Cancun is the nouveau riche of the resort world, lacking culture but rich in real estate. Te aquamarine sea laps the shores of the offshore island’s northern coast and inland lagoons, while slapping more energetically against the white-sand beaches along the east-facing Caribbean.

Cancun draws 2.5 million visitors a year. It has the second busiest international airport in Mexico, with direct flight from Europe, South America, and North America.

Most of the larger beachfront hotels rent aquatic equipment, including body boards, snorkelling gear, sailboards, yachts, and personal watercraft, and many offer fishing, diving, and skin-diving tours, party boats, and other such waterborne activities.

Cancun has large shopping malls and boutiques, although fewer open air markets. Restaurants offer international, regional, Mexican, and California cuisine. The city is trying to project a more upscale image with designer shops at Plaza Kukulkan and La Isla.