First up: Cancun. And you should be able to tell by the fact that I’m writing this that no harm came to me in Mexico. The bottom line: The drug war violence is in the border regions (most especially Laredo and Tijuana, which I do not recommend visiting right now), and Cancun is more than 1,000 miles away (that’s the distance between Los Angeles and Denver). Plus, police presence on the streets of Cancun is high, and the city seems as calm and safe as ever.

With that out of the way, I thought it might be helpful if I dispelled some other myths about Cancun:

1. Cancun no longer has any beaches. Not true. While storms do wash the sand away from certain areas of Cancun’s hotel zone, they don’t from all. The area is shaped like a “7,” and the beaches in the crook of the 7 actually get the sand that is drained from other beaches (some have more sand than they did a decade ago). The easiest way to see if the resort you’re considering has a sand problem is to view the live “beach cams” now available on many resorts’ Web sites. Even better, the problem may soon be in the past: While I was there, the Mexican government started a huge project to re-sand and better protect the city’s beaches.

2. Cancun is only for spring breakers. While the city has some wild nightclubs (hit CocoBongo — its legendary stage shows leave those of Vegas in the dust), most of the resorts cater to families and honeymooners. And they do so quite creatively. I stayed at one family resort where the kids’ club was a wonderland of water slides and organized games; it even boasted a private spa for tots who wanted to have their hair braided and nails done. On the romantic front, I stayed at another resort so relaxing that a masseuse steps in to rub your hands as you check in (easing away the pain of handing over your credit card!).

3. Cancun and the Yucatan aren’t for folks who want to get out in nature. Again, not so. While the hotel zone of Cancun is as glitzy and artificial as Dubai, there are many places within easy driving or boating distance where one can escape the hustle and bustle. I’m talking underground rivers and caverns called cenotes open for crowd-free exploration (I swam in one where the sunlight hitting the water created a blue that was nothing short of divine). There’s also the adventure of swimming with whale sharks. These massive, beautiful creatures live off the coast of Cancun from May through September, and snorkeling among them (as I did) is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. There also are excellent nature preserves, ziplines for adrenaline junkies, quiet beaches … you name it.

4. Cancun’s gotten very pricey. Nope, it’s currently a bargain. The events of the past few months in Mexico have seriously hurt business, and prices have plunged, sometimes by as much as 50 percent (and that’s true even at the five-star properties). To get the best deals, book a package that bundles airfare and hotel (that way, the hoteliers can deeply discount without losing face). And it’s not just hotels that are cheap. Even such usually pricey activities as sport fishing are affordable (to save the most, head for the rainbow-painted shack at the piers in nearby Puerto Morelos; there, you can book, direct from local fishermen, a four-hour fishing trip for four people for just $125 total).

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Pauline Frommer is a travel correspondent and founding author of the award-winning Pauline Frommer's Travel Guides series. She co-hosts the radio program, The Travel Show, with her dad, travel guru Arthur Frommer. Find Pauline's books online at http://www.frommers.com/pauline/.

© 2010 by Arthur Frommer
Distributed by King Features Syndicate