By Chris Brook
Despite being battered by 150 mile- per- hour winds, sea surges and $8 billion in damages after Hurricane Wilma last month, tourism officials said 90 percent of Mexico’s iconic spring break destination, Cancun, is projected to be up and running by mid-December.
“People got a little bit spooked with the hurricane, but we’re assuring students that Cancun is definitely still an option for spring-breakers,” said Kaleena Obregon, a travel advisor at STA Travel in the Curry Student Center.
Located on the tip of the Yucatan Peninsula in the Gulf of Mexico, the popular MTV hotspot boasts 140 hotels with 24,000 rooms and 380 restaurants.
For those looking for the finest experience for their money, Obregon recommends STA’s all-inclusive VIP package, including round-trip airfare, meals, drinks and seven nights at the Oasis Cancun hotel.
Right on the beach, the Oasis Cancun is the home to a quarter- mile long pool and sits on the edge of the city, bound by fringes of crystal clear water and white sand. The package is $1,369 per person, while a similar package, without the complimentary food, is around $1,000. Spring breakers looking to take advantage of Web sites like www.expedia.com and www.priceline.com will find varying package (flight and hotel) deals to Cancun from Boston ranging from $1,000-$3,500.
STA, which works with the spring break companies Student Travel Services (STS) and Sunsplash, also offer a $200 “party pass” in addition to the vacation package. The all-access pass guarantees admission to VIP clubs, free drink specials and admission to concerts often scheduled on the beach. Last year, big-name rap artists like 50 Cent and Fabolous performed for spring break attendees on the shore.
“I think everyone needs to do it,” said Olga Feingold, a junior mathematics major. “It’s just crazy and wonderful and something you have to do at least once.”
Feingold, who went to Cancun last spring break, said she thoroughly recommends the trip.
“[It was] the best vacation ever: Constant partying, you don’t have to worry about anything beforehand, all the money, food and liquor is already taken care of and the buses run all the time,” she said.
Middler medical laboratory science major Theresa Carpenter, who took an unconventional Cancun trip, can vouch for the destination as well.
“I don’t think you can really have a bad time in Cancun,” Carpenter said.
Carpenter, who stayed on Isla Mujeres, a small pencil-shaped island, just a quick $5 ferry ride from Cancun’s main strip, spent last year’s spring break with a boyfriend. While the pair did their fair share of lying in the sun on the beach, they also frequented the Hard Rock Caf
