Cancun vs Playa del Carmen vs Tulum

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What’s the best (Mexico) Quintana Roo beach city for you?

  • Cancun’s hotel resort vibe?
  • Playa del Carmen’s walkable dense city vibe?
  • Tulum’s eco-bohemian spiritual Oasis vibe?

Finding the perfect vibe is always your best bet. The right balance between people and nature. Peace and quiet, as well as having things to do. Bars, cafes, restaurants, daily activities. And also to meet the kind of folks you’d like in your tribe.

I’ve been to all 3 numerous times and can help you sort out options.

Cancun

Cancun is a big beach city with a nice resort-ey hotel zone.

For decades and probably even still today, Cancun was probably THE destination everyone thinks of when they hear the word “Mexico”. Picture drunk American tourists on spring break, behaving obnoxiously on beaches and hotel pools. Wild drinking and sex, seemingly without any rules or care in the world. Mexico was seen as America’s backyard porta potty. Go here and do whatever you want with it.

But Cancun was on Mexico’s east coast. On its west coast, Cabo San Lucas would be Cancun’s equivalent. Same idea…a city with tons of resort hotels all catering to foreigners. So pretty much…all west coast Americans went to Cabo and west coast Americans went to Cancun. And the europeans went to Cancun as well.

PROS of Cancun:

  • Very big and established city.
  • Lots of hotels and places to stay at all price points.
  • Vibrant nightlife with many big clubs, and can cater to all levels of clientele (from poor locals to rich foreigners).
  • Nice beaches, nice sand and blue water. Well maintained throughout the year.
  • Many activities and tours to choose from. Can be very convenient for families.
  • Many restaurants, cafes, bars, etc.
  • Big city convenience. Such as like official stores, repair shops, or specialty things that you would only find at a big main city.
  • Cancun International Airport (CUN) is nearby.
  • Cartel activity here seems very organized and peacefully co-existing with each other and the police/army force. Cancun is very safe in tourist zones, pretty much the only areas you’ll be going.
  • The hotel zone is a like a long island strip with water on both sides (making for nice water views), although the beach is only on one side. The other side is a basically a crocodile lagoon and not swimmable.

CONS of Cancun:

  • Lacks a vibe or atmosphere. Feels too commercial. Feels like a fake city built exclusively for tourists. Too touristy in a commercial sense.
  • Local areas can feel dangerous and/or have many seedy characters walking by on the streets. A latin person who speaks Spanish might feel comfortable, but an American or European may not.
  • Beaches and nicest areas of Cancun feel like they’re only for tourists. Like an economic divide between the HAVES and the HAVE NOTS.
  • Not much to do within the “safe areas”. Feels too commercial and not fun. Despite it being a big city, there isn’t much to do and see on a day-to-day basis. Not many local hangout spots IMO.
  • Lacks nature. Cancun is like a giant concrete jungle. Where all the nature stuff is OUTSIDE of Cancun and requires a tour or transportation to get to.
  • Outside of tourist zones can feel more dangerous. Even if nothing happens, you might feel very uncomfortable by how run down things can appear. As typical with any big city, Cancun can look really “urban” or ghetto in some areas.
  • Cancun feels really big. Like you have to take a taxi to go anywhere outside of your neighborhood. Otherwise, it’s lots and lots of walking on giant streets and past strip malls to get anywhere.

Overall thoughts about Cancun

Unless you want to buy/rent a cheap big place that you couldn’t find in Playa del Carmen or Tulum, I don’t see any point in Cancun. I see zero reasons to visit when nearby Playa del Carmen and Tulum have a much better vibe. I suppose if you were only stopping by Mexico for 1 day and didn’t want to do the 1-hr bus from Cancun to Playa del Carmen…then fine, just stay in Cancun.

But otherwise…go to Playa del Carmen or Tulum. They’re so much better than Cancun. Way better vibe. Way better everything. I feel the only people who go to Cancun are the ones who didn’t research anything and just went here because they heard about it in movies or pop culture references.

Playa del Carmen

Playa del Carmen is a walkable mid-size beach city with a busy boardwalk and lots of foreigners.

You could arguably say that anything good Cancun has, PDC has more of it. When I visited PDC the first time, I easily got stuck and stayed there for 4 months. Loving every day of it. I even left and then came back to it numerous during those months, seeing my beloved home base with different lens each time. Depending on who you talk to, PDC is either lots of fun or a place you should absolutely avoid.

I would say Playa del Carmen is the REAL Cancun of Mexico today. In that it’s the REAL beach party destination in Mexico. Many accommodation options to stay and bigger touristy beach area means more people (young & old) coming to party here. Tons of locals and foreigners living side-by-side. Even many Mexicans from other parts of Mexico will move here to enjoy the beach and life opportunities (more jobs available, or to establish a new business). Playa del Carmen has grown so much from a tiny beach town to what feels like a full city, with many things available to you.

