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Last Minute Travel to Cancun - Cancún has 200-plus days of sun a year and a temperature that averages 80F. With these statistics, it isn't hard to understand why it is Mexico's top tourist destination. Located on the tip of the Yucatan peninsula, it's beaches are unparalleled, broad expanses of gleaming white sand stretched out beside the clear blue-green waters of the Caribbean.

Over 700 years ago, Cancún was home to the great Mayan civilization. Today, this exotic paradise joins the ancient past with one of the world's most modern and exciting resort areas. A wide range of restaurants, vivacious night life, a variety of shopping opportunities and the overall tropical atmosphere draw over two million visitors a year.

It is hard to believe that 25 years ago it didn't exist at all! The hotel zone, which is what most tourists think of as Cancún, is a fourteen mile long, thin island shaped like a "7." To the North is the Caribbean Sea with wide open beaches and strong waves. To the west the shore is buffeted by Isla Mujeres (Isle of Women) causing calmer waters. To the south, between the island and the mainland is the Nichupte Lagoon which is perfect for all water sports. It is this island that was created specifically for its present purpose, as the ideal vacation destination in a totally natural tropical setting accompanied by all the amenities of life in the 21st century.

Mainland Cancún has a much different ambience than the hotel zone, because it is an area of permanent residence for some 450,000 people. It offers markets instead of malls, and street vendors and outdoor cafes rather than air-conditioned restaurants. Downtown Cancún has little of the glamor of the hotel zone, but is a fast growing and interesting city to visit.

Cancún has a wide choice of nighttime entertainment. Most of the hotels on the island have discos where dancing continues through the night into the early morning hours. Ballet Folklórico de Mexico performs nightly at the Continental Villas Plaza Hotel. Latin music is performed live at several clubs and attracts people of all ages. Rock 'n roll oldies bring crowds of dancers to Planet Hollywood and the Hard Rock Café. Comedy acts and romantic dinner cruises round out the nighttime offerings. Holidays and fiestas provide additional reasons to celebrate the beauty and joy of time spent in Cancún. In the church plaza, dances passed down from family to family since ancient times, continue for hours. Dancers dress in symbolic costumes of vivid colors. Some villages offer a bullfight as part of the festivities.

In the Yucatan, both the bull and the matador are required to end the contest unharmed. Live music accompanies the performance. In the end, the bull is untied and returns to its rural home. There is never a season of the year that isn't just the right time to step back from life's hectic pace and visit Cancún. A world apart awaits the visitor to this majestic land of incomparable beauty.

Last Minute Travel to Los Cabos - At the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of (also known as the Sea of Cortés), meet, and the land ends in a rocky point called El Arco (The Arch). It is a place of rugged beauty.

Located 1050 miles from the US border, Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo, are 18 miles apart via a four lane, divided highway. The view along the road is spectacular! In the 1970's the Mexican government decided to combine the two towns into one resort area, called Los Cabos (the Capes). This was the beginning of what is now a major resort consisting of Cabo San Lucas, San José del Cabo, and the stretch of highway that connects them, called the Corridor. Los Cabos has become one of Mexico's most popular and most expensive coastal getaways, with deluxe hotels, championship golf courses, and some of the best sport fishing in the world.

The population is growing faster than in any other part of Mexico. Yet, Los Cabos retains an air of mystery and of pristine beauty. The area is readily accessible through the local airport which is serviced by major airlines. Plan ahead and bring your favorite fishing rod and golf clubs, or rent them locally. The waters of the Gulf abound with hundreds of species of game fish including marlin, amberjack, bonito, black sea bass, mahi mahi, roosterfish, sailfish, snapper, wahoo, yellowfin tuna and yellowtail. There are many excellent fishing charters, and all of the major hotels arrange daily fishing expeditions. A catch and release policy is an option observed in order to perpetuate the sport for years to come.

The many beaches offer opportunities for snorkeling, surfing, water skiing, and windsurfing. Diving, kayaking, and sailing can also be arranged. Whale watching is popular along the mid-Baja coastline and tours depart regularly from Los Cabos.

Golf is a major sport thanks to a process that recycles purified waste water and uses it to irrigate the greens and fairways. There are at least six courses between the two Cabos. Golfers play against a backdrop of rugged seaside scenes and desert terrain. The tee shot at the Jack Nicklaus-designed Palmilla course, must carry over a cactus filled arroyo. The same canyon wraps around the front of the green as well.

Craft items and folk art are featured in the little shops that line the marina walkways. A combination art gallery and museum, The Faces of Mexico, contains items for viewing and for purchasing. Near the hotel zone in San José del Cabo is a marvelous open air market selling Mexican handcrafts. Higher quality items and antiques are found in shops along Calle Zaragoza and Boulevard Mijares.

Nightlife in Cabo San Lucas is full of youthful vitality and a rock beat. The nightly entertainment in the slightly more staid San José del Cabo consists of live bands playing a combination of international pop and Latino music; disco and folk music. On most Saturday evenings during the December - March tourist season there is a fiesta in Plaza Mijares in San José del Cabo.

Writer John Steinbeck in his Log from the Sea of Cortés said of the area, "The very air here is miraculous, and outlines of reality change with the moment." Assuredly, this is one of the reasons that over 250,000 visitors are drawn annually to the wonders of Los Cabos, Mexico.