We love this area of the world and it holds a special place in our hearts as we were married in the Riviera Maya, and we continue to come back and explore 13 plus years later. We believe it keeps getting better the more we explore which we hope to give some insights, misconceptions and tips to help us help you make your vacation all you expect it to be.
The first point we want to touch on is the size of the area, from the airport you can have a 2+ hour transfer to the Tulum area, this can play a huge factor in your decision after a 6 hour flight to get to your hotel. The areas from Playa Mujeres North of Cancun down to Tulum have some similarities but you will get a different vibe from area to area and hotel to hotel, often the only similarity with Cancun and other areas are the fact you fly into Cancun international Airport.
The winter weather in Riviera Maya is mostly sunny in the mid to high 20’s and into the 30’s with thunder storms like we experience in our summer in Alberta. During the winter months in the area, there seems to be an extended period of rain which we have been lucky to not experience during a vacation but it can be a risk in the winter in coastal Riviera Maya. Hurricane season runs June into November, and those 30-33 degree days and nights stay really warm above 25 degrees, the biggest change from winter.
The area in general, as stated by the local government, Riviera Maya and Cancun have over 1500 HOTELS and 133300 ROOMS!!! We separate the different hotel areas into, although not all hotels are all inclusive it gives a general idea on the number of hotels!
- Cancun Hotel zone (190 plus hotels)
- Playa Mujeres (24 hotels)
- Puerto Morelos (30 plus hotels)
- Maroma/Playa Paraiso (25 hotels)
- Playa Del Carmen (200 plus hotels)
- Playa Car (15 plus hotels)
- Puerto Aventuras (10 plus hotels)
- Akumal (25 plus)
- Tulum (100 plus hotels,, a few All inclusive)
- Isla Mujeres (60 plus)
- Cozumel (60 plus).
- and more off the beaten track like Isla Holbox or Bacalar…
As you can see, your choices can be overwhelming and often changing and this is why at Only Vacations we are visiting the areas and hotels to help guide you into your perfect vacation.
We work with two main suppliers, Air Canada and Westjet… We also are great friends with Sunwing but as they are owned by WestJet and always use Westjet Flights, we do consider them under their umbrella. Air Canada and Westjet do have different terminals and you may have a slightly different experience with each airline and often we cannot share transfers with different suppliers! There really is no better terminal as we fly into both depending on the better choice of flights mostly for us! As for Suppliers, We have been leaning towards Air Canada in the last couple years out of Edmonton and have enjoyed their service but do also fly Westjet without issue. Each supplier may have a certain hotel chain and may limit our choices when navigating your vacation choices!
Transfers are included in the package we book for you, but often recommend a direct private transfer to the resort. This will help get you to where you want to be when you land at your destination of choice. We have our preferred company but also have a couple others we have used with great service. Another option is a car rental, we have only done this in Cozumel where the process was easy and driving was simple and easy to navigate.
We can recommend tours and even book them for you, but we often recommend looking when you get there as some combined tours are hard to find from pre arrival and your plans may change on which days you want to get out and enjoy the area… Also mind your resort area of choice, if you are staying in Playa Mujeres, Tulum will be 3 hours away and vice versa getting to Isla Mujeres from Tulum or Akumal will be a challenging day.
If you know us, we are diving lovers… Cozumel, Cancun, Akumal, Puerto Morelos, Isla Mujeres, Playa Del Carmen I have been to them all. If diving is a lifestyle you enjoy, we can definitely help you with a dive shop recommendation and even hotel area. We would lean against booking with a tour operator or with your companies as you do not know your dive team, Personally I would pay a few bucks more for service in this case.
