Pam

Have narrowed down travel plans to Cozumel/Playa del Carmen vs. St. Lucia. Has anyone been to these destinations that could give me comparisons and advice?

lisa

I have not been to Cozumel or Playa, but have been to Puerto Aventuras which is just a few km from Playa, and have also been to Isla Mujeres off the coast near Cancun. While the beaches in this part of Mexico are lovely and there is good snorkeling to be had, in my opinion it is not nearly as beautiful as St. Lucia. St. Lucia is lush and mountainous and dramatic and has gorgeous tropical flowers and foliage, whereas the part of Mexico you're considering is flat and relatively dry. Mexico is significantly less expensive than St. Lucia though, if that is a consideration. Also, it may depend on where you are thinking of staying on St. Lucia. The northern part near Castries where most of the big resorts are located is not as beautiful as the southwest coast near Soufriere, where there are a handful of lovely places to stay. Also, if you are interested in Mayan ruins, obviously Mexico has those and St. Lucia does not. However, on St. Lucia you can go hiking in the rainforest and swimming in lots of waterfalls, which you can't do in Cozumel or Playa. The beaches in the area of Mexico you're considering have white sand and turquoise water; most of the beaches in St. Lucia have darker volcanic sand (except for several beaches where they import white sand) and the water is more of an emerald green color. If you are looking for more nightlife or party atmosphere then you will find more of that in Playa and hardly any on St. Lucia. We loved St. Lucia for the peace and the gorgeous natural beauty and relaxation; we liked Mexico for the ruins and the beaches and the fact that we could enjoy ourselves pretty inexpensively. St. Lucia is less developed and less touristy than the area around Playa, that's for sure. The roads in Mexico are much better than on St. Lucia. You can drink the water and eat anything you want on St. Lucia without getting sick (unless you feel sick when you get your bill and see how much things cost); you can't drink the water in Mexico or have anything with ice made from unpurified water or have any fruits/veggies washed in unpurified water. Bottom line: as long as money isn't an issue and you aren't looking to go dancing every night, I personally would choose St. Lucia, hands-down (and stay at either Ladera, Jalousie Hilton, or Anse Chastanet). But that's me.

KVR

We have been to Cozumel x4, Playa del Carmen x3 and St. Lucia x1. I agree with everything Lisa has already stated. One of the main reason we keep returning to Mexico is it's less expensive and easier to get to.

Jamaica is very much comparable to St. Lucia and also less expensive. If you haven't been to either it just depends on what your looking for in a vacation and your overall budget. Cozumel is way more laid back than Playa del Carmen. Playa del Carmen has more things to see and do.

If your interested, we have all our vacation pics for these destinations as well as others posted at:

http://community.webshots.com/user/kvrlvn

sassy_cat

This question was asked 10 years ago...

KVR

Darn, I never look at the dates that the thread was started.

Looks like Theresa_Edward brought the thread back to life to self promote her company. Isn't that against Fodor's policies?