THIS IS A POST THAT I ORIGINALLY WROTE AFTER HURRICANE WILMA... I have some ideas for making Cancun even better than before. Some may be original while others are probably just recycled. I hope that Steve, Brant, Cancun Care Members and others can add to this manifesto and then forward these ideas to planners, FONATUR, developers, hotel owners, politicians, and others of influence. The hope is to take this opportunity to make Cancun even better than before. I have been going to Cancun since about 1980. Our family stayed at the "new" Sheraton when it was the only hotel between the Hyatt Caribe and the Club Med if you can believe that. Since then I have been back to Cancun 9 times and I really care about the entire region. For those of us that get CWS the moment we get back to our hometowns we know Cancun is unique, but it can be better. There is no better time than now to start making Cancun the best it can possibly be. Please feel free to add to, critique, or come up with new ideas. Hopefully at some point these ideas can be forwarded to people who can make a difference. While not all will be considered and even fewer implemented, anything we can do to make Cancun better will make a difference. These ideas are presented in no particular order... 1. CLEAN UP THE LAGOON Now is the best time to focus on making the lagoon cleaner. For years 2 stroke boat engines and irresponsible hoteliers and restaurant owners (I have heard) have polluted the lagoon to a point where it is just nasty. If you've ever seen a boat or a water skier plow a trail thru the water you can see the residue just foaming on the surface. I actually think that in addition to stopping these polluters two "cuts" should be made thru Cancun island, one about 1/3 down the surfside and the other about 2/3 down the surfside (Surfside being defined as the eastern shore of Cancun from Dreams to Club Med). I think this would help keep the lagoon fresher and also it would create small harbors with easy access to the Caribbean. Attractive bridges on the beach and the road would keep Cancun connected. 2. EASY BEACH ACCESS BETWEEN EACH AND EVERY HOTEL I know there is supposed to be beach access between the hotels but damn if I can ever find the paths or if they even exist. These hotels are not joined together and well-marked paved paths between the hotels would really improve beach-going for tourists and locals alike. It would also keep non-guest traffic out of the lobbies of the nicer hotels. 3. IDENTIFICATION OF HOTELS FROM THE BEACH I love to hike the beaches of Cancun. In fact, over several vacations I have hiked the beach from BBG all the way past Club Med (until I was stopped by some FONATUR guard - apparently there is some type of government beach/guest house and research station between the Club Med and that water park). Although some hotels are marked I am amazed that most are not. This is free advertising for the hotels. Some beach walker sees an attractive pool area/beach front and maybe wants to stay at that hotel on the next trip only discovering later that he or she can't figure out which hotel it was (it is not always apparent from the boulevard side what the beach side looks like). Every hotel should have signage on the beach side. Why would hotel owners not do this? 4. PUBLIC RESTAURANT, BAR & ENTERTAINMENT ZONES ON SURFSIDE BEACHES "COCKTAIL ZONES" One thing that is really missing in Cancun is great public bars and restaurants on the surfside beaches that anyone can walk up to. Sort of like in the movie "Cocktail". Every mile or so there should be a small area designated for attractive little bars, restaurants, clubs, and other entertainment venues. I think putting most of these establishments on the lagoon side of the island was a mistake, at least until they clean-up the lagoon. The beaches along the "7" are so world-class, yet there is nowhere besides one's hotel to enjoy them. The best areas for these "zones" would be at public parks like Delfines, small undeveloped areas between hotels (There used to be a small tract north of the Ritz Carlton). One of my favorite bars used to be the small beach bar at the Costa Real, but they won't let me have a beer there anymore because it is private and all-inclusive. I'm not saying that hotels should give up their private areas, let's just have public bars and small restaurant huts every mile. Can you imagine how fun strolling the beach would be if these "Cocktail Zones" were built? 5. PALM TREES Here is an old post http://www.cancuncare.