Friday, April 17, 2009

Cancun as a jumping-off point to the affordable towns, islands and ruins of the Mexican Caribbean
CANCUN, Mexico — Even before the heat hits you from the Mexican Caribbean’s springtime glory, a blast of ads and brochures and billboards offers numerous ways to separate you from your money.

A plastic bag handed out at the airport contains slick guides promoting outings that sometimes rival the nightly cost of a nice hotel. The XPLOR cave experience goes for $129 plus transportation. The Xel-Ha water park is $75, and yes, first you have to get there.

A swim with the dolphins or a lobster dinner on a boat make those day trips look cheap, and there’s enough shopping and clubbing and watersports to turn this bargain Mexican vacation into a credit-card buster.

But before the fancy dining, powerboat rides and designer malls arrived, there was already plenty to do along the 80-mile stretch that runs from Isla Mujeres to Tulum, with Cancun and Playa del Carmen in between.

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