Hitting the Local Club Scene in Cancun

When I moved to Cancun in 1995 I was a young fresh-faced Canadian who loved to hit the clubs and dance until the sun came up. My friends and I were on a first name basis with all the managers and staff of every club worth going to at that time. I saw clubs open, close down, close down and re-open under new names and change throughout the years. Some of my favourites were Christine’s (who always had a great light show at the beginning of the night and is now Bull Dog Cafe) Tequila Rock, Dady’O and my absolute fave La Boom.

La Boom has now been closed ever since Hurricane Wilma and it had started to go downhill long before that but I always remained a loyal customer until the end. I even had the second part of my stagette there just before the hurricane. I have many fond memories of late nights dancing with friends some of whom are no longer in Cancun and some who continue to be present in my life. When I met my husband in 2004 I began to slow down and we filled our nights with game nights and dinner parties and less club nights though on occasion we still went with our friends…until recently.

Grand Dubai Terraza

I have been pleased to note that in the last few years there has been a subtle change in Cancun. Finally there are a few better restaurants, cafes, bars and night clubs that have decided to take their chances on the people who call Cancun their home. Now, there are new places almost everyday popping up downtown that cater to the locals and the Hotel Zone is no longer the only place with a “happening scene”. Now don’t get me wrong I still enjoy getting out to the Zone;however, it is great that we now have more options that boast local prices especially when it is high season.

Group shot at The Penthouse

On Saturday my husband, Fredy, Erika and her two friends that were visiting from the US, and myself started our night at Grand Dubai, a fun place that is spilt into two. One side features pop and rock music in both Spanish and English and the terrace has techno/progressive tunes all night long. We like the terrace with its soft lighting and lounge-like atmosphere. After awhile we decided to go to the Penthouse (formerly Rush) at Plaza Peninsula which is also an outdoor terrace and has a nice mix of house, techno, pop and latin music. As always the staff there were great and we had a fantastic time dancing and meeting new people. Then it was time to move on to our last destination of the night ( umm or should I say morning as by this time it was 4:30 am) We swigged a Red Bull and off we went to Red (formerly Blue..I kid you not ) to watch the sunrise and dance some more.

The Penthouse Terraza

At 6:30am we could dance no more–it had been a long night! We hailed a taxi and went home. We had had a fantastic time and it reminded me of that fresh-faced Canadian when she first came to Cancun oh so long ago. I may not hit the clubs as much as I used to but it is great to know that there are more places that cater to the locals now and that are closer to home and especially  to learn that I still have it in me to “party like a rock star”

Erika feeling playful with a hat at Red

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