarium. Billed as the
first interactive dolphin program at a resort in North
America, the facility has given the resort the opportunity
to create a new room category: Deluxe Dolphin View—so
you can see these friendly marine mammals right from
your own balcony. Tickets for the dolphin shows are
available to non-guests, but hotel guests have first
pick of the tickets. Visitors can also choose from photography
and DVD services to record their experiences. The resort,
well-located in the center of the Hotel Zone, still
boasts the same dramatic modern architecture as when
it was the Camino Real, but the 1970s-mod furnishings
have been nicely updated.
Gourmets and gourmands, meanwhile, will do well to consider
the posh Ritz-Carlton, Cancun, which completed
a $15 million renovation in 2006. One of its newest
features is a $250,000 gourmet Culinary Center, equipped
with Viking Range appliances. Here, you can enroll in
a variety of cooking classes under the tutelage of culinary
chef de cuisine Rory Dunaway—with tasty themes
like “Spa Cuisine,” “Real Mexican,”
“Tuscan Dinner Party,” and “Treasures
from the Sea.” Each course covers three to five
complementary recipes; the classes take place Mondays
through Saturdays at 10 A.M. and 3 P.M.; wine and tequila
tastings are offered at 6 P.M. Even if you don’t
like to cook, you still might enjoy some of the Ritz-Carlton’s
other new features, including a Cliff Drysdale Tennis
Center and an upgraded Kayantá Spa. Guestrooms
feature 400-thread-count linens, rainforest showerheads,
and 32-inch LCD flat-screen TVs.
If being close to the gay beach is a
priority, check out the Hilton Cancun Golf &
Spa Resort, the closest hotel to the stretch of
sand frequented by gay sun worshippers. The Hilton has
finished a $45 million renovation, as well as a $6 million
renovation to its 18-hole championship golf course.
The Hilton’s 12,000-square-foot spa offers treatments
that start at $119, including a four-hand Mayan massage
with rosemary, a tequila wrap, and a tamarind pre-tan
wrap.
A brand-new choice on the upscale all-inclusive front
is the Elan Resort & Spa, which opened this
year on its own small peninsula along the Nichupte Lagoon.
With traditional Mexican architecture, Elan has standard
rooms as well as a variety of one-, two-, and three-
bedroom villa suites, plus six restaurants, two swimming
pools, a fitness center, and two private beach areas.
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