I and my husband (26 and 31 years old) would like to travel for one week in October and we need to decide if we go to Cancun or to Aruba and Curaçau. We've never been in none of them. I'd like to know the opinion of who have been in these places. Which place is better to visit? Which one is the most beautiful? Thank you.

Hi there. I have been to both Cancun and Aruba and it really depends what you are looking for. Cancun is much more Americanized (ie McDonalds etc)while Aruba is still quite authentic. Aruba is much smaller so you can see the island in a day Cancun has a lot of history with the Mayan ruins etc. The weather in both places is quite consistent and the beaches are similar. Aruba would be more expensive less low budget restaurants but it is very romantic. Oh also if you enjoy gambling Aruba has that too. My choice would be Aruba. Hope this helps.

I would choose Aruba over Cancun for 4 reasons: 1)you can drink the H2O without worry 2) no pesky bugs or funky insects 3) excellent police/security presence 4) the Aruban people are the friendliest people I have ever encountered. I'll happily spend thousands to return to Aruba!!

We have been to Aurba and Cancun (both are nice) and we agree with Melissa. Aruba wins by far. Aruba is a lot cleaner, the food is better, no haggling over the prices and no language problems. Enjoy. <BR>

I agree with everybody else. Aruba wins hands down. I will continue to return to Aruba again and again whereas I would only go back to Cancun if someone gave me a trip. Cozumel is a lot better than Cancun in my opinion, but we still like Aruba the best. Better hotels, dining, pleasant people, safe, etc. More expensive? Yes, but worth every penny. Have fun!

I know this response is too late for your trip, but possibly will be helpful for others. My husband and I would have to somewhat disagree with the other writers. I guess we feel it depends on what you are looking for. We really enjoyed both, but in totally different ways. Also, this would be a comparison between Cozumel and Aruba, not Cancun and Aruba. If you are looking for pure relaxation, just enjoying the beach with your biggest demand of the day deciding where to eat, then Aruba is your choice. It has many advantages: Most of the year there is no rain to speak of, so, you are pretty much guaranteed wonderful weather every day of your trip. I felt extremely safe all over the island, day or night, walking late at night, etc. No one was "pushy" to speak of, "begging" or anything like that. Food was high, but it is high at resorts on US coast too. If you like to gamble, casinos are great. Our disappointment with Aruba was with the snorkeling. Didn't seem to be much to see. Water was beautiful, but not much in it! Also, even though we were on Palm Beach and it was nice, it is basically a desert island, so no tropical aspect there. Cozumel hand was more of an adventure. First of all, we had great weather, but they do get more rain so your odds will be much greater. While none of us felt unsafe, we did feel a need to be somewhat wary and alert. No gambling in Cozumel. The water was fabulous! There is some type of national park there where we snorkled right off the beach and it was fantastic; truly the fishbowl experience you are looking for! Even snorkling right off our hotel was better than what we experienced on a snorkle trip in Aruba. Negative of Cozumel is the caution you need to use with the food and water. We had group of 13, and one did get extremely ill. Speak with a doctor before you go. (I was told drink Pepto Bismal) The food prices are probably comparable to where you live; probably less than US resorts. Communication is not a problem as everyone speaks enough English. Even though Mexico was in a sense more stressful, the water and island made up for it. We thoroughly enjoyed each, in different ways.

to Nancy - the next time you back to Aruba, try the snorkelling trip offered by DePalm Tours - they take you to their own private island (has restaurant on it) and the snorkelling there is comparable to Cozumel (my other half is the snorkeler and he was very impressed with it). There is usually a guide who you can follow along behind and he will guide you through a sort of underwater roadway in the coral - apparently it was quite something to see! <BR>