Trip mid- January - Punta Cana or Mexico

[thefed]

I've been to Cancun 2x. We are looking for something different. I've narrowed it down to a few all inclusive resorts in Playa Del Carmen, MX, Puerto Vallarta or Nuevo Vallarta MX, or Punta Cana, DR.

Any suggestions? Looks like weather in all 3 locations will be the same. We like to blooch by the beach and drink from sun sup til dinner, shower, get a nice dinner, then explore a little bit.

Wouldnt mind some snorkeling, excursions, etc. Seems like we can find all of this at either locations

Just looking for input!

 

[bltkmt]

We have done the Club Meds at both Cancun and Punta Cana multiple times. The climate and beachs are similar. However, if by exploring you mean leaving the property of your all-inclusive resort, then Punta Cana is likely not where you want to be. It is fairly remote and not much of interest outside of the resorts.

 

[Marathoner]

We went to Punta Cana on our honeymoon almost 11 years ago, so I don't know if things have changed, but there were armed guards surrounding the property and we were only allowed off of the resort if we were on a sanctioned tour. We were told this was due to violence against tourists.

We felt very safe at the resort and on the one tour we took, but all of the solo exploring we did was on the resort only.

 

[Surfdaddy]

We've been to both areas multiple times, including Punta Cana the last two years.

I actually feel that Punta Cana is safer than Mexico. There are guards on the road on the way down to the Riviera Maya. No guards that I saw anywhere in Punta Cana. Given that, I'd have no qualms about either location.

In January it could be cold in the Cancun area, much less so in Punta Cana. We were in the Riviera Maya in January one year and the lows were in the 50's and one day it barely hit 70. In Punta Cana it goes down to perhaps the high 60's at worst at night, and mid 70's to low 80's during the day at the same time of year. So given that, I'd go to Punta Cana.

Both areas have tons of excellent all-inclusive resorts. Mexico is better for cultural activities off-resort - including Mayan ruins, eco-parks, ferry to Cozumel, cenote snorkeling, etc. Punta Cana has some things but much less so. You can take a boat to an island to snorkel. You can zipline or do a buggy drive adventure. But no major cities or cultural activities. In Punta Cana you can walk the beach for literally miles with no concern for safety. There are a lot of other vacationers from Europe, South America, and Canada especially. We like the cosmopolitan clientele and it's a change from the more US-centric Mexico clients.

Have fun, we really like Punta Cana for relaxation.