You come to Cancun for some fun in the sun, you’ve got all your tours planned and a tight tanning schedule.  What do you do if you are faced with (GASP!) a rainy day?

1.  Shop!  Cancun is a shopper’s paradise, from high end boutiques to bargain souvenirs in the markets, if you’ve got the urge to splurge, there’s a place for you.  Treat yourself like royalty in Plaza Kukulcan’s “Luxury Avenue”, home to Ferragamo, Coach, Louis Vuitton, Ultrajewels and more.  Silver and diamonds are popular items in Cancun, be sure to look for the “.925″ stamp on the silver to ensure it’s authenticity.  If rain is keeping you off the beach, why not have a little downtown adventure, pay a visit to Plaza las Americas with a wide variety of stores, boutiques, department stores and restaurants.  You’ll always find something here that you won’t find back home.  Market 28 downtown is a bargainer’s paradise, handicrafts, arts, souvenirs, jewelry, handmade hammocks and of course the obligatory t-shirts, and as the vendors will tell you, it’s “cheaper than Walmart”.  Bring an umbrella, the market is mostly covered, but you’ll need it for the journey.  Other malls in the hotel zone of Cancun include Plaza Caracol, Plaza Forum and Plaza Flamingo.  Paying in pesos is your best bet, no need to worry about exchange rate calculations and you’ll often get a better price when paying in the local currency.

2.  Let’s roll, let’s bowl!  You probably didn’t think of going bowling on your tropical vacation, but it’s a great way to pass a couple of wet rainy hours.  The 2.02 Bowling Alley and restaurant is located in Plaza Kukulcan and for the downtown adventurers, Planet Bowl Entertainment Center is located in the lovely mall called Paseo Cancun.

3.  Go back in time and marvel at ancient artifacts in the Archaeological Museum of Cancun, located on the first floor of the convention center at kilometer 9.5 of the hotel zone.  With over 800 items collected from local Mayan ruins and a variety of displays about the Mayan culture and history, the museum is a great way to forget about the rain and learn about the local culture.  The museum is open daily from 9 am to 8 pm and there is a small entry fee.

4.  You gotta have art.  Plaza la Isla in the hotel zone is home to the Pelopidas Gallery, a unique space devoted to the visual arts.  With it’s collection of “Faux Arts” (original reproductions created with the same painting techniques, pigments and surfaces of the original authors, endorsed by a certificate of authenticity), you’ll find yourself peering into the world of beauty of Da Vinci, Gaugin and Lautrec.  The gallery also hosts rotating exhibits of renowned and up and coming international artists in a variety of mediums.

5.  Stick around your hotel and get to know your fellow guests.  Most hotels offer rainy day programs, with art or cooking classes, karaoke contests, Mexican bingo, Spanish classes and so much more.  Ask your concierge for information specific to your hotel and join in the fun.

6.  Indulge in a spa day.  A little rain always has an upside, it could be a hot stone massage or a facial or spoiling yourself with a delicious chocolate body treatment.  Many Cancun hotels have spas onsite with a wide range of treatments available to make you forget all about the wet stuff outside.  For an extra special rainy day romantic treat, book a couples massage and let the outside world fade away.  The Cancun spa experience will leave you feeling relaxed, refreshed and rejuvenate.

7.  Catch a flick!  You might enter the theater while it’s pouring rain only to come out to discover blue skies and sun.  Plaza la Isla is the hotel zone home to a five screen theater and if you head downtown you can have a “VIP” experience in the cinema in Plaza las Americas.  Theaters will show movies in English with Spanish subtitles (though often animated films are dubbed into Spanish, be sure to check before buying your tickets!)

8.  Try your luck at the Play City casino.  With video gambling and sports betting, it’s a great diversion for the over 18 crowd.  Located in Plaza Kukulkan, Play City is open in the afternoons and evenings for your wagering pleasure, with a well stocked bar and helpful bilingual staff.  Who knows, if Lady Luck is on your side you might just be able to afford another shopping trip!

So, no need to fret about rain ruining your vacation, there are plenty of things to keep you busy.  Perhaps the most relaxing of all is sitting on your balcony and enjoying the peace of a tropical rainfall while marveling at the wonder of the deep blue sea.  Or, what the heck, pull a little Fred Astaire and go singing and dancing in the rain, you’d be wet in the pool or ocean anyway!  Live each moment of your vacation as an adventure and an experience, a rainy day in Cancun is still better than a day at the office.

Hotels in Mexico are offering free holidays to tourists who catch swine flu in their resorts in a bid to restore confidence in the destination.