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2876&highlight= with photos from Cancun in the late 1960s and early/mid 1970s before development and during initial construction . It was basically a small fishing/lobster outpost and a coconut palm plantation with a population of 3. There were palm trees everywhere - of course some were natural and some were in the plantation. Even before Hurrican Wilma I thought Cancun needed more palm trees. On the surfside beaches there are long areas where hotels have built seawalls. This is a perfect place to plant a row of palm trees. Can you imagine how beautiful and peaceful it would look to have a row of palm trees along the beach all the way from Club Med up to BBG? And there should also be palm trees in the boulevard median (I think there are in some places) and along the lagoon. They don't have to be all coconut palm trees either. http://www.sunpalmtrees.com/ Personally I love coconut palms, but there are hundreds of varieties and some are very exotic: date palms and royal palms are two that come to mind. I think it would be great if Cancun had palm trees of as many varieties and species as can be found. Cancun officials might even be able to get other islands and countries to donate shiploads of palms in light of Hurricane Wilma. 6. TURQUOISE CONNECTION BICYCLE PATH I wrote a post on this about two years ago but I haven't been able to find it yet. Basically I think there should be a narrow paved bicycle path along the entire length of Cancun. Cancun is perfect for this because of how long and narrow the island is. The path would be concrete and painted aqua or turquoise to make it easily identifiable and set it apart from streets and other pathways. Following is an example form another coastal resort... http://beaches.co.la.ca.us/BandH/Beaches/BikePath.htm This meandering patch would be continuous and go alongside beaches in some areas, wind around the small lighthouses (which need to be rebuilt bigger and better) at either point of the island, go thru thick jungle areas, along golf courses, a cleaned-up lagoon, shopping centers, etc. Imagine how great it would be to ride your bike a mile up the path to go shopping or all the way from Club Med to Dreams if you are feeling more adventurous. 7. BIGGER LIGHTHOUSES AT THE NORTH AND SOUTH POINTS The small lighthouses on the north (Dreams) and south (Club Med) points are so disappointing. When I think of a beach paradise I always imagine an extremely tall white lighthouse with black rings or spirals. http://www.bansemer.com/prints/florida_lighthouse_prints.htm There are many variations of lighthouses that capture the imagination. I'm surprised that some entrepeneur hasn't offered to tear down the pathetic small lighthouses that currently exist and replace them with towering classic lighthouses. These could be restaurants, bars, lookout towers, gift shops, or some other money making venture. Also imagine the photo opportunities these lighthouses would afford. Travelers come to Cancun in part for the romance...let's give it to them! 8. BEACH RESTORATION I realize that some of the beaches will slowly regenerate from tidal action, but this is an opportunity to fix some of the problem beaches that were there even before Hurrican Wilma. I always hated that concrete barrier in front of the Westin Regina. They had no natural beach and there was this concrete montrosity out in the surf. I don't know the history of this particular beach or what it looks like now, but placing concrete crap out in the surf is not the answer. Also, there is a new condo development on the bayside that was built so close to the beach that all that remains is surf coming up to the seawall. This property is near the Riu Palace, but is not one of the Riu properties. Anyway, areas like this need beach even if they didn't plan for it. The beaches from BBG all the way to Club Med need to be wide and even better than before. And please, no more sandbags, concrete barriers, and that other crap. 9. THE HOSPITALITY CARD - GET RID OF THE RIP-OFF ARTISTS Probably most of us have been ripped-off in Cancun. Even as an experienced traveler I have been royally screwed in Cancun. Some of these rip-off artists may have left when Hurricane Wilma hit and maybe if we are lucky they took their craft somewhere else. The last time I was in Cancun a friend (who is known as Count Me In on the BBG forum) and I went to one of those outside bars near Slices (It was not Slices). We ordered four of those yard glasses full of beer for us and our dates. The beers were way overpriced and two different waiters carefully approached Steve and I seperately and asked for the total bill plus a big tip. Neither Steve nor I