Cancun

Why Go

If you want a lesson in how to get things right, first time, take your Mexico holiday in Cancun. Giving the Caribbean a run for its money, Cancun holidays offer paradise, without the price tag. A generation ago, this sublime spot was a forlorn place - a spur of sand overlooking a muddy lagoon at the edge of the rainforest. Now it's a billion dollar plus tourism industry, leading the way in showing Central America how to raise its stakes and attract wealthy Americans, fun-loving Europeans and sleek cruise liners, with their all-important holiday dollars. Not to mention the fact that Cancun weddings are becoming increasingly popular.

Make no mistake, when the Mexican tourist authority wanted to create a tourist resort to rival Florida they left nothing to chance – ensuring that Mexico holidays were every bit as good as the best of the Caribbean. Twenty years later, this lonely spur, shaped like a number seven, arching out from the mainland at the old market town of Cancun, is transformed.

Cancun holidays enjoy the saltwater and freshwater activities. The lagoon is clean and fresh, the sand is sieved and sparkly, and the spur of land is now one swift and straight avenue of designer malls, watersports clubs, dolphin shows and sherbert-coloured hotel complexes, each more eye-catching than the last.

There's not a lot of subtlety here – the international hotel brands jostle each other for attention, creating powder pink castles of ostentatious luxury – replete with complex pool systems, swim-up bars, private stretches of beach (don't worry, there's plenty to go round) and all manner of pampering opportunities.

If the Hotel Zone (the name they give to this spur of land) looks daunting in its seemingly never-ending length, don't worry, it's all conveniently broken down into sections, each section having enough late night bars, shopping villages, cinemas and waterparks to keep you from wandering too far. But do. Wander all the way into Cancun's old town (past the largest Mexican flag we've ever seen) and explore the taverns, markets and (cheaper) shops of the real Cancun.

And don't forget to delve deep into the rain forest for three hours to gasp in amazement at the Chichen Itza complex, the Mayan city only rediscovered a century ago, when an explorer spotted the pinnacle of the Pyramid of Kukulcan poking out from the undergrowth which had reclaimed this once mighty city and seat of Mayan power.

A dazzling white vision, rising from the blue waters of the Caribbean Sea, Cancun is every bit as good as the travel brochures proclaim - and the main reason < a href = "http://www.thomascook.com/destinations/mexico"> Mexico holidays - and Cancun holidays in particular have become so popular so quickly. And, with its mix of world-class resort hotels, fine beaches, excellent facilities, and fascinating cultural history, it's not hard to see why this resort easily gives Florida a run for its money.