Hi, I posted a little while ago for a destination to combine with a New York trip (I'm from the UK). Budget is fairly important, as flights and the New York part of the trip are expensive.

I've narrowed it down to Bermuda and Playa del Carmen in Mexico. Has anyone been to both and could you give any recommendations? We are in our late 30's and would be travelling without kids.

The only tropical type places I've been is on a short cruise to Nassau and a private Bahama island, which I enjoyed. We also enjoyed Aruba - for the beaches and restaurants although it was commercialised and the scenery was not very pretty.

We will be travelling in August. I've priced out both trips, after researching restaurant costs etc. The Bermuda one would probably cost around $1600 more, staying in a guesthouse - not near to the sea. And the Maya one would be staying in a luxurious large condo, close to the sea.

Is Bermuda worth the extra? I like the look of both places and I guess my main concern is that I would feel like I was scrimping in Bermuda even though the trip was not cheap whereas we wouldn't in Riviera Maya.

Is Bermuda worth the extra cost even though we would be staying away from the beach in less luxurious accommodations? We're not the types to lie on the beach the whole time but swimming in the sea is important to us. We prefer that to the pools.

Also, weather is important. Would it be unbearably hot in either of the two?

And is Playa a good choice? We would like to be on a nice beach with good restaurants close by. Is there a quieter beach resort with good restaurants?

Thanks.

I would go with Riviera Maya. It is more "tropical" than Bermuda .
I love both places, but there is more to see in the Riviera Maya. You can visit the ruins, do zip lines, etc. Save your money and do Mexico!!

playa is a great area. as schmerl said tons to do. good shopping, snorkeling/diving, golf, etc. the further south you go from cancun the fewer ppl. nice beach at akumal with many nearby condo's and several fun restaurants. the beaches by tulum are gorgeous. if you choose playa area look at www.locogringo.com for info on Everything! also let us know as i have some tips on particulars in this location.
however, in your other post you mentioned heat/humidity. according too wunderground.com (use the trip planner section) the temps will be 85-95 and dew point 79-81. this is way hot and very very humid. bermuda will be 80-85, not sure about humidity but it will be much less than mexico. activities in bermuda are more like golf, fishing & sailing.
i do not think there will be too many bugs in either place in august.

Thanks. It does look like an amazing place but the heat and humidity does worry me.

I've done Orlando at the same time of year before and that was miserable, but we were touring the theme parks, not by the sea so I guess that would make a difference.

Do you get a breeze near the sea at that time of year? Would a particular area of Riviera Maya be better than another? Aruba was great in August but they have that wonderful breeze

You should have a good breeze coming off of the water in the Riviera Maya. We were in Tulum in July and it wasn't unbearable for us. Playa del Carmen or Tulum are our favorites -- Tulum for the beaches and Playa for the restaurants and beach town atmosphere.