Playa del Carmen, or Cabo
 

Looking at traveling in April, girls getaway... late 20's, early 30's...

Any thoughts? We are looking at the Riu Palace Cabo, or the Royal Playa del Carmen.... any thoughts or comments?

Which town is "safer" and more enjoyable to walk in at night and so on...

PDC is fine as long as you stay out of downtown CanCun

but overall Cabo less dodgy and safer and less rain

although landscape is quite deserty and stark and beaches

are not as white as PDC.

travel.state.gov Mexico for a heads up insuremytrip.com wise

Personally prefer PDC more to do Tulum xel-ha.com ruins etc

Beaches whiter water warmer...

mexico.bookit.com

great sales on both

I've been to Playa and the surrounding area many many times. If you want miles of white sand beaches, azure blue water, great food and nightlife in a safe environment, it's hard to beat this part of Mexico. I've strolled onto the Royal's grounds a few times - if you're into all-inclusives (I'm not), the Royal would be a great choice. It's right in the heart of the nicest part of downtown Playa, and it's on a beautiful piece of real estate. At night Playa becomes party central with lots of Italians, Americans and Mexicans having a great time. Have you checked out locogringo.com ?

Both places are safe as tourists if you are talking about personal safety.

Like anywhere you need to keep you wits about you when traveling (for example I read a complaint on a forum about a lady who managed to get her purse stolen on the beach in Cabo, but come on now, who takes their expensive purse to the beach?)

But the RIU in Cabo is a bit of a hike, as far as distance from the downtown core. For Cabo I'd suggest staying right on Medano Beach. It's the only swimmable stretch and is lined with fun beach bars and restaurants. And only 10 mins. into downtown where the clubs, shopping, and more great restaurants are.

The advantage to PdC is that it is the Caribbean side so the postcard setting turquoise water, white sand, swimmable beaches. I've yet to get to Playa del Carmen myself but it's definitely a fun town you can walk around in for shoppings, bars, restaurants.

Have you considered Puerto Vallarta? That's my personal favorite spot.

other than a short trip to Rosarito Beach after a San Diego business trip, Ive never been to Baja - but I have been to the west coast of Mexico and there is no comparison to the Playa area for white sand and snorkeling/diving.

Since snorkeling is my priority, and flights to Cancun are non-stop, cheap and frequent from NYC, that would be my choice. Obviously - you dont stay in Cancun - Playa is almost as close to Cancun Intl airport as Cancun is. Since I do a lot of travel around the Yucatan, I do stay in downtown Cancun for a night before flying out sometimes. Walk all over - have never had any problems. There are some very poor neighborhoods, and I feel for the people who live there, but there is no reason why any visitor would ever happen upon those neighborhoods.

I cant comment on the hotel, since I dont stay in AIs and have no clue where any of them are in relation to anything else.

Another major advantage of Playa is the proximity to the Mayan ruins and cenotes. There is a lot more to do than sit on the beach.

suitcaseready.com

I think both places have their perks. Cabo can be fun, we did the ATVs and kayaking, but the water is really cold. In PDC the beaches are beautiful and warm. The main street in PDC is def happening, but there is so much more to do. You can visit the ruins, the cenote (underground pools), Tulum, take a ferry to Cozumel (may be a lit too low key). Plus I love tropical weather and don't mind humidity. I can't really say anything about the resorts, because its not my thing, but trip advisor may have reviews on those.

Regardless of what you decide, you'll have a blast!

Oh! And both felt safe to me, just use common sense like in any touristy place.