Area Code -- The telephone area code is 998.

ATMs & Banks -- Most banks sit downtown along Avenida Tulum and are usually open Monday through Friday from 9am to 3pm, although some are open later and even half the day on Saturday. Many have ATMs for after-hours cash withdrawals. In the Hotel Zone, you'll find banks with ATMs in Kukulcán Plaza and the Caracol Plaza.

Consulates -- The U.S. Consular Agent is in the Plaza Caracol 2, Bulevar Kukulcán Km 8.5, 2nd level, 320-323 (tel. 998/883-0272; http://merida.usconsulate.gov); open Monday through Friday from 8am to 1pm. The Canadian Consulate is in the Centro Empresarial, Bulevar Kukulcán Km 12 (tel. 998/883-3360; www.mexico.gc.ca); open Monday through Friday from 9am to 1pm. The United Kingdom has a consular office at the Royal Sands Hotel (tel. 998/881-0100; http://ukinmexico.fco.gov.uk/en); open Monday through Friday from 9am to 3pm. Irish, Australian, and New Zealand citizens should contact their embassies in Mexico City.

Crime -- Car break-ins are the most frequent crime, especially around shopping centers in the Hotel Zone. Sexual assaults sometimes occur, usually at night or in the early morning. Some bars and nightclubs in outlying downtown areas (rarely if ever visited by tourists) are havens for drug dealers and petty criminals. It is safest to travel in pairs or small groups; women should not walk alone at night.

Currency Exchange -- Cancún has many casas de cambio (exchange houses) with varying exchange rates. Hotels may change money for guests, usually at an awful exchange rate. Avoid changing money at the airport, especially at the first exchange booth you see—its rates are less favorable than those of any in town or others farther inside the airport. The easiest way to draw money is at an ATM machine, which will dispense money in pesos and charge a small transaction fee (usually around 35 pesos). ATMs also give you the best exchange rate, even considering the fee. 

Doctors---Several private hospitals, comparable to those in the U.S., are clustered in El Centro. Galenia Hospital (www.hospitalgalenia.com; [tel] 998/891-5200) at Av. Tulum, SM 12, at Nizuc. is one of the city’s most modern and provides  excellent care. Also recommended: Hospitén Cancún (www.hospiten.com; [tel] 998/881-3700) at Av. Bonampak south of Av. Nichupté; and AmeriMed Hospital (www.amerimedcancun.com; [tel]  998/881-3400), at Av. Bonampak and Av. Nichupté (behind Las Americas mall). All are open 24 hours and staffed by English-speaking doctors and nurses (though not necessarly receptionists).  Note: Mexican hospitals do not accept medical insurance from other countries; buy travelers’ medical insurance if there’s a chance you will need a hospital. U.S. Air Ambulance service (www.usairambulance.net; [tel] 800/948-1214) is available around the clock.

Drugstores-- In the Hotel Zone at Bulevar Kukulcán Km 9.5, Farmacías del Ahorro (www.fahorro.com.mx; tel. 998/892-7291 for call center offering deliveries) is open 24 hours. Plenty of drugstores sit in the major shopping malls in the Hotel Zone and are open until 10pm. Farmacías del Ahorro is also downtown, in front of El Rey del Caribe hotel at the corner of avs. Uxmal and Nadar. It’s open daily from 7am to 11pm. Farmacías Similares (tel.998/898-019 0), open 24 hours, is part of a well-regarded national chain, in Hotel RiveMar on Av. Tulum near Calle Crisantemos. Many prescription drugs are sold in Mexico without a prescription.

Emergencies -- The local Red Cross (tel. 998/884-1616) is open 24 hours on Avenida Yaxchilán between avenidas Xcaret and Labná, next to the Telmex building. See also the numbers for the police and fire department below.

Internet Access -- Most hotels and many restaurants have Internet access, and five-star hotels have business centers. All of Kukulcán Plaza, Bulevar Kukulcán Km 13, offers free Wi-Fi. Pick up a password at Customer Services, near the main entrance. 

Newspapers & Magazines -- Most hotel gift shops and newsstands carry English-language magazines and English-language, Mexican-edition newspapers, such as USA Today. Cancún Tips (www.cancuntips.com.mx) is an entertainment magazine that offers descriptions of local activities, maps, and tourist information.

Police & Fire Departments---Dial tel. 060 or 066 to reach the police, fire station, or ambulance in an emergency. Cancún also has a fleet of tourist police to help travelers. Dial tel. 998/885-2277.

Post Office -- The main correo is  on Avenida Sunyaxchen at the corner of Avenida Xel-Ha (tel. 998/884-1418), in front of Mercado 28. It’s open Monday through Friday from 9am to 4pm, and Saturday from 9am to noon for the purchase of stamps only.

Seasons -- High season runs from December 15 to April; low season extends from May to December 15, when prices drop 10% to 30%. Some hotels are starting to charge high-season rates during June and July, when Mexican, European, and school-holiday visitors often travel, although rates may still be lower than in winter months.

Weather -- The day's are hot and, in summer, very humid. The rainy season runs May through October. August to November is hurricane season, which brings erratic weather. November through February can be partly cloudy, windy, and occasionally rainy. Evenings can get cool.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.