Cancun's damage is Los Cabos' gain

Mexico
Cancun's damage is Los Cabos' gain

The most frazzled people in Los Cabos these days may be the wedding planners: Thousands of vacationers are flocking to Cabo and other western Mexican resorts to relax and say their "I do's."

They headed to the resort area after Hurricane Wilma thrashed Cancun — the country's premier resort — in late October. Most hotels and many businesses along Cancun's 10-mile waterfront strip still are closed, and much of the beach has been stripped of its white sand.

Destination weddings have become increasingly popular among Americans. Veronica Miranda, a wedding planner at the 642-room Riu hotel, Cabo's largest resort, had six weddings in three days in late November. "People spend a year planning and then have to redo everything ... so the pressure is on," she said.

"It has been a crazy few months," said Vari Avila, of Baja Weddings. "First we were working with couples whose weddings in New Orleans were canceled. And now, we are being bombarded with inquiries from Cancun and Cozumel," she said.

Los Cabos — which includes Cabo San Lucas and the 20-mile stretch of Baja coastline leading to the town of San Jose del Cabo — has about 10,000 hotel and time-share rooms. Cancun has 27,000 rooms, and the nearby Riviera Maya, which had less hurricane damage, has 24,000. Half of Cancun's rooms will be habitable by Christmas, the Cancun Hotel Association said.