The Falcon/Thomson Dreamliner charter series that commences next month from Dublin non-stop to Cancún in Mexico will provide Irish visitors with a great opportunity to explore the ancient Mayan world, its art and architecture, science and astronomy, commerce and religion.
Located on the Caribbean side of the Yucatán peninsula, the province of Quintana Roo offers endless miles of sandy white beaches. Cancún, the premier gateway to the Mexican Caribbean, certainly offers great beaches and watersports; restaurants, bars and clubs; shopping and spas; nature, adventure and 15 golf courses, but it is also the starting point for Mayan tours of Quintana Roo, Yucatán, Campeche and Chiapas provinces (www.cancun.travel).
Beaches, Theme Parks and Shopping
Cancún’s beaches facing the open Caribbean Sea, such as Playa Delfines, are usually wide and beautiful, but the pounding surf can make swimming a challenge. Those facing Bahia de Mujeres, such as Playa Tortuga and Playa Caracol, are great for snorkeling but tend to be more crowded.
Opened on 1st March, Ventura Park is Cancún’s new oceanfront multi-attraction including ziplines and water park, previously Wet ’n’ Wild (www.venturapark.com). It is a sister attraction of Dolphinaris, which is in Cancún’s hotel zone (www.dolphinaris.com), and of Selvatica, which is 25 miles from Cancún and offers 15 attractions including ziplines, a new Tarzania zipline roller coaster and offroad Polaris adventures (www.selvatica.com.mx). Ventura Park is just minutes from Cancún International Airport, has a complimentary bus service from downtown and the hotel zone, and is open 365 days a year
Every few minutes, 24 hours a day, white buses barrel up and down Kukulcán Boulevard to and from downtown Cancún, passing all the major hotels and world-class shopping centres such as Plaza La Isla and Luxury Avenue.
Special Mayan Tours
Family-owned Special Mayan Tours operates one-day private tours to the different destinations around Cancún and the Maya Riviera, as well as tailor-made private tours or packages connecting different areas and cities of the Mayan world in Mexico.
With 35 years of experience in the tourism industry in Cancún, Pepe López, General Manager, and his son Pepe López Jnr, Marketing Director, offer the following packages: Mini Yucatán, Mayan Heritage, Mayan Dreams, Coba Express, and Chichen Itza (The Short Cut).
The two-day / one-night Mini Yucatán (US$290pps) departs every Wednesday and visits Mérida, Uxmal, Izamal and Chichen Itza, while the five-day / four-night Maya Heritage ($807) visits Tulum, Kohunlich, Chicanna, Becan, Misol Ha waterfalls, Palenque, Campeche, Edzna, Uxmal, and Chichen Itza. Travel agents can have net rates or commission through PayPal. Hotels are 4-star or 3-star, vehicles are new, departures for both tours are guaranteed, and private tours for four people can depart any day.
Pepe López Jnr (who will be attending this year’s World Travel Market in London) can be contacted at Special Mayan Tours, Cancún, Quintana Roo, México, M: +52 (998) 1687970, T: +52 (998) 8876740 / 8848057, E: [email protected], W: www.mayanexpeditions.com
