As the number of championship caliber courses in the Cancun area continues to grow, golf will undoubtedly become one of Cancun's most popular activities. With a number of courses already conveniently located in The Hotel Zone - adjacent to all of Cancun's other activities - a great round of golf is easy to add to your Cancun itinerary. Most of the courses you will encounter were designed with the environment and natural landscape in mind by some of the world's finest golf course architects. For the more committed golfing traveler, several excellent courses are located throughout the Riviera Maya, just south of Cancun. Regardless of where you decide to play, you will be treated to some excellent scenery and an unforgettable round of golf.

Located in the heart of the Hotel Zone, the Cancun Golf Club at Pok ta Pok is one of the oldest and most renowned courses in the area. Constructed in 1976 by Robert Trent Jones Jr., this Cancun golf treasure makes excellent use of the picturesque shoreline and scattered Mayan ruins. Though the course has hosted numerous prestigious tournaments, this par 72 offers an enjoyable experience to golfers of all skill levels. The site also features top-notch practice facilities and a restaurant with panoramic views of Cancun and the Caribbean Sea. Also in the Hotel Zone, the Hilton Cancun Beach and Golf Resort, an 18-hole championship course amongst abundant wildlife and Mayan ruins, is highlighted by the "island tee" on the majestic 7th hole.

Jack Nicklaus' signature Cancun golf course is located at The Moon Spa and Golf Club. Composed of three distinct 9-hole courses - Jungle, Lakes and Dunes - The Moon Spa and Golf Club is a shining example of the ecological conservation employed in Cancun golf course construction. In addition to the exotic vegetation and animal life surrounding the course, players will be treated to incredible views of the Riviera Maya. Like a few other courses in the area, The Moon Spa and Golf Club features all-inclusive service with complimentary food and drinks, as well as transportation from your Cancun resort.

Located 45 minutes south of Cancun is Greg Norman's excellent contribution to Cancun golf, El Camaleon Mayakoba. True to its name, the course features an incredibly distinctive layout amongst a fluctuating landscape of jungles, mangrove, subterranean caves, pristine lagoons and stretches of Caribbean sand. Many players have also been impressed by El Camaleon's GPS-equipped golf carts that not only measure your shots, but also allow you to record your scores electronically and order refreshments.

Also south of Cancun is a pair of courses perfect for adventurous golfers, Iberostar Playa Paraiso Golf Club and Playacar Golf Club. Designed by P.B. Dye, Iberostar Playa Paraiso Golf Club features narrow fairways and deep sand traps cut from the vibrant Mayan jungle. The Playacar Golf Club, designed by Robert von Hagge, is surrounded by a number of lakes, while several holes hug the Caribbean shoreline.

The first golf course on the island of Cozumel, just southeast of Cancun - the Cozumel Country Club - is also one of the most challenging courses ever designed by Jack Nicklaus. Carved from the Mayan jungles and limestone bluffs at the northwestern tip of the island, the course took five years to be constructed. However, the course was designed with the environment in mind, receiving a certification in Environmental Planning from the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary System.

Given this growing popularity of golf in Cancun, it is no surprise that several more tournament quality courses are scheduled to open in the near future. The Puerto Cancun Golf Course, designed by Tom Weiskopf, is currently being constructed between The Hotel Zone and downtown Cancun. Though Puerto Cancun won't be completed until late 2008, the course will add another championship caliber challenge within close reach of Cancun's premier resorts. Scheduled to open in late 2007, The Tournament Players Course (TPC) of Cancun has potential to be one of the finest courses in all of Mexico. Designed by Tom Fazio, one of today's most celebrated golf course architects, The TPC of Cancun will feature 36 sprawling holes and plenty of unique challenges. Also under construction is much anticipated La Roca Country Club, designed by PGA Tour legend Nick Price.

By: Mike Goldstein
This article was written by Justin Burch. Justin writes select pieces about travel in Mexico for the Casa Magna Cancun Resort.

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On October 21, 2005, Cancun was struck by Hurricane Wilma, the most intense Atlantic storm on record. However, after little more than a year, Cancun has remerged as an even more enticing destination. With over $1.5 billion committed to the citywide rebuilding effort, resorts have not only repaired their structures, but have improved upon pre-storm conditions. Nearly all of the city's restaurants and bars have reopened, many with sparkling new additions and renovations. However, Cancun isn't finished. Many more improvements will be completed early this season, guaranteeing that this could be the best year ever to visit beautiful Cancun.

