Choosing between destinations
 

Greetings,

I want to take my 8-year old son (father/son trip) to Mexico in April.

I'm debating between Cabo, Cozumel, and Puerto Vallarta.

Looking to do swimming with dolphins, zip lining, and such.

Something not too touristy, but not too remote either :-)

Any recommendations (other places in Mexico open to consideration!) ?

Thanks in advance.

-S

I would suggest Costa Rica -- no swimming with dolphins but many other wildlife encounters. Fly into San Jose with first night at Peace Lodge then transfer to Arenal area. Many great activities for father/son...yes there are other tourist but you won't feel overwhelmed.

I'm not a fan at all of swimming with captive dolphins, Puerto Vallarta does have a tour swimming with wild dolphins where you go out on a boat and there is a naturalist onboard. Lots of great restaurants to eat at in Puerto Vallarta as well at all price points.

Have been also to the Riviera Maya at least 11-12 times and love that area although I have not been to Cozumel yet, usually stay in Akumal and sometimes a few nights on Isla Mujeres. The only drawback to Coz is if you want to do any touring, like visiting Mayan ruins, cenotes, etc. you have to take the ferry each way which adds to your travel time. Otherwise I've heard the snorkeling and diving is great.

Puerto Vallarta is my favorite. but I think any of the 3 of them have what you seek.

Where are you flying from? Cabo is a significantly shorter flight for some people.

PV is a Great first trip to Mexico. So much to see/do there.

www.bookit.com

Cabo Pueblo Bonito

or Dreams AI for me

better values less rain...

Thanks for the feedback.

If I added a sense of local culture, would your suggestions change?

S

We've been to PV and Cozumel. I would say the Playa del Carmen/Mayan Riviera area of Mexico.

You can swim with the dolphins at Xel-Ha and zip lining plus other activities at Xplor. You son would probably enjoy Xcaret. There are Mayan ruins and cenotes for swimming. A good sense of local culture. 5th Avenue in Playa Del Carmen has tons of restaurants and shops. There are numerous things to see and do in that area.

Check out http://www.playadelcarmentours.com/ for a good reference of things to see and do. We have used this company several times.

Yes, Vallarta definitely wins for "local culture" of the three places you asked about.

I think a lot will depend on where you live. The 3 places you are considering have very similar activities and weather.