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It was not long ago that Cancún was just a small island with a minor fishing village nearby, although there are few reminders of that today. In the early 1970s, the Mexican government conducted a study to find the best location for a modern planned tourist resort. The government began building the first hotel in 1974, and the construction hasn’t stopped yet. Cancún was designed for tourists, Europeans and Americans specifically, and you’ll find them in droves.

It is tourist-friendly and gay-friendly, has 12 miles of sandy beaches and is ideally situated for excursions to fantastic Mayan sites. Come for the good weather, remarkably affordable air/hotel packages and nearby ruins, and you won’t be disappointed.

STAY
Cancún has an over abundance of new hotels, sprawling complexes with glistening pools and modern amenities. While prices here are the highest in Mexico, they are inexpensive by Caribbean standards, and many budget choices exist, particularly in town. Package deals can also offer bargains.

EAT
Dining in the Zona Hotelera is a testament to American franchising. Taco Bell, McDonald’s, Burger King, Pizza Hut, the Hard Rock Café, and the very popular Planet Hollywood are all here.

The hotel restaurants offer an array of good dining — most notable is the five-diamond La Joya (Blvd. Kukulcan Km. 9.5, Fiesta Americana Coral Beach, see below; +52-998/881-3200; $15-23) serving gourmet Mexican cuisine in a theatrical, three-level setting. The menu offers lobster quesadillas and Caribbean-style duck.

Blue Bayou (Hyatt Cancún Caribe, Kukulcan Blvd; +52-998/883-0044; $10-30), the first Cajun restaurant in Mexico, features Cajun and Creole cuisine in a lush tropical environment. Blue Bayou offers live music every night and dancing on the weekends.

Bogart’s (Krystal Cancún, Kukulcan Blvd; +52-998/883-1133; $10-25) serves international cuisine in Moroccan surroundings. El Caribeño (Presidente InterContinental Hotel; Kukulcan Blvd; +52-998/883-0200; $25-40) has a spectacular breakfast buffet, right on the beach with a great view of the water. Modern Art Cafe (La Isla Shopping Center, Kukulcan Blvd Km 12.5; +52-998/883-4512; $20-30) serves wonderful, creative food in a colorful, contemporary setting, flamenco displays nightly.

Maria Bonita (Punta Canta, next to Hotel Camino Real; +52-998/848-7082; $10-30) is a colorful colonial mansion serving authentic Mexican dishes and great margaritas with nightly entertainment. Cancún City offers good Mexican food, and less expensive prices than the hotel zone.

The restaurants along Avenida Yaxchilan seem less touristy than the ones on Avenida Tulum. Most have menus posted and a friendly employee outside to entice you in. Walk around and check out a few before making a choice. La Parilla Mexican Grill (Av. Yaxchilan 51; + 52-998/884-5398; $9-$14) is known for its food, buffet service, atmosphere and prices. 100% Natural (6 Sunyaxchen; +52-998/884-1617; $4-13) serves salads, sandwiches and fresh fruit shakes in a tiled-floor, open-porch California environment.

Super Deli (Avenida Tulum at Xcaret; +52-998/884-1412; $8) is a take-out and sit-down deli with all the American favorites. Perico’s (Av. Yachilan 71; +52-998/884-3152; www.pericos.com.mx; $11-$18) is a popular raucous, wild, trashy and fun Mexican restaurant, with killer margaritas, and costumed waiters leading conga lines. El Pescador (28 Tulipanes; +52-998/884-2673; $19-$39) serves great seafood, as well as Mexican specialties. Be prepared for a short wait.

PLAY/MEET
Cancún has one long-standing gay club and many other gay and mixed (gay/straight) clubs. The downtown clubs don’t get going until after midnight and continue until around 7 a.m. but downtown is definitely the happening place. Picante (Plaza Gallerias, 20 Av. Tulum; www.picantebar.com; no cover) is the oldest, friendliest and cruisiest place, with a tiny dance floor. It is located in the Plaza Gallerias on Av. Tulum past the bus station and close to McDonald’s. Take a cab there the first time — drivers all know where it is.

Disco Karamba (Av. Tulum 9 at the corner of Calle Azucenas ; www.karambabar.com) is a large, second-floor gay dance hall overlooking busy Avenida Tulum that pounds the music Tuesday through Sunday with some sort of show every night of the week, including weekend strippers. Wednesday is the big drag-show night. A young, mixed (male/female) and very international crowd gathers here every Thursday through Sunday. Karamba, with the largest dance floor, seems to attract the largest amount of tourists.

Cappucino Cafe (Calle Magaritas and Calle Azecenas) is another early evening gay hangout, with a more relaxed, mellow flavour and a small dance floor. The straight clubs are not all exclusively straight, which can be fun and confusing. The Parque de las Palapas, near the Cine Blanquita is a popular cruising place, but it is police-patrolled and definitely at-your-own-risk.

GLOW (Tulipanes 3, Centro; www.glowcancun.com), Cancun’s hottest dance club, boasts a state-of-the-art dance floor and showplace including a divinely trendy restaurant with separate bar-lounge area for quiet romantic moments. To take time off your toes, trip up to the rooftop for stargazing. Stop in for coffee and conversation at Café D’Pa (corner of Palapas Park, Centro) where if you don’t arrive with a companion, you just might leave with one. Open before bar time, so great place to meet your friends or make new ones. House specialty is crêpes.

SEE/DO
The beach and related sports activities are the prime activities here. The main gay beach is Playa Delfines, a pretty stretch of white sand at the southern end of the Hotel Zone, across from the Ruinas del Rey, just south of the Hilton Hotel. Playa Chac Mool is popular with local families by day, because the water is calmer than elsewhere, but in the afternoons its rocky area can become cruisey.

The beach in front of the sprawling Sheraton Hotel is popular with Americans, and you are less likely to be chased away for jumping into their pool. Scuba diving, sailing, deep-sea fishing and snorkeling can be arranged at any number of sports centers or any of the major hotels. The Robert Trent Jones-designed Cancun Golf Course (+52-998/883-1230 or +52-998/883-1277, fax +52-998/883-3358; www.cancungolfclub.com) offers a stunning setting and its own restored Mayan ruin. People-watching along the streets in town is great fun. Try Avenida Tulum or Yaxchilan in the evening, and walk down the west side, not the Town Hall side. Bullfights, for those who don’t find them repugnant, happen every Wednesday at the Plaza de Toros.

SHOP
Cancún is home to a number of sophisticated shopping malls, which can be welcome air-conditioned retreats from la playa. Av. Tulum downtown is also lined with stores. If you’re adventurous and/or thrifty, try exploring the side streets, or the malls down A v. Tulum about a mile past the bus station. Here the prices are still lower, and the clientele is less touristy and more local. Shopping here can feel less safe, so keep your wits about you. Even in the touristy shops, you can find good deals on hand-woven rugs, hammocks and varied handicrafts, in addition to tacky T-shirts and souvenirs.

The Plaza Mexico (Av. Tulum) is a mall specializing in Mexican handicrafts. More of the same can be found in Cancún’s two crafts markets, Coral Negro, next to the Convention Center and Ki Huic (Avenida Tulum) downtown. Another market, Plaza Garibaldi (Uxmal South & Avenida Tulum) has tablecloths, clothing and the like. Be wary of poor quality and be sure to bargain in the markets. Stall merchants may quote prices marked up 300 percent if you appear an easy target.

Fuente: www.gay.com