Perhaps the best upgrades in Cancun were performed on the world-famous beaches. Known for their wide stretches of white powder sand, Cancun's beaches were reduced to rocks by Wilma's storm surge. Yet, because of eroding beachfronts throughout the world, the technology of beach reclamation has grown by leaps and bounds. Belgian firm, Jan de Nul, used their latest innovations to extract 96 million cubic feet of pristine sand from the waters off the Mexican coast. After the sand was transported by a pair of vessels back to shore, giant pipes succeeded in reforming up to a half mile of beach per week.

Yet, Cancun didn't settle for a copy of the old beaches. According to Cancun's Convention and Visitor's Bureau, "The white beaches are what Cancun is all about. So we wanted to make sure we were getting that same silky sand that people love and a lot more of it than before." In fact, the new beaches of Cancun average 140 feet in width, double the 70 foot width visitors were accustomed to not long ago. This sizable upgrade means not only will the beaches of Cancun look better than ever before, but visitors will have much more room to play or relax in the sun.

Cancun's finest resorts certainly didn't spare any expense during the reconstruction either. In addition to necessary repairs and upgrades required as a result of the storm, tourists will also recognize a number of notable improvements at their favorite resorts, from new recreational facilities to larger rooms. The streets of the Hotel Zone have even been lined with 6,000 fully-grown palm trees.

Furthermore, most of the major construction and renovation in the Hotel Zone was completed by the end of 2006, so current visitors won't be bothered. Though a few resorts will be remodeling through 2007, very few tourists have been distracted. Through August 2006, Cancun had already returned to 79% hotel room capacity, just below annual averages for the summer off-season. In fact, many of these visitors were unaware of the rebuilding that took place as nearly all of the resorts and businesses were open during the 2006 holiday travel season.

The nearby island of Cozumel, a popular cruise ship port, also underwent extensive renovations. One of the island's primary piers reopened to cruise ships at the end of 2006, while the other will reopen later this year. Inland from Cancun, millions of acres of Mexico's famous jungles remain undamaged. Most importantly, the historic Mayan ruins near Cancun were unharmed and remain open for tours. If you still had any doubts regarding the success of Cancun's recovery, the leading travel publications have already returned the city to its lofty position. Conde Nast Traveler, Travelocity.com, 10best.com and many others have ranked Cancun as both a top beach destination and a leading choice for quick getaways. Furthermore, the American Express Travel Report, one of the most respected studies of upcoming travel trends, has rated Cancun as the fifth-most popular international destination for the coming year.

These accolades and the growing evidence of a successful rebuilding effort points not only to a miraculous resurgence for this luxurious resort city, but also highlights Cancun's eternal allure.

By: Justin Burch
Justin Burch writes articles about travel in Cancun http://marriott.com/hotels/travel/cunmx ... cun-resort and Mexico tourism for the Marriott Resorts.

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Summer all year... gorgeously turquoise ocean... sandy white beaches... shopping from Mexican handicrafts to designer clothes... stunning hotels with interesting architecture, many right on the beach... world-class restaurants... nightlife and dance clubs that go till early morning... Mayan ruins in the middle of it all... that's Cancun!

Water sports include swimming, surfing, diving, boating, fishing, kayaking, and snorkeling. Day trips to Mayan archaeological sites offer you a glimpse of the fascinating civilization that was in the area for centuries.

No wonder Cancun is one of the most popular beach resorts in all of North and South America! With over three million visitors a year, the folks in Cancun have figured out how to provide what you want for a memorable vacation, whether it's total relaxation, going out dancing, water sports, enjoying spring break or a honeymoon, or whatever.

Cancun's history is short. In the early 1970s, the Mexican government had a study done to decide where to put a new resort. A little piece of land in the Caribbean sea, just off the coast of Yucatan, was chosen. It didn't take long before tourists were coming in ever-increasing numbers. Now Cancun (on the mainland just opposite that slip of land) has a population of something over half a million -- and the visitors keep coming!

Cancun is its own kind of place. It's hardly typical Mexico, but it's a lot of fun in its own way!

By: Rosana Hart
Rosana Hart has traveled to Mexico many times. Her website, http://www.mexico-with-heart.com, contains the full text of a book she wrote about traveling in Mexico, as well as information and travel tips on a variety of Mexican cities popular with tourists.

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