knew until later that both of us had paid the same bill, but you can bet the waiters did. Anyway, by the time we had left we had paid over 500 pesos for 4 beers. I have also gotten very tired of taxi drivers who try and rip off tourists. I'm sure most taxi drivers are honest and friendly, but sometimes I think they are the exception. There must be a way to require the workers who come in contact with tourists to earn some type of "hospitality card". It should be easy to complain and tourists should be assured their complaints will be acted on. Every hospitality card holder should have a card (sort of like a business card) that they give a tourist upon request. This card should have the offending person's name, an ID number, and a toll free number to complain. Someone getting out of a greedy person's taxi should be able to hand this card to someone at the hotel and the problem should be taken care of - easy as that. Three strikes and you are out. I know for a fact there are some people who have gone to Cancun and will never return because they were ripped off. That should be a problem of the past. 10. PORTAL TO PARADISE Another thought is to take a look at what the first-time tourist sees in Cancun upon his or her arrival. The airport is really nice for the most part and the drive to the hotel zone becomes more scenic the closer one gets to the south end of the hotel zone. Somewhere in between there is a disconnect. I've seen trashed-out areas and unplanned roadside development immediately after exiting the airport. First impressions are so important. It is not a long drive from the airport to the south end of the hotel zone and most of the problems are within a mile of the airport. If you can make the drive from the airport to the entry of the hotel zone as attractive as possible it will really heighten the experience of the arriving tourist. We all know how attractive the hotel zone is once you are there. It is simple to control what the tourist sees upon arriving in Cancun since practically everyone goes directly from the airport to their hotel via the south entrance to the hotel zone. Since that first impression is so controlled why not make it as good as it can be? I'm talking about landscaping, trash pickup, palm trees, controlled roadside construction, signage control, etc. Basically I'm saying let's make the portal to paradise perfect.
Re. manifesto ie Cancun Improvements Some very well thought out ideas. I, too, agree with most, although consider myself unqualified to comment on connecting the lagoon at additional points with the ocean, as I am unfamiliar with the ecological ramifications, if any. But I agree - clean up the lagoon!! None the less, some very good ideas, and I agree - now is the ime. My only question is this: Where will the money come from to support this? My vision of Cancun in several years is one where an impressive hotel or restaurant sits side by side to a blown out vacated structure. I hope I'm wrong, but that seems to be historical there. Clearly, many of your ideas are cooperative efforts that would require shared costs between numerous adjacent hotels/resorts. Experience shows "either all are IN or it won't float". That is, all would need to support. Thanks for taking the time to compile and post these idea!
Thanks for your comments on the manifesto. I don't want you to think I take myself too seriously, but this really is a critical time in Cancun's history and anything we can do to make our favorite beach resort even better is worthwhile. If anyone knows someone of influence (politicians, city officials, government planners, visitor bureau personnel, convention planners, hotel owners, etc.) please print this out and pass it on to them or at least e-mail the link. There were some questions regarding feasibility and cost. I'll try to address these here: 1. CLEAN UP THE LAGOON In my opinion merely cleaning up the lagoon is a policy issue and hotel owners and boat fleet owners who are polluting the lagoon are doing so at their own risk to begin with. I've heard that raw sewage pipes from some of the cheaper hotels are discovered and capped by officials and later when the heat dies down the hotel goes back to their old ways. We are polluting our own paradise here. This is sort of like the issue with cruise ships dumping their waste in the same crystal clear waters that help them sell their vacations. It is just wrong. Anyway, it is my feeling that the force of the hurricane probably flushed a lot of the surface residue out of the lagoon. That is why this is such a golden opportunity to enfore policies regarding the