Cancun or costa rica in July?

Question

I am planning to take my Mom for a nice vacation (kinda Mother/daughter thing). The timeframe is July 1-18th. I am currently thinking between Cancun or Costa Rica. We are not the type of people who would be happy just spending this whole time at one resort, wetbars and spas. Ideally I'd love to combine a few days on the beach/snorkeling etc with some adventure tours - see Mayan ruins, or going on nature tours. Since I am travelling with Mom, adventure has to be safe :) Neither of us has ever being to Mexico or Costa Rica, so any advice will be useful. The biggest concern is rainy season/hurricane season, and also what to do. In Cancun -with day trips to Mayan ruins, horse riding, cenotes, etc - is there enought to do for 18 days? Is it better to stay in all inclusive hotel? In Costa Rica - how rainy is it and what is the general advice you'd give? Thanks in advance :)

Answer 1

costa rica is safer cause the drug cartels havent infiltrated there yet, so pick it

18 days is quite along time, id stay a week at most

Answer 2

I have been to both. While in San Jose, Costa Rica it rained cats and dogs, but just for short whiles.  In Cancun, it never rained, but we drove to Guadalajara and it rained cats and dogs there too, and also for short whiles and then totally dry up in a short while......so in July you might see some rain.

As far as crime, I did not see anything in either place.

The drug cartel are in both countries, Limon in Costa Rica is know to be like the Tijuana of Mexico. The place where drug cartels conduct a lot of business.

I really loved both places. Its hard to choose, but what i think was cool about Cancun was that we saw the lights of Cuba from the beach at night. Also, the Eco park Xcaret is just a hop, skip , and a jump from the resorts of Cancun.....this place is unbelivable.  The natural beauty, its ultra safe, many activities, and not too expensive. Take a waterproof underwater camera!!!! you wont regret it.

but Costa Rica...oh man the volcanoes and resorts by them are wow!  The people of Costa Rica are different too...they are so nice. The beaches here like in Cancun are breathtaking.  Also, things are way cheaper in Costa Rica..food, drinks, taxi, hotel, resorts, etc....but Mexico does have the better food. Costa Rica also has a huge amount of American retirees becuse it is very safe.  the ifrastructure in Costa Rica is also way more worn and in need of repair than that of Cancun....Mexico has this problem too, but not in Cancun.

I really dont know which one to tell you is better, maybe flip a coin...that way you will have a story.

Answer 3

I know someone down in costa rica doing research, and while she is in a remote area, from what she tells me the thing you have to worry about all year are inscet born disease -specifically, mosquito.

I think probably the best way to get the things you want out of both vacation destinations, is to consider cozamel in mexico.

Have fun - I'm envious

Answer 4

I went to Costa Rica last year between January through May. I don't think it ever really rained much but according to everyone when it rains it POURS. In late may when I left it started raining and it rained hard. But otherwise it's a beautiful country with TONS of amazing and endemic creatures. There are alot of things to do from visiting coffee plantations, ziplining across the forest, birdwatching, hiking, snorkeling. The city is rampant with petty theft but otherwise safe. i wouldn't recommend carrying your cameras or purses in San Jose. Guard your things well. I haven't been to Cancun but I am Mexican and I live on a bordertown and I have no complaints about Mexico, but Cancun is just Cancun and Costa Rica is tiny and you can see the whole diversity of the country because it's small. Also the plane ticket is pretty cheap and the exchange rate is in our favor. Most people speak English in the touristy places. BUT Mexico has HANDS DOWN better food no questions. Enjoy your trip.

Answer 5

Cancun offers so much as far as choices for resorts, restaurants, tours and so on. Now not to say that Costa Rica doesn't have that much to offer, but you are comparing a city (Cancun) to a country (Costa Rica). I have not been but I would like to visit Costa Rica and see the volcanos and hot springs. From what I understand, Cancun has the better beaches, by far. The other aspect to Cancun that makes for a safe vacation is the fact that just about everyone speaks English. I know I am all over the map here but it's late, so let me also say that the nightlife in Cancun is fantastic. Again, this is not to say that you won't find nightlife in San Jose, Costa Rica, but Cancun is always rated among the top places for clubs.

Regarding resorts, if you are going for a length of time as you are, I would recommend you stay at an All-Inclusive resort for part of the time, and switch to a European Plan resort for the rest of the time. This is because it would be quite costly to always have to pay for your meals and beverages a la carte. However, if you plan on taking day trips and tours to the Mayan ruin sites, you would be better off not having paid for All Inclusive on those days. This is because you won't be at the resort enough to use it. This brings up the question, is there a resort you can stay, and get the AI plan on the days you would like. The short answer to this is yes. You should consider the following resorts for flexibility:

Presidente Intercontinental

NH Krystal

Flamingo Resort

Barcelo Tucancun

Gran Melia

GR Solaris

Royal Solaris

The Bel Air Collection

I would start by investigating these resorts if you want to stay in a place where you can add on AI on the days you want. You would do this once you get to the resort. Here are a few suggestons for AI resorts:

Riu Palace Las Americas-very high end, the sister resort is also wonderful

Riu Cancun

Dreams Resort

Gran Caribe Real

The Royal in Cancun-adults only

Golden Parnassus-adults only

Cancun Palace-more families here

Sun Palace-adults only

As far as tours, Cancun offers so much, it's impossible to get into it all. The Mayan ruin site of Chichen Itza is the most spectacular, however Tulum is overlooking the Caribbean and will be considerably cooler when you are traveling. Tulum is coupled with an eco park, on most tours, you should consider Xel-Ha over Xcaret. This is because you can get AI at Xel-Ha and Xcaret you cannot. Furthermore, Xcaret is a larger park, you won't possibly be able to fully appreciate it on a half day after visiting Tulum. Another tour that is unique to Cancun is the swim with whale sharks. I can only tell you that while these sharks are the biggest fish on the planet, they do not pose a threat, they are only interested in eating tiny fish and shrimp. I'm not sure if their site is up yet but I recommend you bookmark it because they are probably updating it for the season which lasts from like June to October:

http://www.swimwithwhalesharks.com

As for your concern about hurricanes, Cancun's hurricane season lasts from June to November. However, most of the bigger storms strike Cancun in September and October. The reality is, you have not much to worry about, but if a storm does strike, the locals really know what to do and they take extra care of the tourists. I hope this was all helpful.

Have fun planning your vacation,

212eric