Cancun or Riviera Maya?

Question

My boyfriend and I are planning vacation this summer in Mexico. We were really hoping for beautiful beaches and snorkelling. I red a lot of reviews of Cancun destinations and many were mentioning not such great beaches due to the rocks...This makes me lean toward going to Riviera Maya. However, I also do not want to get stuck at the resort for 7 days. How far away are other attractions such as restaurants and shops at Riviera Maya? and how difficult to get there? I'm also a big fan of water sports and not sure if Riviera Maya is a good place for it.

I would appreciate any comments as well as suggestions on the places to stay there. Thank you!

Answer 1

Cancun's Hotel Zone has by far, the best shopping, restaurants and nightlife. That being said, it is commercial and fun. The Riviera Maya offers a different kind of fun, more secluded, and without the famous nightlife that made Cancun what it is today. I think before you make a decision on which Riviera Maya resort to visit, you need to do some more research to find out current beach conditions in Cancun's Hotel Zone. I say current because at the beginning of Spring is when the currents have had enough time to wash sand back on shore after hurricane season. Several complaints can be found about Riviera Maya resort's beaches, including one of the most popular resorts, Moon Palace.

If you do decide to stay at a Riviera Maya resort, you can take a taxi and some resorts even have shuttle service to nearby Playa Del Carmen. Playa as it is often called, is the ferry port that services the island of Cozumel. It is a much smaller town in comparison to Cancun, with its own charm and appeal.

I still enjoy staying in Cancun over Riviera Maya because of the amount of choices at your disposal. LIke I mentioned above, Cancun has several wonderful restaurants and clubs, more than 300 in the Hotel Zone. Here are a few All Inclusive Hotel Zone resorts you should consider:

Riu Cancun or the higher end sister resort Riu Palace las Americas

Dreams Resort

Gran Caribe Real

The Royal in Cancun-adults only

Barcelo Tucancun

Cancun Palace

Golden Parnassus-adults only

Sun Palace-adults only property

Here are serveral European Plan (room only) resorts:

Presidente Intercontinental-offers both EP and AI plans

Fiesta Americana Grand Coral Beach-very high end

NH Krystal-offers EP and an innovative Dine Around program for the AI guests

Me by Melia

Le Meridien-high end resort

Ritz Carlton

GR Solaris-Royal Solaris is the sister resort

The Bel Air Collection-offers both AI and EP, wonderful food and beach quality

There are a lot of suggestions for Cancun resorts above for you to investigate. Just for the options available, I highly recommend you stay in the Hotel Zone of Cancun. Ultimately, you should try to have fun planning your vacation.

212eric

Answer 2

Not 2 bust ur bubble but i heard cancun is full of g**s so riviera maya is best. not too sure how far or how difficult it depends oon where your coming from i know u have 2 fly there. i went there last summer and i didn't pay attention 2 the attractions but the resort in RM are sooooo gorgeous.