Cozumel or Playa Del Carmen?

I have been visiting this area for years. I have friends that are locals of Cozumel as well. The information they have recently given me is that Cozumel is still very safe. Playa is safe enough but definitely less safe than Cozumel. They are both beautiful and really nice places to spend a vacation. I would recommend flying into Cozumel. The airport is smaller than Cancun and much easier to get in and out of.

I got married in Playa del Carmen four years ago. It depends what you want out of the vacation. If you want to primarily dive, I would go to Cozumel. If you want to be in a beautiful town and walk to restaurants and drive to the jungle, ruins and cenotes, I'd go to Playa del Carmen. You can get to Playa del Carmen via Cancun and then an hour or so drive or from Cozumel and then a boat ride. I believe this area is safe, but if you are a little worried, flying to Cozumel and then the boat may be the safest just because you will avoid Cancun (but again, check advisories and ask around as there may be no issue whatsoever and I don't want this post to raise any red flags). If you stay on the north side of Playa del Carmen, you will get resorts that are still in walking distance to town. In the center of town there will be resorts and the beaches will be more crowded. At the south end of town is where the party bars and ferry dock is located (I'd avoid that area just for noise with a family). Just south of town, still within walking distance, is Playacar. This is an upscale residential area where there are lots of vacation rentals. We rented a place here with our friends the week before our wedding (vrbo.com) and then moved to the resort where the wedding was being held (Las Palapas). The vacation rental was very affordable and gave us a kitchen, pool, living room area. Our wedding coordinator was incredible, her name is Manuela Ek de Novak ____@____.com.

There are some water parks around there geared toward families. Tulum is spectacular and you can swim on the beach there. We had a three month old, one, two and four year old at our wedding. They went to all of these places and had a great time. Best of luck. Wish I was headed there myself.

My husband and I went on a fabulous trip last April to Riviera Maya (between Cancun and Cozumel, flew into Cancun). It was an adults-only resort but the company also has family-friendly resorts in the same area. The food was wonderful. The people were friendly. Very clean and organized. 24-hour room service and concierge. Here's the link: http://www.karismahotels.com/brand/azul-hotels-karisma. We arranged this through www.vacationstogo.com/resorts. Wonderful, unforgettable experience. Good luck!

We went to Playa Del Carmen in 2005, and stayed at the Ibero Star 5 star Resort. It was a wonderful experience! Our room was steps from the beach!! Cancun is a more "younger" group (teenagers) vacation destination and Playa is more of a family oriented place for kids and families to hang out in. My opnion, hope it helps you out!

I've been there both!

I would say go for Playa del Carmen to stay there at one of the resort, but you can go to Cozumel for a day. I would not go there for Spring Break with our elementary aged kids!

I would sugguest to go Disney World, Disneyland, or Disney Cruise. We had GREAT vacation with our kids there!!!

We honeymooned in Playa in 2005 and LOVED it!!! We stayed at an all inclusive place right on the beach at the North end of town. We also snorkeled off Cozumel so we got to check it out too. I would highly recommend Playa over Cozumel, especially if you're bringing kids. It feels like a more self-contained area that is family friendly with lots to do. Cozumel gets all kinds of people coming and going because the cruise ships dock there, and it felt/looked a lot dirtier/ unmaintained/ broken down.

We just went to the Riviera Maya in dec. 3 adults, 3 yr. old and 6 mo . old. We stayed at Dreams. It is perfectly safe in these lovely resorts. All inclusive is the way to go! This resort bends over backwards for you. Your kids will love it and so will you!

My husband and I went to Playa del Carmen in 2009. We had a fabulous time. We stayed at Mosquito Blue which is a boutique hotel right off of the main street. It was beautiful. Since you're taking kids I would suggest one of the resorts. Personally, any thing can happen anywhere you go so the safety issue applies to any place.

Coz, very safe and you can get a flight right onto the island, worth the extra money. Been there a couple of times. Someday i would love to visit other areas on the mainland. But if it is a family vac will be ging back to Cozumel. ElCozumelina has a great snorknling area. The resort maybe a bit loud though. Next door to that is Melia, which is wear stayed last, not to fancy, but loved the beach area and it was an easy walk to go snorkling in front Of Elcoz. Probably not the nicest resort, but I loved the location as it was the furthest north and I loved being able to walk up and down the beach.

To say these resorts are perfectly safe is idiotic. There is known violence throughout Mexico and you take an elevated risk by going there.

Well, I think it's a massive stretch to say resorts are safe. Just a few weeks ago, 14 people (maybe more?) were killed in a "resort" town. They might have been drug dealers. The point is the violence has more then trickled into resort towns. There is a standing travel advisory warning US citizens. I can't see how it's worth risking with children. I have a friend who recently took her family to Paradise Island, in the Bahamas. They had a family friendly resort, that she said was wonderful and safe. I'm sorry I don't remember the name of the resort, but I'm sure it would be easy to find on google.

Been to Mexico a bunch of times. Depends on what you want. If it's a beach I would pick Riviera Maya. If it's diving, Cozumel is where you need to go.
There is not any international traveling that is 100% safe. If you travel with an all inclusive travel co. you should be fine. Stay at the resort or do some shopping in the downtown area during the day and you should be alright.
Spring break is a real yucky time to go if you are not going to party with college students. lol Usually the closer to Cancun you get the more rowdy it tends to be. I'd search Fun-jet and then research the hotels on http://www.tripadvisor.com/ for current reviews.
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