Delta hits Cancun in full tourist reactivation 4:54
(CNN) -
Instead of celebrating a special birthday with friends at a posh Airbnb in Cancun, Mexico, an American woman finds herself in a hurricane shelter.
Kristyn Owens traveled from Los Angeles to Cancun to celebrate her 30th birthday in what was supposed to be a safe way from COVID in a country that allows access for Americans, she told CNN.
In Mexico, more than 35,000 tourists are evacuated from Cancun due to the arrival of Hurricane Delta
American tourists are prohibited from traveling to most countries in the world due to the pandemic, but there are still some places they can go, such as Mexico, Ireland, South Korea, and some Caribbean islands.
But Hurricane Delta had other plans.
The hurricane was a Category 3 hurricane early Wednesday, according to the National Hurricane Center.
It was expected to hit Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula early Wednesday.
On Tuesday, the day after Owens' birthday, she said her Airbnb host called to warn them that it was not safe to stay in the luxury condo.
The Los Angeles resident was nervous about the impending Hurricane Delta, something she had never experienced.
"At first I was really scared that the host would say not to stay because there is a danger of the glass breaking," Owens told CNN.
"I do not want to say that I am heartbroken, because I am in a good mood ... but I can say, on the other hand, that I am happy to find shelter because at 10 am we had no place to stay."
Owens said she called 15 hotels to find accommodations for herself, her husband and a close friend.
One by one, they said they either had no rooms or that they were closing due to the hurricane.
The hotel he managed to secure tried to cancel the reservation when it was a 5 minute taxi ride away.
Owens said she pleaded with the front desk and they were allowed to check in and store her luggage.
The trio were taken on a bus with other hotel guests to a hurricane shelter.
It was a further 30-40 minute drive into Cancun, he said.
The hurricane shelter is a walled-in school further inland.
Kristyn owens
A school with boarded-up windows and brown cots strewn across the classroom floor would be his home while the storm passed.
Owens was told they would probably be there for two days.
Since the storm hadn't hit yet, tourists could get out, a kind of "ray of light," he said.
"All the occupants of the hotel are spread over these classrooms," Owens said.
"They gave us a sandwich, juice and water, a pillow and sheets."
The coronavirus has added a layer of complexity to the situation, one that is even more stressful for the birthday girl.
Their small group shares a classroom with a family and a couple, Owens said.
"We have disinfectant, but that's it," Owens said.
"Each family is in a separate corner of the room trying to stay apart."
"Having to keep a mask 90% of the day is difficult and I am extremely anxious, so breathing can become difficult."
They all wear masks and guests' temperatures were read before they were allowed to board the bus to the shelter, Owens said.
"It was very well executed," he said.
Not ideal.
This is not the Westin, by no means.
Hotel guests await the impending hurricane at a shelter in Cancun.
Kristyn owens
About 50 miles south of Cancun, Monica Hawke is weathering the storm at the Barceló Maya Riviera resort.
The Southern Pines, North Carolina real estate agent said she had no choice but to stay as she was unable to catch a flight home until Friday.
"When we realized last night that the path of the storm was farther west than we saw on Sunday, we could not find any available seats for any destination in the US for today," Hawke wrote to CNN.
Hurricane Delta stops the arrival of European tourists to Quintana Roo
Hawke was invited to Mexico by a friend who did not want to vacation alone.
"We haven't seen each other in four years, so I took the opportunity," he said.
Now the hotel has swapped the tourist couple's oceanfront room on the third floor for one that overlooks the gardens, hoping it will be more secure.
Americans are not the only ones trying to get home safely.
Mexico City resident Luis G. López was staying at the Hotel Imperial Las Perlas in Cancun when he said that, on Tuesday, he received a note from the hotel saying that guests had one hour to evacuate due to the storm.
He had arrived in Cancun on Saturday.
López, who is a student, and other guests were transported to the Cancun International Airport, where he posted a video of the long lines of people trying to evacuate the area.
He had a flight booked for Tuesday night and was hoping to get home, he wrote to CNN.
As the storm approaches, Owens said she's nervous.
But she spends her time playing cards and watching some Netflix shows she had downloaded.
"We're going to make the best of it," he said.
Hurricane Delta