The initiative, which involves three hotel chains, is being led by Real Resorts, which owns three hotels in Cancun and Playa del Carmen.

The company’s guarantee offers three years of free holidays to any guest who contracts the (H1N1) flu virus within 14 days of visiting its resorts in Cancun or Playa del Carmen.

General director Fernando García Zalvidea says holidaymakers have nothing to fear from visiting Mexico. Hygeine has been a top priority at Cancun Airport, he says, and restaurants, shopping malls, taxis and buses have been sanitised.
The other two Mexican resort chains offering the swine flu-free guarantee are Dreams and Secret.

Additionally, Real Resorts has cut room rates by 40 per cent, to as low as £59 per night all-inclusive, and is offering discounts of up to 50 per cent on spa treatments, dining and drinks.

Read the original article

The Sunday Times online

If you are looking for a cheap travel destination, try Mexico.

AM Resorts, a hotel chain, announced a “flu-free guarantee” at 10 of its 11 Mexico hotels beginning Friday. The company will give three free vacations over the next three years to any customer unfortunate enough to pick up the H1N1 flu virus at one of its Mexico resorts.

Read what the New Yotk Times have to say about Cancun

Mexico Campaings to Attract Flu-Fearing Tourists

Cancun, Quintana Roo – May 1st. 2009

The Tourism Committee of Quintana Roo was installed yesterday. This Committee aims to collect information from health authorities and the tourism industry in order to keep properly updated to the media, business partners and members of industry on the state that holds the activity state’s tourism in a systematic way against the possible health risk.

The Tourism Committee is headed by the Secretary of Tourism of Quintana Roo, and is formed by the Ministry of Health, the City Mayors of the municipalities of the State, as well as Hotels Associations, Chambers, Airport Authorities, National Institute of Immigration Taxi drivers’ Unions, Consulates and the State Destinations Tourism Promotion Boards.

The State Health Department reported that to date, Cancun, Riviera Maya and the various tourist destinations in the Mexican Caribbean are free from the contagion of the outbreak of human influenza that has been presented in the center of the country.

The various preventive measures implemented in recent days are:
The tourism industry, including hotels, restaurants, theme parks, shopping malls, marinas, buses and taxis are used for prevention and sanitation measures to prevent this serious virus affecting the general population and tourists. Green Angels and delegations of the Red Cross throughout the state distribute information related to influenza, which includes a list of symptoms, what to do and whom to go in case of any of these symptoms.

The destinations of the Mexican Caribbean have all the medical personnel, hospital facilities and medicines appropriate for providing timely care in the event of specific symptoms in a tourist or a citizen.

The hotels associations of the state reports submitted their occupation, to be held in percentages above 50 per cent general, occupancy is projected to remain next week. Similarly, reported that all accommodation establishments and tourist services are operating normally, including all restaurants.

Following instructions issued by the authorities have established procedures for medical review to be followed by all passengers at the airport in Cancun. In the case of domestic passengers must fill out a form before taking the approach of their flights. For all the passengers with international destinations, the procedures involve filling in a form, review your body temperature and a medical evaluation. A call is made to all passengers at the airport as early as possible so they can have sufficient time to implement these procedures before check in to their flights.

Xcaret, Xel Ha and all the theme parks across the state are operating as normal and usual schedule.

All restaurants in the tourist destinations in Quintana Roo are open to the condition of operating at 50 percent of its capacity to prevent agglomeration and following the highest hygiene measures. Bars and clubs are installed outdoors may operate under these same conditions, while those that are located in closed spaces will remain closed until further notice.

This a very nice experience. This exciting adventure tour starts with a ride in a 4×4 all-terrain vehicle that takes you to Rancho San Felipe, a small Maya family community where the Nohoch Nah Chich Cenote system is located (one of the longest explored underground river systems in the world).

Here you will take part in an unforgettable snorkeling adventure into the fresh waters of this underground river, swimming deep inside the caverns where you will observe stunning stalactite and stalagmite formations above and below this crystal-clear water.

You will then be transported to “Heavens Gate”, another entrance to this beautiful underground river system, for a relaxing swim in its refreshingly cool waters.

A traditional Maya lunch prepared by the women of this community then awaits you at the ranch. After lunch you will have the opportunity to visit the ranch and its inhabitants, a small Maya family that have lived in this remote jungle location for the last 30 years.

The expedition then takes you on a sea-kayak trip out to the reef system where you will snorkel and observe the spectacular corals, sponges and tropical fish of the Mexican Caribbean.

See it at http://www.cancuntravel.com/jungle-crossing.asp