A Comparison of Beaches - Virginia Beach Vs. Cancun, Mexico

I come from a family that loves to travel, which has given me the chance to admire many great scenes from around the globe. For years, while I was a little boy, every year our family vacation was going to Virginia Beach, Virginia. Every August, we would pack up our things and head two states south of home for a week before returning home and back to school. A few years ago, my parents were lucky enough to get a bargain on a time share deal in Mexico. The bargain actually allowed us to become members at a beautiful resort in Cancun, Mexico. For the past few years, our home away from home has been in Cancun, and Virginia Beach was now only a vague memory in my head. So, what exactly happened to the fun days at Virginia Beach? What does Cancun have that Virginia Beach does not have? These are the questions that I asked myself before I came up with the answers.

Cancun, Mexico lies on the tip of the Yucatan Peninsula, which is located across the Gulf of Mexico. This journey is taken by plane which allows my family to land in around five hours. The drive to Virginia Beach takes my family about nine hours, which over time becomes a long, tedious car trip. Upon arrival, the two beaches have very different first impressions. The drive into Virginia Beach includes a trip through an under-the-ocean tunnel and a typical beach scene on the boardwalk. Women walking in bikinis, men with long hair carrying surfboards, and little children licking ice cream cones are some of the sights included upon arrival. When getting off of the plane in Cancun, the typical tourist may see large mountain peeks, muddy swamps, and old, broken down homes and buildings. Then, they pull up to their hideaway, and wow, what an astounding sight. Suddenly, the moment the taxi cab's door opens, an impatient sweat begins to drip from their heads.

The heat, this is one of the biggest differences between the two getaway beaches. Virginia is located at the top of the southern states in the United States which allows temperatures at the beach to reach close to one-hundred degrees in the summer. Take a trip to Cancun during the summer, and the temperature might be somewhere as high as one-hundred and twenty degrees. During the daytime, any activity that does not take place in the pool or the ocean is not even reasonable. Though the sun does make the white, sandy beaches of Cancun too hot to walk on, with the crystal-clear water and the crashing waves on the other side, a scorching of the feet is well worth the risk. At night time, the white, sandy beach has since cooled off and now it illuminates below the glimmering stars and a full moon. Virginia Beach allows its' visitors to lie out on the beach and work on their tan in the daytime, and at night, it allows for romantic walks for loved ones.

So, what about the nightlife? At the family-oriented beach, a family activity at night might include miniature golf or a fun or haunted house. A carnival also lies at the far end of the beach, which was always a favorite of mine when I was a little kid. Cancun on the other hand, is known for its night clubs and bars. For college-aged students and for many other adults, these are the main attractions to the area. Salsa dancing and drinking are the night's offerings for entertainment.

Though the two beaches are primarily different, many similarities are also present between them. Both beaches are ideal for golfing and offer other excursions such as jet skiing, horseback riding, and parasailing. The ultimate beach snacks are available at both beaches which includes pizza, nachos, cheeseburgers and French fries. Take a look out into the ocean, and one is bound to see a family of dolphins, a school of fish, or even a large sea-turtle at either beach. The most important aspect of the beaches is that entertainment is never hard to come by. In Cancun, an entertainment staff is actually hired to work and perform for the guests during their stay at the resort.

So, what happened to Virginia Beach? What is so special about Cancun that keeps my family going there every year instead of to Virginia? After writing this paper and weighing out the possibilities, I found that since Virginia Beach is relatively a family beach, that is why we went there and loved to go there as children. Now that my family has grown up, going to Cancun provides us with the opportunity to have fun and really feel free for the duration of our stay. Being in a different country is a lot different than being a short nine hour drive away from home. Relaxation and freedom are the two inspirations that keep my family coming back year after year to Mexico. The sights, laughs, and just the whole overall experience is what makes me excited every year when my mother tells me that we are going to Cancun. Perhaps the biggest difference between the two beaches is that, though Virginia Beach will always be a memory of my past, Cancun continues to make memories as my life tracks on.