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Post by freecharlie on Mar 15, 2019 2:27:05 GMT
We are just looking at booking an all inclusive in one of the two (Punta Cana is also on the list, but airfare from Denver is high). Since they are about the same price, what do you feel are the pros and cons of each (especially if you have been there)? Where did you stay? Would you recommend it?
The boys will be 14 and 17 (or 18 depending on the date of travel)
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Post by freecharlie on Mar 16, 2019 16:10:06 GMT
Nobody?
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Post by christine58 on Mar 16, 2019 16:19:17 GMT
never stayed at either.
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Post by 950nancy on Mar 16, 2019 17:01:25 GMT
Ooooh, pick me! Sorry I missed your first post. There are differences. Cancun is a really busy city with hotel after hotel on the beach. It has gorgeous beaches though. If you ride a bus (or other transportation) south for an hour or so, you get many different choices. We've stayed in 3-4 places in Riviera Maya and all of them were awesome. The beaches are amazing and the hotels sometimes have a bit more space between them (not a lot in some areas though). You'll also find that the monkeys come out of the jungle (generally across the street) and will hang out in the trees. Lots of lizards and other harmless wildlife in Riviera Maya also. Both places have lots of activities. They often share the same locations for trips, but one might be closer to your resort in either place. If you stay in Riveria Maya, you might be closer to better sea life (natural). Akumal has sea turtles and sting rays swimming just off their beaches 365 days a year. We stayed at a Secrets and it was like many of the other resorts in the area. Large, clean, and decent food with many food choices.
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keithurbanlovinpea
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Post by keithurbanlovinpea on Mar 16, 2019 17:04:17 GMT
We like Cancún better for one reason... It's a lot quicker to get to the hotels from the airport. We hate burning time getting to the resort.
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Post by sabrinae on Mar 16, 2019 17:05:54 GMT
I prefer Rivera maya. It’s still touristy but not as bad as Cancun spring break touristy
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Post by 950nancy on Mar 16, 2019 17:26:51 GMT
We like Cancún better for one reason... It's a lot quicker to get to the hotels from the airport. We hate burning time getting to the resort. We were in Cancun in 1993. The roads were awful. Through the years the roads have improved 99%. But yeah, it still takes an hour or so. We stay for a week, so it hasn't bothered us. |
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Post by 950nancy on Mar 16, 2019 17:28:14 GMT
The Riviera Maya is also closer to Cozumel. You can take a 30 minute ferry there and explore the island. They have great scuba diving if you do that.
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Apr 25, 2024 17:21:42 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Mar 16, 2019 18:31:23 GMT
We've been to both Cancun and Playa del Carmen, but that was about 15 years ago. At that time, we all liked Cancun better. Playa del Carmen was quieter, but not as many restaurants and shops. Things have likely changed since then though.
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Post by ameslou on Mar 16, 2019 21:01:50 GMT
We have been to Mexico several times. We stay on the Riviera Maya. Have thought about Cancun, but frankly it just looks so hot with little shade around the pool. The resorts we pick have lush vegetation and just feel like we’re insulated from the rush rush of our regular lives. Both Puerto Morelos and Maroma Beach are close to the airport. We like to do a private transfer, with a driver waiting on us with a cold beer in the van. No waiting on other people or their flights, no stops at other hotels before ours. We just find the driver and go.
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Judy26
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Post by Judy26 on Mar 16, 2019 21:10:38 GMT
We have been to Mexico several times. We stay on the Riviera Maya. Have thought about Cancun, but frankly it just looks so hot with little shade around the pool. The resorts we pick have lush vegetation and just feel like we’re insulated from the rush rush of our regular lives. Both Puerto Morelos and Maroma Beach are close to the airport. We like to do a private transfer, with a driver waiting on us with a cold beer in the van. No waiting on other people or their flights, no stops at other hotels before ours. We just find the driver and go. I’ll just ditto this. We have stayed at AIs and also rented a fabulous home right on the beach in Akamal. It came with a housekeeper and chef and had a private pool. With boys though an AI will provide more entertainment. For trips outside the AI the concierge will set you up with inexpensive and safe taxi service. I’m ready to go back right now! |
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Post by freecharlie on Mar 16, 2019 21:15:39 GMT
We have been to Mexico several times. We stay on the Riviera Maya. Have thought about Cancun, but frankly it just looks so hot with little shade around the pool. The resorts we pick have lush vegetation and just feel like we’re insulated from the rush rush of our regular lives. Both Puerto Morelos and Maroma Beach are close to the airport. We like to do a private transfer, with a driver waiting on us with a cold beer in the van. No waiting on other people or their flights, no stops at other hotels before ours. We just find the driver and go. I’ll just ditto this. We have stayed at AIs and also rented a fabulous home right on the beach in Akamal. It came with a housekeeper and chef and had a private pool. With boys though an AI will provide more entertainment. For trips outside the AI the concierge will set you up with inexpensive and safe taxi service. I’m ready to go back right now! Which AI did you stay at? |
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Post by ameslou on Mar 16, 2019 21:25:43 GMT
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Post by jackietex on Mar 17, 2019 1:13:52 GMT
I haven't been to Riveria Maya, but have visited Cancun several times and would go back tomorrow if I could. Since we have been there a few times, I don't feel the need to do anything other than eat, sleep, and sit outside, though. We always stayed at quieter hotels away from the rowdy crowds--which definitely are there, especially this time of year. Enjoy, whatever your choice!