PROS of Playa del Carmen:

  • Beaches are really accessible.
  • Beach area and adjacent street are setup to be for pedestrians only, creating a super long nice walkable area.
  • Long walkable area means you have tons of hotels, hostels, apartments, shops, food places, hangout spots…all right near the beach. Main bus stations and “collectivo” shuttle stops are all walkable as well. You never have to take a taxi anywhere unless you’re too lazy to walk, or late for a dinner reservation. And even then, only $2-5 takes you anywhere you’d want to go.
  • You can easily be just a block (or 2) away from the beach, and for very little money, since there’s so many options available.
  • There are many places to stay at. You can be near the main busy street. You can be a few streets farther and just chill on rooftop pools while looking out at the sea. You can stay further away from the busy areas and have quieter spots but still be right next to the beach. You can stay in the fancy gated neighborhood (Playacar) where many “rich” Mexicans and foreigners live. Or go cheap and stay at a hostel.
  • Staying in close proximity to the beach makes for a 24/7 beach vibe. Tons of people in sexy beach wear almost all day and night. Lots of places ranging from fancy to casual. Lots of people.
  • Lots of bars and clubs to choose from. Many hostels to party at.
  • Busy areas are enjoyed by both foreigners and locals. Lots more authentic interaction between foreigners & locals. Feels like a city everyone can enjoy.
  • More shopping options (in terms of malls and familiar brands, department stores, also small shops).
  • More communities available. Like expats, business, latin dance (tango, salsa, bachata), etc. I feel they’re bigger here than in Cancun and Tulum. I’d say bigger than Cancun or Tulum.
  • Much more to do. Many things nearby and also tours in every direction. While PDC is smaller than Cancun, it’s main walkable/tourist areas are much bigger. And therefore, you could say its experience feels like a bigger city. Whereas Cancun is bigger geographically but you’ll probably never leave the hotel zone (due to inconvenience).
  • Playa del Carmen is conveniently located between both Cancun and Tulum. With also other notable small beach towns nearby (Puerto Morelos, Akumal, Playa Paraiso, Puerto Aventuras, etc).
  • Feels much safer and more free-er and fun than in Cancun.

CONS of Playa del Carmen:

  • Too touristy in a population sense. Tons of tourists on the main boardwalk street near the beach. Tons of people everywhere. Just feels like you’re at Disneyland everyday.
  • Beaches are not as nice as Cancun and Tulum. Theirs appear more blue throughout the year.
  • Beaches are more crowded than in Cancun and Tulum since they’re more accessible. But Cancun beaches have fewer people since it’s in the hotel zone where locals don’t go. Tulum beaches have fewer people because it’s far from the local area and also many of them cost money, inhibiting many people from going.
  • PDC attracts the young rowdy party crowd. I personally don’t see this as a problem. If you don’t like them, just avoid them and the areas they go. There’s plenty of places where you won’t have to deal with them.
  • Lack of centralized fancy spots. While PDC does have some fancy restaurants and area where people with money go, you can feel like the vibe can be too casual.
  • Cartel rivalry here seems slightly more active than in Cancun. They sometimes fight each other, causing collateral damage (innocent bystanders get shot/killed). It’s rare when it happens and I still felt super safe nonetheless. But important to note. I’m sure Cancun probably has more cartel inter-fighting but they never happen in the hotel zone. Whereas in the PDC, the tourist area and local areas are close.

Overall feelings about Playa del Carmen

I don’t care what anyone says. PDC is awesome. There’s something for everyone. Super walkable, cheap and easy access to the beach. A tourist area that’s enjoyed by everyone, not only tourists. Lots of foreigners and locals living peacefully side-by-side. Many shops, bars, cafes, and restaurants. It’s a great beach town to be.

Anybody with complaints about PDC obviously didn’t spend much time there like I did. If you don’t like people, don’t stay in the busy areas. Simple as that. PDC has tons to offer and most people never scope it out completely. They look at one annoying part and (unfairly) paint the entire town with that image.

The 2 legit drawbacks about PDC is the beauty of the beach and the crowd. Some of you might want prettier beaches and a flashier, more exclusive vibe, and the people that caters to. In which case…look to Tulum!

Tulum

Tulum is a eco-bohemian hippie-spiritual fancy beach town.

Some people think Tulum is the coolest and nicest beach spot in all of Mexico. They love the posh fancy hippie vibe. Hordes of body-beautiful “influencers”, crypto bros and pretty girls, hamming it up for Instagram all day and night. Lots of hippie-vibe accommodations with hammocks and vegan menus.

Others think Tulum is the most disgusting slice of humanity. A paradise only for spoiled entitled superficial foreigners preaching psuedo-spirituality and “mindfulness” as they wear expensive boutique bathing suits on boat tours at day, and fancy outfits at expensive restaurants at night.

