JetBlue starts nonstop Tampa-Cancun flight out of TIA

JetBlue Airways brought the quick hop to Mexico back to Tampa International Airport on Thursday.

Passengers headed to Cancun, the beach and party resort on the Yucatan Peninsula, nibbled on Mexican food as a mariachi band played at their gate. For airport officials, the flight was serious business — a rare international nonstop for Tampa International.

"This is all local traffic," said Louis Miller, the airport's executive director. "People from Cancun aren't coming here. That's why it's important that the local community support it. If this doesn't work, it's scary."

World’s 10 most secluded sands - Tropical getaways

Pauline Frommer, 42, remembers first visiting Cancun as a seventh-grader when her father, Arthur, author of the famous Frommer Travel Guides — reported on the coastal city's very first hotel.

"It was completely deserted back then," says Frommer, also a travel writer.

Unfortunately, such secluded beaches rarely stay that way for long. Cancun has morphed into a sun worshiper's Mecca as famous for its high-rise hotels and nightclubs as for its beaches.

Mexico says Cancun beach erosion 'urgent' problem - International Herald Tribune

MEXICO CITY: A Mexican environment official says beach erosion at the resort city of Cancun is so bad it needs urgent solutions.

Assistant Environment Secretary Mauricio Limon says "beaches urgently need to be restored given the level of deterioration they are showing" in Cancun and on the Maya Riviera to the south.

The top five award destinations for December - USATODAY.com

Wondering where to go with all those frequent flier miles? If you know where to look, the airlines will help you choose flights with seats readily accessible to mileage program members.

In response to the outcry from mileage collectors frustrated by the lack of available award seats, the airlines are attempting to steer program members in the direction of flights which are good prospects for would-be award travelers, both by listing destinations with plenty of empty seats (hot spots) and occasionally discounting award flights to lower-demand destinations.

Mexico's Cancun 'A Great Party Town'

Mexicos Cancun A Great Party Town Mexico's popular travel destination Cancun is a thriving party town, an expert has said.

Visitors can enjoy impressive hotels, themed nightclubs, restaurants and bars, as well as the usually warm temperatures, according to Jennifer Rodger, writing for the Daily Mirror.

It can also be a great choice for families, the travel commentator added, due to the fact that there are all-inclusive hotels with creche facilities and organised activities.

Owning property abroad

Dismal December days often fill my head with thoughts of selling off all I own in Canada and heading off to an island to waste away the rest of my days on beachfront property with all-I-can-drink coconut and pineapple refreshments.

A common dream, right?

But, how does one acquire property abroad? What are the legalities? Costs? Implications for the future?

While the steps may be different in every country, here's a small primer highlighting 10 things you didn't know about owning property in Mexico, a favourite sunny getaway spot, until now...

Yucatan's pristine paradise

We were in the jungle, about an hour's drive inland from Mexico's Caribbean coast, when I stumbled upon a fine metaphor for the Riviera Maya, the tourist-friendly nickname for the eastern edge of the Yucatan peninsula.

Our group of six had kayaked and then hiked along a well-marked path to a cenote. Stripping down to our swimsuits, we could barely wait to explore this water-filled limestone sinkhole

Taking a closer look, we warily contemplated the cave's narrow entrance, or chimuch -- Mayan for "frog's mouth" -- and we weren't entirely sure we wanted to be swallowed up by it.

Making like crabs, we backed in under the low-hanging lip of rock. Once inside, we walked down a stairway into a shadowy cavern full of dripping stalactites. I understood why the ancient Mayans considered cenotes links to the underworld. I also understood why we were told to wear our bathing suits. The crystal-clear water was cool and soft -- the most sublime swimming hole I've ever visited.

Shopping in Cancun

Designer stores, specialised shops, department stores and malls in the centre of the city are within walking distance of the Jungfernstieg underground station.

There’s the Queen of Pop, the King, and the other King of Pop.

We joined the crowds to give a screaming, sweating and floor-stamping reception to Madonna, Elvis, and Wacko Jacko…

At Coco Bongo’s nightclub in Cancun, there’s a dream line-up of live acts – OK, impersonators… but with this carnival atmosphere, you’d have sworn it was the real artists on stage.

It’s just one of the crazy scenes you can expect to find on Mexico’s most popular destination, the Yucatan peninsula. And to allow for a full-time party agenda, we made it easy on ourselves by going all-inclusive (with First Choice).