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Judy26
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Post by Judy26 on Mar 17, 2019 1:24:55 GMT
I’ll just ditto this. We have stayed at AIs and also rented a fabulous home right on the beach in Akamal. It came with a housekeeper and chef and had a private pool. With boys though an AI will provide more entertainment. For trips outside the AI the concierge will set you up with inexpensive and safe taxi service. I’m ready to go back right now! Which AI did you stay at? I usually book whatever I can find the best deal on for the time we want to go after reading TripAdvisor reviews. The Bahia Principe would be a god fit with kids as it is 3 or 4 large resorts with access to all of the activities and restaurants etc. available to you. It’s not 5 star but it’s clean comfortable and the food was good. I went with my daughter for a week and we enjoyed every minute. |
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Gravity
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Post by Gravity on Mar 17, 2019 2:11:20 GMT
Cancun and Riviera Maya are both nice. DH and I go to Mexico every summer. It doesn't matter to us what area we stay in. We rarely even leave the resort. We have stayed at Iberostar Maya Playa Paraiso and Iberostar Grand Playa Paraiso in Riviera Maya. The Grand is adults only. Both were nice. We are staying in Cancun this year at the Iberostar Star Prestige Cancun. It's a new adults only resort. We always use USA Transfers for airport transportation. Trip Advisor has tons of helpful info on their forums. Have a great trip! |
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carhoch
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Post by carhoch on Mar 17, 2019 6:28:24 GMT
We like riviera maya better then punts cana ,the beach are beautiful and no sea weed and there is lots to do .Tulum was gorgeous and Xcaret was so much fun .
We went to a Iberostar Hotel.
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Post by christine58 on Mar 17, 2019 11:17:55 GMT
I LOVED the AI I stayed at in Jamaica. I will never spend a dime in Mexico.
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paigepea
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Post by paigepea on Mar 17, 2019 13:17:39 GMT
We have stayed on the riviera maya 3 times. Closer to cancun is busy and hectic. Riviera maya is close to playa el Carmen (not that we go in, safety isn’t always great). We stick to the resorts. We will walk up and down the beaches but that’s it. Why go into town for food if at an all inclusive and why invite trouble with our girls around. In riviera maya you’re close to Tulum for excursions.
Food quality is important to us. I don’t like buffets all day. You might feel differently with 2 teenage boys but personally I prefer buffet for breakfast and then a la Carte the rest of the day. I just don’t like touching food that others have served from all day. So we go five star with a la carte options for lunch and dinner.
Our favorites have been resorts by Karisma. Food and service are excellent. I also don’t like huge resorts. I don’t want to have to take a golf cart to the beach or fight for a spot at the pool and beach (although peak season can be like this). Finally, I want the resort to be lush with less concrete. We love Azul fives by Karizma. Food was excellent. Grounds gorgeous and service great. We’ve been there twice. Once before the Reno and once after. The Reno was gorgeous. We love the new area.
We also loved azul beach by Karizma. It appears like it’s a resort for younger families but there were many adults only there. The food and service were beyond good. It was more of a boutique hotel with under 400 rooms as a result the service was divine. But the boys might want a bigger resort. Even azul fives might be small for them but I prefer on the smaller side so that’s what we go for. Those big huge resorts have such mixed reviews. You have to decide what is more important to you.
We flew air transat. It was direct and great. No problems.
We were just in the Dominican Republic and it wasn’t so wonderful. I’m so glad we haven’t spent the money on an all inclusive there. We’ve heard the food isn’t great at all inclusives there so we’ve always stayed away. Our visit was a day trip from a cruise. I’ve been other places in the Caribbean and at this price range nothing else is worth what we get in the Mayan. Many islands you don’t have the possibility of leaving the resort. In Mexico we feel we can walk up and down the beaches and look at other resorts. We’ll even find massage places on the beach and get a great ocean front massage for cheap. Coming from the west coast, this is the best bang for our buck.
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