PROS of Tulum:

  • It’s fancier. You can find both fancy vibes, the commercial fancy vibe (think highend fancy hotel) as well as casual fancy (think hippie oasis vibe). The latter is extremely popular here among a certain crowd.
  • Lots of spiritual/hippie people. Some of them are true spiritual “awaken” zen people. Others are just hot chicks pretending to play the part in their sexy beach outfits, and then a bunch of dudes with money trying to hang out with those girls. Pretty much the same type of people who would go to Burning Man.
  • Beaches are indeed nice. Nice blue water and more natural “raw” appearance with palm trees on the sand. (Whereas Cancun & PDC feel like commercial “maintained” beaches that are just long banks of sand and water.)
  • Exclusive. Beaches are pretty much entirely controlled by the hotel zone and not accessible to the public unless you’re staying at the property. The only publicly-accessible beaches require payment to enter.
  • Fewer people on beaches…thanks to the reasons above.
  • Tons of fancy restaurants, clubs, bars, cafes, and bougie or boutique shops. Basically catering to hipsters and people with money. If you wanna flash…Tulum is perfect for it.
  • Many nice places to stay. Lots of the fancy casual. Many hotels, hostels, AirBnB’s, and something in between. That all have nice sexy modern pools and lounge hippie hammock setups.
  • Tons of foreigners. Some areas of the neighborhood seem to have almost only foreigners. But maybe you don’t like this.
  • Lots of nature nearby. You feel like you’re in a nature oasis, or like a city within nature. Even daily walks out of your accommodation to the nearby convenience store will require walking on unpaved road, across jungle terrain and many trees.
  • Jungle parties. Many jungle parties to do drugs and hear cool house music.
  • On paper, the most desirable city between the 3 beach cities. Feels the most vibey. Cool but also peaceful beach vibes.

CONS of Tulum:

  • The people. Maybe you love the type of people found in Tulum. But many people hate them. Too much superficial type of people. Which is fine if you’re here with some friends and plan to be hanging out on your own anyway.
  • Disconnect from locals. Seems most locals are super poor, and too far culturally from visiting foreigners. I enjoyed my interactions much more with the locals in PDC.
  • Not walkable. Tulum is a big town land-wise. Going between city center and the hotel zone (beach area) is easily a $10 taxi ride each time. It costs $10 even if you’re trying to go from one part of the hotel zone to the other. Yes, it’s a ripoff charge to all foreigners. Walking would be 30-60 mins depending where you are, biking 10-15 minutes. It’s super inconvenient if you’re not staying right on the beach.
  • Expensive. Trying to be anywhere near the beach is sure to be expensive, or even worse…completely booked out. Luckily you do have many other options that although are not the beach, still have a nice “beach vibe”.
  • More active cartel activity. Tulum is for the most part safe and you’ll probably never hear or experience issues. But indeed the city is developing fast and cartels are fighting for newly-created turf. The big tourist money is here, meaning more drugs are here, meaning more cartels are fighting for turf to sell these drugs. Sometimes foreigners and innocent bystanders are hit during cartel battles. I don’t mean to scare you but I saw a body on my first day here. Other friends of mine ducked, screamed, and crawled across broken glass when a cartel shootout happened just outside the popular club they were at.

Overall feelings about Tulum

Whereas Cancun is good for a weekend visit, and PDC good for a week. Tulum really is a hate or love it type of place. Either you love it and wanna stay forever, or hate it and can’t wait to leave the next day. It’s got a very strong vibe and culture. That may not appeal to everyone.

Nonetheless, I do recommend a visit to Tulum as it has many beautiful things to offer. And can be super enjoyable even if you’re not into that superficial pseudo-spiritual vibe. Although Tulum is known for its posh side, it also has a wide range of more affordable places to eat and stay.

Final conclusions on all 3

Cancun is a total miss for me. Even if you like it, it’s only worth a weekend stay. The most Cancun thing to is to stay in the hotel zone (looks like island strip), either at a hotel resort (if you have money) or a hostel (Mayan Monkey, or Selina)…then visit nearby beaches, restaurants, bars, cafes, clubs. After 1 or 2 days, you will have felt like you’ve seen everything and it’s time to move on. Nobody stays. And there’s no further reward for lingering around.

Playa del Carmen was my beloved home. It’s tourist area is huge and with many places to visit. You could easily be here a month and still not have seen everything. Tons of expats and foreigners live here, allowing you to feel rooted and develop mini-family circles. Having closer interactions with locals (many of them having moved here from other places in Mexico) make you feel more engaged with local Mexican culture. Tons to do and see at all hours of the day and night. Many places to stay, catering to any budget, and best of all…the beach is always just a block away. 2-3 days is enough to few the vibe, but you’ll have plenty of activities and friends to fill a month of your time.

Tulum is a place where I enjoy my visits, but don’t like the other foreigners and don’t want to stay long. Maybe you’ll like the superficial type of people, or don’t like people at all. In which case, Tulum’s oasis vibe lets you enjoy the beach vibe 24/7 even if your place isn’t near the beach. Beaches are more beautiful and also less crowded. Lots of boutiques ranging from cute, unique, fancy, and a mix between. Hipster cafes and bars. Good selection of clubs and also jungle parties (for ultimate party freedom). Lots of nature and eco-reserves around. A couple days is nice, but you might want more days to relax and chill or explore nature.

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