lagoon. Of course the hurricane might have also cause some new pollution to the lagoon, but this should be temporary. As far as cutting two more canals on the long side of the "7" this would of course require environmental studies and planning. When Cancun was being built in the early 1970s there were many brakish "ponds" that were filled in and seperate lagoon areas were joined together in hopes of getting some more movement in the water - it smelled even worse than it does now in the early 1970s. Right now only rain and some tidal movement from the north and south canals (these are pre-existing natural canals) help keep the lagoon from getting really nasty. Two more cuts at kilometers 11 and 16 (for example) would make the lagoon a more tidal influenced body of water and I think the results would be outstanding. As mentioned earlier, it would also provide opportunities for marinas to have access to the Caribbean via the surfside. Look how attractive the area is at the north canal (by the Costa Real) - just imagine two more canals like this on the long side of the island. 2. EASY BEACH ACCESS BETWEEN EACH AND EVERY HOTEL I think this is supposed to already be in effect. All of Mexico's coastline is public beach and everyone is supposed to have access. I think this is mainly an enforcement issue. How much does a sign that says "--> Playa" cost? At first the paths could be unpaved and later improvements could be made as tourists come back to Cancun in large numbers. 3. HOTEL SIGNS FROM BEACH Again this is just the cost and installation of a sign. One future hotel booking from a beach walker would pay for this idea. 4. COCKTAIL ZONES This is mainly a zoning issue. People (both locals and transplants) would love the opportunity to have their own "Cocktails and Dreams" liquor hut at Kilometer 9 or a bar called "Gone with the Wind" at Kilometer 18. This is actually a money making idea and for everyone involved. 5. PALM TREES People love palm trees! There are a lot of islands that don't naturally have palm trees and they import them because people want palm trees on the beach. As mentioned in my original post I think Cancun officials might be able to get shiploads of palm trees donated in light of Hurrican Wilma. Just like Katrina in Louisiana - people and countries just want to help. If you've ever walked the beach in Cancun you probably know what I'm talking about with the long seawalls that are just barren. Palm trees on the beach would also make the travel brochures and website photos that much more enticing anyway. If you think about it the palm trees are an investment. I do realize that mature palm trees that have to be purchased can be quite expensive. Phasing in palm trees on the beach could be a partial solution. At first a palm tree could be planted every 1/8th of a mile from BBG to Club Med. Then next year another set of plam trees could be planted in between the existing trees so now we have a palm tree on the beach every 1/16th of a mile. This process is repeated every year until the desired effect is obtained. With this plan it is not hard to imagine how awesome the row of palm trees will look on the beach in 5 or 6 years. 6. TURQUOISE CONNECTION BICYCLE PATH Areas that are already paved could just be painted turquoise to show where the path goes. New paths can of course cost a good deal of money, but this can be done in phases. Hotels and venders can rent bicycles which is of course another revenue generator. 7. LIGHTHOUSES AT NORTH AND SOUTH POINT This is just an opportunity for Dreams (formerly Camino Real) and Club Med to offer something unique. Restaurants and observation towers can obviously generate revenue. I find it hard to believe that people wouldn't pay good money to have a romantic dinner at the top of a 60-foot lighthouse at one of the most beautiful resort islands in the world. Can you imagine the views at sunrise and sunset? 8. BEACH RESTORATION This is perhaps the most expensive idea and I had read it was going to happen before I wrote this thread. I'm merely suggesting that problem beach areas be fixed during the process. 9. HOSPITALITY CARD This is primarily awareness and education. This idea is as cheap as printing business cards for each person and holding a few orientation classes. Cancun is a world-class resort and for the money that is being spent in Cancun tourists deserve world-class hospitality, service, and attitude. Rip-off artists just don't belong here - they really don't. If this plan is instituted you can bet the first time a rip-off artist is asked for his or her card it will not be a good day for that person.
