Honeymoon Costa Rica or Riviera Maya Mexico Suggestions?

Rivcarol2 · August 2015

Hello Knotties!!

My Fiance and I are debating on where to go for our Honeymoon. Our wedding date is January 2, 2016.

We are between Costa Rica or Riviera Maya Mexico.

Any suggestions to make our choice easier?

ohmrs2014 · August 2015

If you want, I can move this to the Honeymoon board. You will get more info over there.

Rivcarol2 · August 2015

@mrs2014 Oh Thank you!!!!! That would be awesome!

Jells2dot0 · August 2015

Those places are quite different. What is your budget? How long do you want to stay? Where are you flying from? What kind of experience do you want?

Jells2dot0 · August 2015

ETF- double post

klk111415 · August 2015

I haven't been to Costa Rica, but I hear it's a great place if you're looking for adventure. If you want to sit on the beach or by the pool and maybe do a couple of excurisions- Riviera Maya is a great place for that. I've been twice and absolutely love it, but my fiance and I love going the all inclusive route. We've done a few excurisions on Riviera Maya and some are great, and others extremely touristy. But the resorts are big, and it's the kind of place where you don't have to leave the resort that much to enjoy yourself. Honestly, though, Costa Rica would probably be a great vacation spot for us because we do enjoy adventure more than sitting by the pool or beach.

[Deleted User] · August 2015

My husband and I were between basically the same two places and we ended up going to Mexico (Cancun specifically) for a lot of the reasons stated in the previous post. We knew we wanted to just do a relaxing sit by the pool and chill vacation and we decided that we'd be missing out of the tons of cool activities and places to see in Costa Rica if we picked an all-inclusive there. Cancun ended up being a great choice for what we wanted. We did an excursion and went off the resort a couple other times, but I didn't feel like we "wasted" a trip by just hanging out at the hotel mostly. The flights were also cheaper so we were able to put more money towards the hotel and splurge on things like a visit to the spa which wouldn't be something we would normally do.

So I'd base the decision on what you want to do: More adventurous? I'd go Costa Rica. Want to primarily hang out at the beach/pool at an all-inclusive? I'd go with Mexico.

cj3561 · August 2015

My FI and I just finished booking our honeymoon to Costa Rica. It ended up being well within our budget for 8 days, splitting time between two five star resorts, however they are non-all inclusive resorts. I am told by our agent who has been to both resorts we are staying at that food and drink is very reasonable in CR.

We are staying at a hot springs resort for half the trip (right near some active volcanos!) and then a secluded beach resort in the heart of a protected jungle (monkeys, sloths and other creatures hanging outside of our room - SO excited). There are tons of adventurous things to do, and FI and I plan on doing at least a few, but we also really want to enjoy just drinking and relaxing on the beach and in the springs, so this trip is perfect for us - we have the option to do both. We are going to play it by ear and see what we feel like doing!

Rivcarol2 · August 2015

@Klk111415 @summerlove15 @cj3561 @jells2dot0

Thank you so much ladies for your input!!

I will definitely take your comments into consideration.

Could you guys tell me your experiences with the beaches out in Costa Rica and Mexico.

Costa Rica I've heard the beaches are a bit rocky but I have heard that Mexico also has a lot of seaweed so I wanted to hear opinions of people who have recently been there such as yourselves.

We want an all inclusive resort our budget is around $3500. We are flying from Newark, NJ and we were planning to stay around 7 days .

Jells2dot0 · August 2015

Rivcarol2 said:

@Klk111415 @summerlove15 @cj3561 @jells2dot0
Thank you so much ladies for your input!!

I will definitely take your comments into consideration.

Could you guys tell me your experiences with the beaches out in Costa Rica and Mexico.
Costa Rica I've heard the beaches are a bit rocky but I have heard that Mexico also has a lot of seaweed so I wanted to hear opinions of people who have recently been there such as yourselves.

We want an all inclusive resort our budget is around $3500. We are flying from Newark, NJ and we were planning to stay around 7 days .

