kh6611

I am considering a trip to Mexico and personally love the beaches in Cancun, however my boyfriend is apprehensive b/c of the typical stigma associated w/ cancun (young, crazy partiers). While we would appreciate some nightlife, he is put off by the idea of a crazy party town. Any suggestions.

Ultimately, the most important thing is the beach!!

virginia

look at the resorts around playa del carmen. about 40 mins south of cancun. pdc has plenty to do and there must be 20 resorts in the immed. area. you can ferry to cozumal for the day as well. about 45 mins north of tulum ruins.

Little_Man

Cancun used to be amazing, until the hurricanes took most of the beach away. They've worked hard to restore the beach, though.
Tulum is incredible.
If you can afford it, Maroma is the hotel to stay at for a great beach.

zootsi

There are great beaches all along the coast south of Cancun. Have you checked out locogringo.com ?

KatW

Seconding the recommendation of Playa del Carmen. We just spent a week at Shangri La Caribe on the north end of town and loved it. Best beach vacation in ages. Also Isla de Mujeres (an island off the coast at Cancun) and Cozumel (a larger island off the coast at Playa del Carmen) are less teen/kid/crazy intensive.

Also recommend Tulum and the entire strip of coast between Playa del Carmen and Tulum.

schmerl

Check out places in Akumal and Tulum. the beaches in those places are great.

Otis_B_Driftwood

You don't say when you are considering going to Mexico. If going in the summer, my preference would be the Pacific Coast instead of the Caribbean with Cabo probably being my first choice.

In the winter, the Mexican Riviera - Ixtapa, Puerto Vallarta, Manzanillo, etc. are great destinations. So are Cancun and the Mayan Riviera.

We just returned from Cancun and the Mayan Riviera - Tulum and Playa del Carmen. I'm not sure we would go back there in April and May. The sun is extremely hot, the wind blew the whole time, and there were a lot of jelly fish in the water.

In Cancun, we spent a week and it was too rough to swim in the ocean every day we were there. There was so much wind, we couldn't enjoy our oceanfront balcony in the hotel room except in the mornings. As far as night life is concerned, you have to take a cab to get anywhere in Cancun unless you pick the right hotel. The hotel zone in Cancun is really spread out.

Another option is Isla Mujeres which offers a great beach scene with much smaller hotels. We stayed there a few years ago and really enjoyed it but I'm not sure what it would be like with the windy conditions we encountered this Spring.

Playa del Carmen is a delight at night with its pedestrian promenade, outdoor restaurants, and multitude of bars. However, the beach scene is not my cup of tea. The beach is wall to wall people (like Coney Island), the water is very calm and has no surf, and there were tons of jellyfish. It's incredible how much Playa has grown in the past 10 years. They should put a stop to the development before it's ruined.

Tulum is more laid back and peaceful with no large hotels. Most of the places are cabana style and there are many options in a variety of price ranges. The beaches are not very crowded and some are clothing optional. There's not much nightlife but there are a lot of very good restaurants and some offer music in the evening. Tulum is a great place to get away from it all and find true relaxation. The water here is more interesting than Playa because there is some surf and there are also snorkeling options nearby. However, there were also jelly fish when we were there. There was a special kind where the larve gets under your clothes and sting you when you try to wash them off. Definitely a good reason to try swimming "au naturel". We were told that conditions were better in the late fall and winter and that's when we would consider returning.