Cancun & the Yucatan For Dummies (Dummies Travel) [Paperback]

Lynne Bairstow (Author), David Baird (Author)

Book Description

Series: Dummies Travel | Publication Date: July 22, 2005

In Cancun and the Yucatan, you can enjoy exquisite beaches, exhilarating adventures, or rejuvenating relaxation. You can go to Playa del Carmen with its hip social life or Isla Mujeres, where life moves along in a manana mode. Whether you want to explore ancient Mayan culture or modern day margarita culture, enjoy a siesta or a fiesta, stay in a luxurious resort or small palapa hotel, seek out best archaeological sites or the liveliest nightlife, this friendly guide is just the ticket with the scoop on:

• The best beaches, known for powdery white sand and crystal-clear waters
• Cozumel, a diver’s paradise with a myriad of water activities centered around its famous reef
• World-class scuba diving, snorkeling, cenote diving, fly fishing, golf, tennis, or birding
• Delicious local specialties
• Shopping for jewelry and authentic Mexican crafts

Like every For Dummies travel guide, Cancun & the Yucatan For Dummies, Second Edition, includes:

• Down-to-earth trip-planning advice
• What you shouldn’t miss—and what you can skip
• The best hotels and restaurants for every budget
• Handy Post-it Flags to mark your favorite pages

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Travel smart at www.dummies.com

Explore Cancún & the Yucatán the fun and easy way®

Incredible beach escapes and diverse attractions abound in Cancún, Cozumel, the Yucatán, and Riviera Maya. Destinations range from laid-back and rustic to lively and luxurious, and this friendly guide gets you off to a sunny start!

Discover

• Down-to-earth trip-planning advice
• What you shouldn't miss — and what you can skip
• The best hotels and restaurants for every budget
• Handy Post-it® Flags to mark your favorite pages

About the Author

For Lynne Bairstow (who wrote Chapters 1 through 12, 16 through 18, and the Appendix), Mexico has become more home to her than her native United States. After exploring the country and living in Puerto Vallarta for most of the past 15 years, she has developed a true love of Mexico and its complex, colorful culture. Her local friends now claim she has patas saladas — a term translated as “salty feet,” meaning she has become a true Vallarta local. Her travel articles on Mexico have been published in The New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles Times, Private Air, Luxury Living, and Alaska Airlines Magazine. In 2000, Lynne was awarded the Pluma de Plata, an honor granted by the Mexican Government to foreign writers, for her work with the Frommer’s guide to Mexico.

David Baird (who wrote Chapters 13, 14, and 15) is a writer, editor, and translator who feels uncomfortable writing about himself in the third person (too much like writing his own obituary). Now based in Austin, Texas, he spent years living in various parts of Mexico, Brazil, Peru, and Puerto Rico. But, whenever possible, he manages to get back to the turquoise-blue waters of the Yucatán because he thinks he looks good in that color, and because he’s excessively fond of the local cooking.

Product Details

• Paperback: 292 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 2 edition (July 22, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764578286
• ISBN-13: 978-0764578281
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,431,408 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #65 in Books > Travel > Latin America > Mexico > Cancun & Cozumel
  • #69 in Books > Travel > Latin America > Mexico > Yucatan Peninsula

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Real How-To Manual For Mexico, June 1, 2004

By 

Kimberly Martin (Kissimmee, FL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cancun and the Yucatan for Dummies (Paperback)

I hadn't been to Cancun in twenty years and my traveling companion had never been, so we were looking for more than a book that outlined the location and services of area hotels. We wanted tips, how-to's, cautions, insider secrets and local recommendations. This book had them all. While it's true that the book highlights only the authors' picks for restuarants and hotels and can't be called a comprehensive hotel guide, it was invaluable in the information it lent regarding phones, transportation, money, fees and schedules, customs, activities and more. And when we finally got to Cancun and Cozumel, my companion and I were not only informed and prepared but delighted to find that virtually all of the information (both subjective and objective) was correct. The local restuarant we'd highlighted in the book turned out to be a word-of-mouth tradition in Cozumel. We chose our hotel based on the book's description of offshore snorkeling and found out it was widely known on the island for unrivaled aquatic beauty. True, I could've found much of this information by combing the Internet, but I didn't have to thanks to this book, which also includes any contact info you could ever need. We referred to it constantly while in Mexico and can't reccommend what we came to call "The Book" highly enough.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This guide covered more than I expected., August 20, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Cancun and the Yucatan for Dummies (Paperback)

I've never been to Cancun before and had no idea where to start planning my trip. I bought this book because it promised to be an easy-to-use reference for the first time visitor. And that's exactly what I found. This guide covered more than I expected, with detailed information on Cozumel, Playa del Carman, and more. The authors obviously knew what they were talking about, as the savvy advice given in the book made my decisions easy to make!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars if your new to this part of the world you need this book, July 19, 2005

By 

G. karlson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cancun and the Yucatan for Dummies (Paperback)

Found it to be a little out of date i.e. the toll roads are almost over US$18 to get from Cancun to Valladolid and only take cash! But, this book offers so much local knowledge that it is a necessity to someone new to the area.
The book is also a little weak when it comes to the ruins - only list 4 of them. So if you go to see and want to know more on the Maya ruins get a good map of the Yucatan and a book specializing on the ruins themselves.
Despite these minor issues, if you want to manage yourself and not go on one of the bus tours you need this book!!!