Cancun vs. Riviera Maya

tiffandgene

Which would you suggest?  We like that Cancun is in the heart of shopping and dining and we like that Riviera Maya is more romantic and better for honeymooners.  Riviera Maya has nicer resorts too. We just cant seem to make up our minds.  Suggestions???  Thanks!

waltzingmatilda13

It depends on what you want to do. Cancun is definitely more of a party scene. And there is shopping in the Riviera as well. Playa Del Carmen is a cute little town and they had lots of shops. It's also closer to the ruins, if you were thinking about checking those out. But the Riviera is definitely better for seclusion and relaxation. There were no vendors on the beach and you'll get more of a flat resort and not a high rise.

alithebride

i've been to RM and cancun once a year for the last 7 years. i have to disagree iwth OP on 2 points-RM doesn't necessarily have nicer resorts and is not necessairly better for HMers.
it all depends on what you want to do. Since RM goes from Cancun down towards beize it's a long stretch of area that you're talking about. some ruins are closer to playa, some cancun-since they're all over the place.
cancun definately has some party scenes but so does playa. cancun also has some of my all time fave restaurants-and playa doesn't. it all depends on what you want.
for dh and i a week of seclusion isn't the best idea. i get bored. i LOVE our timeshare week in cancun because iwth a 10 minute bus ride i'm in the town center with a ton of great restaurants and shops, while our resort is very very quiet. dont' let the spring break thing worry you.
riviera maya can be great, and also irritating. some resorts are a 30 minute or 45 minute ride each way (and cabs aren't cheap) to a larger town for shopping, restaurants etc.. if thats what you want-great! if not I suggest you look into cancun. since the ruins and most of the day trip stuff is spread all ove rthe yucatan you'll not have much of a difference between RM or Cancun.
i've had vendors on the beach at every hotel i've stayed in on RM and Cancun.

laura_fett

We decided that we wanted to stay at the Palace resorts Aventura (RM) or Sun (cancun) Palace. The Sun Palace is not in the main part of the "partying" section of Cancun. We ended up choosing the Sun Palace, but I'm sure either would be amazing!

waltzingmatilda13

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_honeymoon_cancun-vs-riviera-maya?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:11Discussion:810dfeb0-60fa-40b1-9d91-85c965fbace6Post:ae30f4a6-8b27-42c8-a0d6-4ed23c3ef67d">Re: Cancun vs. Riviera Maya</a>:
[QUOTE]i've been to RM and cancun once a year for the last 7 years. i have to disagree iwth OP on 2 points-RM doesn't necessarily have nicer resorts and is not necessairly better for HMers.
Posted by alithebride[/QUOTE]

That's not what I said, but thanks for putting words in my mouth.

I argued the merits of both, never said that Riviera resorts were better. They are more spread out which adds an air of being just a little more secluded and there were no vendors wandering around. I said they were flatter as opposed to taller.  And I never said they were better for honeymooners. It depends on what kind of vacation the honeymooner wants, and I can't decide that for the person taking the vacation.

kschool10

I recommend Riviera Maya.  You could try the Valentine Imperial Maya, Secrets Maroma or Iberostar Grand.

One resort in Cancun I would recommend is The Royal in Cancun, or just south of Cancun is Moon Palace, but it is definitely secluded from others.

Best of luck!  Either way I would book a "package", not try and book everything seperate.  If you're into booking online I love vacationsupersearch.com because it gives me the price of Apple Vacations, Funjet and American Express right next to each other and I always either go with apple or funjet when I travel because they're so reliable.  I booked with vacationsupersearch because the lady I talked with was awesome.

alithebride

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_honeymoon_cancun-vs-riviera-maya?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:11Discussion:810dfeb0-60fa-40b1-9d91-85c965fbace6Post:d57864e4-121b-4982-b5b8-98036b66f5aa">Re: Cancun vs. Riviera Maya</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Cancun vs. Riviera Maya : That's not what I said, but thanks for putting words in my mouth. I argued the merits of both, never said that Riviera resorts were better. They are more spread out which adds an air of being just a little more secluded and there were no vendors wandering around. I said they were flatter as opposed to taller.  And I never said they were better for honeymooners. It depends on what kind of vacation the honeymooner wants, and I can't decide that for the person taking the vacation.
Posted by waltzingmatilda13[/QUOTE]

LOL really?!?! OP is ORIGINAL POSTER.
theOP wrote 'Riviera Maya has nicer resorts too' and said it was better for HMers which is what i responded to.

waltzingmatilda13

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_honeymoon_cancun-vs-riviera-maya?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:11Discussion:810dfeb0-60fa-40b1-9d91-85c965fbace6Post:7dfe5f3c-a33a-490b-8cbd-f6ac8f057473">Re: Cancun vs. Riviera Maya</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Cancun vs. Riviera Maya : LOL really?!?! OP is ORIGINAL POSTER. theOP wrote 'Riviera Maya has nicer resorts too' and said it was better for HMers which is what i responded to.
Posted by alithebride[/QUOTE]

Sorry, mistakes happen. When you started off the way you did it sounded like you were responding to me, so I skimmed. I can admit when I am wrong. Sorry.

And I know what OP means, but way to freak out about it instead of being nice. !?!?L@$#@@?!!?!

prlmrg08

Royal Playa Del Carmen

alithebride

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_honeymoon_cancun-vs-riviera-maya?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:11Discussion:810dfeb0-60fa-40b1-9d91-85c965fbace6Post:c89453e9-09a6-4972-88de-2692d2d98c9e">Re: Cancun vs. Riviera Maya</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Cancun vs. Riviera Maya : Sorry, mistakes happen. When you started off the way you did it sounded like you were responding to me, so I skimmed. I can admit when I am wrong. Sorry. And I know what OP means, but way to freak out about it instead of being nice. !?!?L@$#@@?!!?!
Posted by waltzingmatilda13[/QUOTE]
believe me that was no freak out-and you weren't nice either 'way to put words into my mouth'. if you want a nice response-post nicely in the first place :)