Cancun Travel Guide

American Express -- The local office is at Av. Tulum 208 and Agua (tel. 998/881-4000 or -4055; www.americanexpress.com/mexico), 1 block past the Plaza México. It's open Monday through Friday from 9am to 6pm, Saturday from 9am to 1pm.

Area Code -- The telephone area code is 998.

Climate -- It's hot but not overwhelmingly humid. The rainy season is May through October. August through October is hurricane season, which brings erratic weather. November through February is generally sunny but can also be cloudy, windy, somewhat rainy, and even cool.

Consulates -- The U.S. Consular Agent is in the Plaza Caracol 2, Bulevar Kukulkán Km 8.5, 3rd level, 320-323 (tel. 998/883-0272). The office is open Monday through Friday from 9am to 2pm. The Canadian Consulate is in the Plaza Caracol, 3rd level, Loc. 330 (tel. 998/883-3360). The office is open Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm. The United Kingdom has a consular office at the Royal Sands Hotel in Cancún (tel. 998/881-0100, ext. 65898; fax 998/848-8662; information@britishconsulateCancun.com). The office is open Monday through Friday from 9am to 3pm. Irish, Australian, and New Zealand citizens should contact their embassies in Mexico City.

Crime -- Car break-ins are just about the only crime here. They happen frequently, especially around the shopping centers in the Hotel Zone. VW Beetles and Golfs are frequent targets.

Currency Exchange -- Most banks sit downtown along Avenida Tulum and are usually open Monday through Friday from 9:30am to 4pm. Many have automated teller machines for after-hours cash withdrawals. In the Hotel Zone, you'll find banks in the Kukulcán Plaza and next to the convention center. There are also many casas de cambio (exchange houses). Downtown merchants are eager to change cash dollars, but island stores don't offer very good exchange rates. Avoid changing money at the airport as you arrive, especially at the first exchange booth you see -- its rates are less favorable than those of any in town or others farther inside the airport concourse.

Drugstores -- Across the street from Señor Frog's in the Hotel Zone, at Bulevar Kukulkán Km 9.5, Farmacías del Ahorro (tel. 998/892-7291) offers 24-hour service and free delivery. Plenty of drugstores are in the major shopping malls in the Hotel Zone, and are open until 10pm. In downtown Cancún, Farmacía Cancún is located at Av. Tulum 17 (tel. 998/884-1283). You can stock up on over-the-counter and many prescription drugs without a prescription.

Emergencies -- To report an emergency, dial tel. 060, which is supposed to be similar to 911 emergency service in the United States. For first aid, the Cruz Roja, or Red Cross (tel. 065 or 998/884-1616; fax 998/883-9218), is open 24 hours on Avenida Yaxchilán between avenidas Xcaret and Labná, next to the Telmex building. Total Assist, Claveles 5, SM 22, at Avenida Tulum (tel. 998/884-8022; totalassist@prodigy.net.mx), is a small (nine-room) emergency hospital with English-speaking doctors. It's open 24 hours and accepts American Express, MasterCard, and Visa. Desk staff may have limited command of English. Air Ambulance (Global Ambulance) service is available by calling tel. 01-800/305-9400 in Mexico.

Internet Access -- Alienet in a kiosk on the second floor of Kukulcán Plaza, Bulevar Kukulkán Km 13 (tel. 998/840-6099), offers Internet access for $7 per hour. It's open daily from 10am to 10pm.

Luggage Storage & Lockers -- Hotels will generally tag and store luggage while you travel elsewhere.

Newspapers & Magazines -- Most hotel gift shops and newsstands carry English-language magazines and English-language Mexican newspapers, such as the Miami Herald.

Police -- Cancún has a fleet of English-speaking tourist police to help travelers. Dial tel. 998/885-2277. The Procuraduría Federal del Consumidor (consumer protection agency), Av. Cobá 9-11 (tel. 998/884-2634 or -2701), is opposite the Social Security Hospital and upstairs from the Fenix drugstore. It's open Monday through Friday from 9am to 3pm.

Post Office -- The main correo lies at the intersection of avenidas Sunyaxchen and Xel-Ha (tel. 998/884-1418). It's open Monday through Friday from 9am to 4pm, and Saturday from 9am to noon for the purchase of stamps only.

Safety -- Aside from car break-ins, there is very little crime in Cancún. People are generally safe late at night in tourist areas; just use ordinary common sense. As at any other beach resort, don't take money or valuables to the beach.

Swimming on the Caribbean side presents a danger because of the undertow.

Seasons -- Technically, high season runs from December 15 to April; low season extends from May to December 15, when prices drop 10% to 30%. Some hotels are starting to charge high-season rates during June and July, when Mexican, European, and school-holiday visitors often travel, although rates may still be lower than in winter months.

Special Events -- The annual Mexico-Caribbean Food Festival, featuring special menus of culinary creations throughout town, is held each year between September and November. Additional information is available through the State Tourism Office.