Here are some thematic marketing ideas that I haven't seen anyone use. Cancun (and I'm referring to the entire region) is lucky to have so many influences that can be used as themes for bars, clubs, restaurants, resorts, etc. Let's see, as far as themes there is Mayan, Cuban, Mexican, Tropical, Beach Paradise, Reef Sealife, Scuba, Jungle, Yucatan, Pirates, Caribbean, Party Central, etc, etc...Cancun has so much to choose from and the original planners did a wonderful job as evidenced by many of the hotels using a Mayan pyramid design which adds so much to the resort. At the same time I see a lack of creativity today. I see bar after bar that look almost exactly the same. Many of the booths are selling the same exact souveniers. Sometimes this makes exploring such a diverse and wondeful place not quite as exciting as it should be. Anyway, here are some ideas I've been thinking about for quite some time. Unfortunately I haven't been able to make the move to Cancun. Since many new business are rebuilding or starting from scratch this is a great time to just throw them out there (into cyberspace)... AGAINST ALL ODDS This is such a wonderful movie http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086859/ that is beginning to find a cult following. It was filmed in the 1980s at the El Presidente Cancun, Isla Mujeres (several locations), Cozumel (several locations), Tulum, and Chichen Itza (landing strip and ruins). The movie has a wonderful soundtrack including the hit song by Phil Collins. Jeff Bridges and Rachel Ward had a lot of chemistry in this movie. What surprises me is that I've never found anything commemorating this movie. I tried to find the location of the unfinished beach house in Cozumel and no one knew what I was talking about. Probably someone could make some money with an Against All Odds tour. If I were able to open up a bar in Party Central I would name it Against All Odds and have the interior look like the inside of the temple where they had the forbidden but memorable love scene. I probably love the movie more than most, but there are lots of movie fans out there that love to see locations where movies were filmed - in fact in some areas it is a really hot business. There has to be some money in selling Against All Odds t-shirts, CDs, DVDs, posters, filming locations map, picture books with movie stills and current location photos, etc. I just think there is a lot of opportunity with marketing this movie. Jamaica begged and begged to have Cocktail filmed there in the 1980s. Cocktail is not half the movie Against All Odds is, but in Jamaica there is a Risky Business bar (Obvious Tom Cruise reference) in Negril and somewhere on the east coast there is a Cocktail and Dreams bar. Again, people love the romance and escapism with these movies - let's give it to them. SOUTHERN COMFORT Now that some hotels are rebuilding and others may be torn down I thought I would throw out my favorite name for a new hotel in Cancun, Southern Comfort. This resort could be built in a Key West/New Orleans/Savannah/Charleston/Galveston coastal style and be known for it's southern hospitality. Sannibel palms could be planted like those you see along the Carolina and Georgia coast. Southern writers like Hemmingway and Faulkner could inspire themes for restaurants and bars. The staff could be attired in salt and pepper Citadel-inspired uniforms for the men and colorful sun dresses for the women. Maybe a deal could be made with Southern Comfort whiskey to add to the branding. The open beach bar could be named "Gone with the Wind". The way this resort would work is by really instituting that southern charm, manners, and hospitality that certain areas of the south are famous for.
Some very good ideas in that manifesto. Thanks for taking the time to think them up and then post them. I would like to comment on the taxicab fares issue. I have been going to Cancun for about 18 years now and have stayed at the Coral Mar Condominums for the past 16 years. Every time I've been there, the Coral Mar staff hands out a sheet of paper containing a copy of the Cancun area map, particularly the hotel zone. The map is then kind of marked off and the zones with the prices to each zone listed. We are told to always ask the price before getting into a taxi and if it doesn't coincide with the price on the map, refuse to get in. We have followed this procedure each year and have yet to have a problem. In fact, in all my years down there I think I have only been quoted a higher fare than listed on my sheet once and when I said we'd catch another taxi, the driver asked what we thought it should be and then agreed to take us for that amount. If staying at a hotel, I would suggest asking a staff member what the going taxi rate should be to wherever you're going and then ask the driver the cost before getting in. As I've said, I've never really had any trouble with that in all my years down there and I take cabs alot as the Coral Mar is down at the very end of Pok-ta-Pok Avenue and this old lady has a hard time walking all the way to Kulkulcan and the buses. Hope this helps in some small way to help make one's visit to Cancun a happy and special time. Kathy
