Playa Del Carmen vs Puerto Vallarta
My boyfriend and I are planning to go to mexico early february. we initially planned to go to PV, but our dates got changed and the hotel we were supposed to book isnt available for the new dates. Now we can't find a hotel in the romantic zone with a pool within our budget, so we will either have to pay more for the hotel and miss out on a couple activities, or stay somewhere cheaper farther away which changes what we're able to do. I'm having trouble finding as much to do in Playa del carmen. I went there a few years ago and stayed in an all inclusive, and we went on one excursion but it was way overcrowded and not very fun to be honest. I have also been to PV, though i was a lot younger, and the excursion we went on was so much fun and the tour guides were so nice and just seemed more private and intimate even though there was a bunch of us. i made a pros and cons list as well as an itinerary for both places, I have done more research on PV vs PDC so I might be biased but thats why i put a question mark next to some of my points. I'm curious to see what others think about this, currently im leaning towards PV still but if I'm wrong about things to do in PDC then I would much rather book there!
PV pros
- there are many excursions we have looked into that we are excited for that I cant seem to find anything similar in PDC
- better food (?)
- flights are $100 cheaper
PV cons
- we won't be able to get a very nice hotel
- hotel may cause our itinerary to change if we can't easily go back to our room
PDC pros
- way nicer, cheaper accommodation
- airbnb in a good location
- nicer water and beaches
PDC cons
- seems more touristy (?)
- less excursions / excursions seem less intimate (?)
- not sure what to do there thats relaxing but also not boring (when i research activities, many of them are just ATV, zipline, cenote tours which im not too interested in)
OPTION 1: PV
day 1: arrive at 6pm, check in to hotel, go get something to eat and relax for the night
day 2: get breakfast, walk around town, check out shops, check out the beach, get lunch, go back to hotel and get ready, go to rhythms of the night
day 3: get breakfast, meet at point for 'sea safari and beach bbq' (tour fishing village, mule ride, buffet lunch w open bar, snorkeling, paddleboarding on secluded beach), get back to hotel, nap, dinner at la palapa
day 4: relax in the morning, majahuitas beach club 1:30pm-10:30pm, go back to hotel
day 5: sleep in, relax by the pool or go to the beach, get lunch, 6:00pm private sunset beach picnic, back to hotel
day 6: 8 hour fishing excursion, go back to hotel and rest, dinner at resteraunte barcelona tapas
day 7: relax day. go back and do anything we saw that looked cool, or just go with the flow
day 8: shop/explore, get lunch, fly back home
OPTION 2: PDC
day 1: arrive in PDC at 8am, rent car, drive to tulum, check into jungle airbnb w/ private pool, go for dinner
day 2: 8 hour fishing excursion from tulum, get dinner, relax at airbnb
day 3: explore tulum, check out cenotes, drive to playa del carmen, return rental car, check into hotel, get dinner
day 4: get breakfast, explore the area, sunset catamaran dinner cruise in the evening
day 5: atv tour and secret caves OR horseback riding
day 6: possible beach club? or beach day
day 7: ???
day 8: fly home