Best summer destination? Mexico/ Caribbean?

Question

I understand that the weather can be hot and humidity can be a problem in july/august. Have you been to Cancun or the Caribbean in summer? Do you recommend these destinations for the next 6 weeks?

Answer 1

I live near the Caribbean, and let me tell you the summers are great because the swimming is perfect.  Also the tourist season is low; it's more crowded Oct. to Apr.  

Stay near the coast and the heat isn't a problem; there's always a breeze.  And swim yourself cool.  You will probably want A/C at night to sleep.  When the humidity is high it's hard to sleep (for me) without A/C.

I'd recommend trying Costa Rica.  There are great beaches in Guanacaste peninsula, near Quepos, and on the east coast Cahuita.  You can always drive an hour or two up into the mountains and find a perfect, fresh temperature like in San Jose.  And there are volcanos, hot springs,  rainforest tours, whitewater rafting, and beautiful flora and fauna to see.

It's also cheaper than the Carib. Islands.

If I were to go to Mexico, the Yucatan is interesting, and there's Isla Mujeres, Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Cozumel, and Tulum (Mayan ruins by the sea).  You won't be able to escape the heat because it's flat there, but stay in the A/C and swim a lot.

Dominican Republic was o.k. I stayed in Santo Domingo in the Colonial Zone and took a bus one day to Boca Chica beach.  The electricity went off at night in the hotel and so did the a/c, so they had a generator to run the fan, but it wasn't a luxuy hotel, so they'd probably have big generators and you wouldn't notice.  But there're other places to fly to in DR, like

Punta Cana & Puerto Plata.  I'd pick Puerto Plata next time.

I went yrs. ago to Isla Margarita, which was o.k. but the beach water wasn't so crystal blue.  

Great food and people in all these places, though.

Answer 2

Aruba [and the other Dutch "ABC" islands are pretty much out of the hurricane zone, so that would be a good bet.

Answer 3

I'd go somewhere more southern because they are less hot and generally safer. The safest places to go are Chile, Uruguay, and Argentina.

If you do go to the Caribbean or Mexico be prepared for a lot of touristy areas. While its not necessarily bad, its not really that different.

And 6 weeks if pretty long, even if you are in paradise, maybe you should get a bus ticket and travel around mexico or something. Lots to do there.