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 Travel & Outdoors | March 2006 
The Tide is Turning for Cancún
 Laurence Iliff - Dallas Morning News
| | Tourism Minister Rodolfo Elizondo said hotel occupation rates in both Cancún and the Mayan Riviera were about 90 percent. |
Cancun, Mexico – Along Cancún's northern beaches, bulldozers spread fluffy new sand where Hurricane Wilma had left rock bare last fall. Farther south, renovated nightclubs await spring breakers and remodeled hotels plan their grand reopenings.
North Texas' favorite sandbox, stretching from Cancún to Tulum, is back.
Well, almost.
Cancún's rebirth is about 50 percent done, and a freshened face is emerging. The main hotel drag has been repaved, twice as many palm trees have been planted as were lost, and an extensive bicycle and walking path has been completed.
Just as important, the sounds of its famous night life have replaced the silence. New clubs have sprung up, and the refurbished stalwarts look (and sound) better than ever.
Hotels and restaurants that had not seen a facelift in 20 years have been given extensive surgery, perhaps needed surgery.
"It really is turning out better than it was before," said Gabriela Rodríguez Gálvez, director of tourism for the state of Quintana Roo. Even the extensive plant life, she said, is coming back greener and healthier, all on its own. Not that Wilma was necessarily a good thing for Quintana Roo. But, hey, there is an upside. The native Mayan peoples have seen it for centuries.
"The Mayans say that hurricanes bring rebirth and regeneration," said Ms. Rodríguez. "It's just nicer."
In fact, the resort town's biggest problem right now is a lack of hotel rooms for all the Americans flocking back to the site, where about $1.5 billion in damage was done when Wilma turned the lights off and took the sand away.
Ms. Rodríguez said that more than half of the 27,000 rooms in the resort are now available and that the number is growing rapidly each week. Many of the bigger hotels plan their reopenings for March and April. The $20 million shore renovation program, in which the beaches will be longer and thicker, is on track to be complete in mid-April.
So is it soup yet?
For the estimated 36,000 students expected to converge on Cancún and nearby areas over spring break, definitely. The string of clubs found about halfway down the hotel strip is jamming. Sound systems are new, fresh concepts have emerged, and youths from the United States, Mexico, Argentina and Canada are mixing up a multicultural soup of their own.
On a recent Saturday night, the main clubs and party restaurants were full. Crowds of mostly teenage revelers milled about some of the more popular dance spots, waiting to get in. The night spots that still were shuttered had huge signs promising grand openings in time for the crush of American students this month.
Not surprisingly, the city is booked, tourism officials say.
That's what makes it complicated for the non-spring break visitors.
Many of the nicer hotels that don't accept spring breakers remain closed. The ones that are open are packed. Coveted ocean-view rooms are hard to obtain in many hotels, some of which smell better than new cars. One hotel has bumped up its room rate considerably since last summer – even for ground-floor accommodations.
A Milwaukee couple, James and Marlene Scharf, were put in the spring break section of a prominent hotel, because the more exclusive five-star section they had paid for was already full when they arrived in late February.
Mr. Scharf, a retired teacher, said the room didn't even have a TV remote control, and lamps were extras requiring additional payment.
"I understand the situation, but I don't understand why the prices are so much higher," he said. The couple have been visiting Cancún for 10 years.
Throughout the city, most people said they knew things would not be perfect. They were ready for less beach, more construction noise and some disorganization. And most said they were happy they came.
The same was true for cruise-ship passengers visiting the island of Cozumel south of Cancún.
Cozumel still is a little ragged, and some of the best beaches, such as Palancar, don't have much sand left. Some of the roads are still washed out. But the island's only town, San Miguel, is looking better. New and renovated shops are everywhere. Carlos & Charlie's, the popular watering hole, has reopened.
Wilma spared most of the Mayan Riviera, the zone that stretches from the Cancún airport to the Tulum ruins. As a result, that area probably remains the most hassle-free getaway until Cancún is completely up and running.
In particular, Playa del Carmen, the European-flavored beach village, is in great shape. It's not the party-all-night Americana paradise on the beach that Cancún is, but there's plenty to do, and it could not be much cooler.
Hang out at Mamita's beach and stay in one of the smaller hotels, such as the ultrahip boutique Básico. (See page 7I.)
Tourism Minister Rodolfo Elizondo said hotel occupation rates in both Cancún and the Mayan Riviera were about 90 percent. By summer, the nation's most popular tourist zone will be completely on its feet.
"The recuperation has gone more slowly than we hoped, but many things are out of our hands," he said.
Nonetheless, he said, overall progress has been outstanding, and the spring break season marks the coming-out party for the new and improved Cancún.
CANCÚN'S COMEBACK
About 60 percent of Cancún's 27,000 rooms in its more than 100 hotels are open for business.
The occupation rate for those rooms is about 92 percent, pushing up prices.
Recovery of the sand along seven miles of beach is halfway done and will be complete in mid-April. When done,
it will be an addition of 3.5 million cubic yards.
Five millions foreigners visit Cancún every year. Most are Americans.
The official site of the tourist region is www.caribemex icano.com. Click on the U.S. flag for English.
GLIMPSE OF CANCÚN
About 60 percent of Cancún's 27,000 rooms in its more than 100 hotels are open for business.
The occupation rate for those rooms is about 92 percent, pushing up prices.
Sand replacement along its seven miles of beach is halfway done, and will be complete in mid-April. In total, 3.5 million cubic yards will be added.
Five millions foreigners visit Cancún every year. Most are from the United States.
The official Web site of the tourist region is www.caribemexicano.com. Click on the U.S. flag for English.
SOURCE: Mexican Tourism Ministry
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