I was just in Cancun in May. It is true that there is a Sargassum (seaweed) problem there currently. However, it's not the norm. Many resorts are working around the clock to fix it. The sargassum can come and go at any time. It's based on currents and tides. Since it's not a normal occurrence, it could be gone and not come back at any time now. I would not necessarily let that deter you from choosing that area at this point.

That being said, based on your budget and what you are looking for, I'd focus on Mexico. Costa Rica is nice, but IMHO, it's not where you want to do an all-inclusive. Much of the beauty is seen by getting outside of the resort and exploring. This means having to change resorts a few times to stay within different areas of the country. Also, the beaches in Costa Rica are not the best. They are pretty, but they are not the white, powdery beaches you can find in the Cancun/Riviera Maya area.

klk111415 · August 2015

I stayed in Riviera Maya but this was two years ago. I totally recommend it. And do check out the Valentin Imperial Maya. Should be within your budget. A friend of mine stayed there for two weeks for her honeymoon and loved it! They got special treatment and even had bulter service and a room upgrade for part of their trip. It's adults only and a beautiful resort. I'm sure they do great upkeep on their beaches. I also heard that Akumal has great snorkeling but it's farther from the airport.

thisismynickname2 · August 2015

I loved Riviera Maya. I didn't stay at this particular hotel, but we went there to eat at the restaurant in the evening. I don't think the website does it justice--- this was by far the most romantic hotel I'd ever been at. Lush gardens, candlelight walkways, even beds on the beach. http://www.belmond.com/maroma-resort-and-spa-riviera-maya/photo_tour

It's pricey, but maybe there are deals to be found that fit your budget. Just thought I'd throw it out there.

majesty318 · August 2015

Jells2dot0 said:

Rivcarol2 said:

@Klk111415 @summerlove15 @cj3561 @jells2dot0
Thank you so much ladies for your input!!

I will definitely take your comments into consideration.

Could you guys tell me your experiences with the beaches out in Costa Rica and Mexico.
Costa Rica I've heard the beaches are a bit rocky but I have heard that Mexico also has a lot of seaweed so I wanted to hear opinions of people who have recently been there such as yourselves.

We want an all inclusive resort our budget is around $3500. We are flying from Newark, NJ and we were planning to stay around 7 days .

I was just in Cancun in May. It is true that there is a Sargassum (seaweed) problem there currently. However, it's not the norm. Many resorts are working around the clock to fix it. The sargassum can come and go at any time. It's based on currents and tides. Since it's not a normal occurrence, it could be gone and not come back at any time now. I would not necessarily let that deter you from choosing that area at this point.

That being said, based on your budget and what you are looking for, I'd focus on Mexico. Costa Rica is nice, but IMHO, it's not where you want to do an all-inclusive. Much of the beauty is seen by getting outside of the resort and exploring. This means having to change resorts a few times to stay within different areas of the country. Also, the beaches in Costa Rica are not the best. They are pretty, but they are not the white, powdery beaches you can find in the Cancun/Riviera Maya area.

Ditto Jells on everything. I was just in Cancun in July and went to Playa del Carmen & Costa Rica a couple years ago. Costa Rica's Pacific side beaches are not amazing. Playa & Cancun without seaweed are like a postcard.

My suggestion is to read this board & Trip Advisor and pick a few AI's that appeal to you. Both times I have done an AI, it was way cheaper to book a package including air + hotel than to book separately. I check several websites to compare prices: Bookit, Orbitz, Expedia, & CheapCaribbean. The prices for the identical trip will vary greatly on each site.

FYI I also fly from Newark, and on my July trip, we paid $900 per person for 5 nights at an AI including flights. After tons of price stalking, I booked on Expedia. Granted, it was not a posh resort, so I would not recommend it for a HM, but with your budget basically double mine, you should be able to get something quite nice.

Honeymoon Costa Rica or Riviera Maya Mexico Suggestions?

Re: Honeymoon Costa Rica or Riviera Maya Mexico Suggestions?

Choose Another Board

Search Boards