beachgirl86

We are flying into the Cancun airport next April for 7 nights. One of the things we are considering is splitting our stay between Cancun and PDC. How far are they from each other? Is it worth it to split a 7 night stay between the two?

Little_Man

Its only a 45 minute drive. We've done it before, and worked out great. Stayed in a more simple style place in PDC first, then on to Cancun to a fancier place. It was great to check into a luxurious 5 star hotel after an enjoyable stay in PDC.
I love both PDC and Cancun for different reasons...PDC for the enjoyable town and ability to walk all around it, Cancun for the incredible white beach and aqua ocean. It's a sight for sore eyes.

beachgirl86

Thanks, frankie! You always seem to have great info. on this area, and we are still in the EARLY planning and research stage of this trip.

Which would you do -- 3 nights in PDC and 4 in Cancun, or the other way around? We are HUGE resort beach and pool people, love to lay out and swim/snorkel/etc..., and we'll probably do a day trip or 2 (Tulum, for example).

How are the beaches in PDC compared to Cancun? Looking at some of the big resorts in Playacar that are close to the center of PDC, and then in Cancun, we are looking at JW Marriott, Hilton, and Casa Magna.

Little_Man

Hi, beachgirl! The beaches in Playa are beautiful, maybe not quite so much as in the Cancun hotel zone, jmho, but also the water can be calmer and easier to swim in.
(I've never stayed in the Playacar area, we stayed right in the town of Playa, but looked around it, it looks very nice. When I was there 2 years ago, the Riu Palace looked lovely from the outside.)
In Cancun, I don't think you can beat the JW (if it was me, I'd stay 3 in Playa, 4 here), it is a great resort, but the Casa Magna and Hilton are also good choices, probably a little less $$...
have fun planning!

summer04

Last year we stayed in Cancun 4 nights at the Fiesta Americana Grand Coral Beach and loved it! Great location, beautiful hotel and beach. Then we were in Akumal 2 nights--very laid back and simple-no mega-resorts, but also enjoyed it. Last we went to Playa and stayed at the Riu Palace in Playacar. It was gorgeous and the beach was the BEST of our trip. I prefer the Playacar beaches over the others as they are a beautiful blue and calm enough to swim in. We went back in August and stayed downtown Playa at Playa Maya hotel. It's a simple boutique hotel on the beach. I love the fancy resorts, too, but after having done it, I prefer the simple in-town style. Playa has GREAT restaurants.
This year, we are renting a condo in Playa and a villa in Akumal. They are both pretty reasonable. Check out Playainfo.com and Locogringo.com.
I would do Cancun 3 nights and Playa 4.
Summer