Mexico Vacations - Cancun Activities

Golfing in Cancun

There are three excellent places to golf in Cancun - two are world class golf resorts and one is an excellent golf course for someone on a budget. Golfing in Cancun will not let you down, but of course there are more good golf courses in Los Cabos, if that's what you are looking for.

Pok-Ta-Pok (or Club de Golf Cancun)

Pok-Ta-Pok, sometimes referred to as the Club de Golf Cancun, is a Robert Trent Jones Sr. designed course. It's on the Northern Leg of the Island. The green fees run $120 for 18 holes, with club rentals at $26 and shoes at $15. It's a superb course and worth the money is your are serious about golfing. It also has tennis courts. (998.883.0871)

Hilton Cancun Golf & Beach Resort

The Hilton Cancun has a championship 18-hole, par-72 course designed around some ruins. If you are taking a golfing vacation, you should consider staying at the Hilton Cancun. Greens fees are $121 for 18 holes or $99, if you are a guest of the hotel. That includes the rental of the golf cart. They have golf shoes and clubs available for rent. (998.881.8016)

Melia Cancun

If you are interested in a very good course in Cancun, but spending less money the Melia golf course is perfect. This golf course a beautifully groomed 18-hole course with green fees of only $35. They club is only open until 4pm, so it's worth going early, so you are not golfing in the middle of the day to finish at 4pm. (998.881.8016).

Cancun Scuba & Snorkeling

More than it's beaches, Cancun is knows for it's scuba diving. Because of it's shallow reefs it's a perfect place to learn to scuba dive. You will see amazing colors and fish, but don't have to dive very deep to see them, so it's less dangerous. It's also very warm water, so you don't have to worry about wearing a wetsuit.

If you are are more advanced scuba diver, you will be at Punta Nizuc, which is the northern tip of the Great Mesoamerican Reed - the largest reef in the Western Hemisphere and one of the largest in the world. Besides the reef, you can go to spots with sunken boats, which ads a lot of variety. There are also a series of caverns and cenotes a little more inland, which are totally fascinating, but only for the most experienced scuba divers.

A variety of hotelsin Cancun offer courses in the basics of scuba diving. Scuba Cancun (998.849.7508) offer a 4 hour resort course for $64. It is recommended that you make reservations. If you are interested in being fully certified for scuba diving, they offer 4 day courses for around $350, which is definitely worth while. Scuba Cancun offers day trips to 20 nearby reefs and the open ocean. They also do snorkeling at the shallow reefs nearby for those who would rather stay closer to the top of the water for $35.

Aquaworld (998.885.2288) cross from Melia Cancun is one of the largest operators in Cancun. They offer resort scuba courses as well as full certification. They are open 24 hours a day. Again it's probably better to make a reservation in advance, in particular for the full scuba certification.

Cancun Mermaid (998.843.6517) is considered one of the best ecotour companies and operates great snorkeling tours for $45. It's two hours and includes a light lunch and drinks. The price also includes transportation from your Cancun hotel to Puerto Morelos. They need to have at least 4 snorklers for a trip, but if you reserve in advance, they will make sure you are teamed up, if you are only two.

Other Great Activities on Cancun

Horseback riding is a very romantic thing to do when you are in Cancun. One of the best places to do that is Rancho Loma Bonita (998.887.5465).

Cancun offers a couple of places where you can swim with dolphins. A very unique experience that usually involves half an hour of training and then half an hour of swimming with the dolphin. Check out Dolphin Discovery (998.849.4757).

Bullfighting is a Mexican tradition that still lives today. It is worth checking one our during your visit to Cancun, if you don't mind seeing some blood. The bull fights take place on Wednesday at 3:30pm during the winter season. You will want to make reservations at Plaza de Toro (998.883.0305).

Mayan Ruins are a very large attraction in the Yucatan. One of the most famous ones is just south of Cancun called Tulum and is definitley worth a visit. It's one of the only sites with pyramids on the ocean. Tulum is about 80 miles away from Cancun. Chichen Itza is a huge ruin site that has been beautifully restored and is also worth a visit. Chichen Itza is about 100 miles away from Cancun. Both places offer very good tours. Chichen Itza is definitely a whole day adventure and there are some great small towns near Tulum, which are also worth a longer visit, if you want to get away from the Americanized Cancun strip.