kmurphy45, I appreciate your comments and understand what you are telling me regarding the taxis. Probably some of my issues arise when I use taxis in a way that is perhaps not the norm. For example, when I go out to Plaza 21 (the strip clubs north of downtown) the drivers say that they want to wait for me and that when I'm ready to go back to the hotel zone there will be no "waiting charge". Usually the fare is $20 to $25 each way and when I finally get back to my hotel in the early morning hours I have been quoted anywhere from $100 to $200 - remember, this is after we have already agreed that the total fare is $40 to $50. After three or four times of this I just say no when the taxi drivers tell me they want to wait and the charge will only be $50. The last time I was in Cancun I took a cab from Plaza 21 and was planning to go to the hotel zone. When I got to downtown I changed my mind and wanted to pay the taxi driver the fare from Plaza 21 to downtown instead. The taxi driver said I was not allowed to change my mind and demanded I pay him the full fare to the hotel zone even though I was already out of the cab in the downtown area. Basically he started yelling at me and tried to get the police involved so I just gave him the $25 for perhaps a $10 cab ride. One time in Cozumel I asked a taxi driver take me from one club to another I had heard about. What I did not know was that the club I requested to go to was about 100 yards from the club I had just left. Instead of merely pointing to the club he had me get in the cab and drove for the 10 second ride. He then asked for the $5 taxi fare and would not accept anything less. In my opinion this is just a trick (although it would make for a funny scene in a movie). Another time in Cozumel I had a taxi take me for a "round the island" tour. I was quoted $50 for the tour and the driver proceeded to whiz me around the perimter of the island at an alarming rate of speed. I practically had to beg him to stop at several lookout points. Anyway, when we got back to our starting point he demanded $100 plus tip. I asked why it wasn't the $50 quoted and he said that the 3 brief stops were extra and his comments were extra as well. He said I owed him $150 minimum. I think we settled on $100. Another time in Cancun I was at Party Central and took a cab back to the Hilton. The driver demanded twice the going rate and I turned to the hotel door staff. The driver then went on to tell the hotel staff that I was in El Centro and not party central. Since it was his word against mine I just paid him what he wanted. These are the most noteworthy experiences of my problems with taxi drivers. There are more, but they are not as interesting. Maybe my experiences have been worse than most, but there is no doubt that some taxi drivers will try to upcharge you when they think there is any gray area or when it is your word against theirs. Also if the club or restaurant is near the zone border they will almost always "stretch" to the more costly zone. To me the cab fares are already incredibly high for tourists (locals ride for much less). Another problem I've noticed is that taxi drivers almost never have change. If you wait for a long, long time you will find that all of the sudden the driver will remember where his change is. Unfortunately sometimes I've given drivers too much money because I was not willing to wait a long time to force getting my change. If the cab is picking up tourists who have been drinking in party central I've noticed they almost always upcharge because they think they can get away with it in that situation. I have an excellent memory whether I've been drinking or not and always call the taxi driver on it. Again, the taxi drivers are just one example of rip-off artists in Cancun. I think the hospitality card should apply to all travel service workers who come in contact with tourists. If the ripoff artists are shut down the honest workers will make more money from better tips from happier customers as well as repeat travelers. In my opinion there is no better time to flush Cancun of the ripoff artists than right now during this rebuilding period. It is a critical time for Cancun right now and in effect the people of Cancun are "rededicating" themselves to Cancun. I'm sure some marginal people have just decided to go elsewhere for more immediate work with less risk.
Boy, Marooned, you really have had some bad experiences and I agree, I think the idea of a hospitality card to be an especially good idea. As I originally noted, I'm getting on in age and usually don't stray too far from the Coral Mar and my favorite restaurants. Your experiences remind me of my trip to Jamaica and there, I did have taxi problems. Once I found Cancun I've rarely tried other places as Cancun spoiled me so. The only other vacation spot I enjoy is St. Kitts but Cancun can't be beat in my opinion. Thanks again for your time and imput in coming up with ideas to better a great place.
Any regular posters on here have ideas to improve Cancun during this rebuilding process? Also, if you agree with most of these ideas please e-mail the link to Cancun politicians, planners, hotel owners, architects, environmental activists, landscape designers, and others of influence. I'm not sure how many people who can make changes actually frequent the forum. I really don't have any contacts with these "people of influence". Thanks
