Cancun island's hotel zone is an American enclave with everything you'd expect if you were in the US: enclosed malls, restaurants from Pizza Hut to Outback, and even a US movie theatre chain. All these are squeezed between the dozens of hotels and timeshares lined up along the narrow island shaped like a "7" which has two access points - one on the north end and the other on the south end.

Fortunately, you can experience a more Mexican environment with a short trip to nearby areas using the inexpensive local transportation.  During our week's stay, we spent a day each at Isla Mujeres, a small island off Cancun and which is much more laid back; Playa del Carmen, a cruise ship destination south of Cancun and across from Cozumel (which we had visited before on a cruise); and Chichen Itza, the large Mayan ruins west of Cancun.

We passed on, or did not have time for, many of the other area attractions including Xcaret ecological park and the Tulum ruins.  Next time!