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There’s no query that Cancun and Punta Cana are two of the preferred locations for an all-inclusive trip. Cancun is probably the most visited Destinations in Mexico, whereas Punta Cana is probably the most visited vacation spot within the Dominican Republic. Each location presents guests a big selection of all-inclusive properties at costs that vary from ultra-luxurious to completely reasonably priced. Both locations have been breaking records this summer time, proving that vacationers are flocking to the areas. For those that are on the fence about which space to decide on, this text will assist decide a winner!
Travel Off Path has pitted every location in opposition to one another in a head-to-head comparability to find out the very best all-inclusive vacation spot. For readability, we’ve damaged issues down into sections, together with pricing and resort choices, seashores, climate, actions, security, in addition to flight connectivity and price, and traveler curiosity.
For this comparability, we assumed a one-week trip throughout January, a peak journey month for each areas. Specifically, we selected January 14th to January 21st, with flights out and in on every of these days as properly. All costs proven are primarily based on two individuals touring collectively.
All Inclusive Costs & Options
One of the driving decision-making components for holidays is price, so it’s price exploring how Cancun and Punta Cana rank in opposition to one another. To make the comparability of properties related to extra than simply luxurious vacationers, we’ll discover two classes; 4-star properties & 5-star properties. Average prices have been discovered utilizing reserving.com and the dates of January 14th via January 21st.
Only all-inclusive properties have been thought of, and pricing information was pulled on September 5th. We combed via all obtainable properties to get a mean price of every class, and the outcomes are under:
4-Star Stack up
Number of Available 4-Star All Inclusives
Average Cost
- Cancun: $276 per evening
- Punta Cana: $239 per evening
Average User Rating Out Of 10
- Cancun: 7.68
- Punta Cana: 7.22
5-Star Stack up
Number of Available 5-Star All Inclusives
Average Cost
- Cancun: $505 per evening
- Punta Cana: $422 per evening
Average User Rating Out Of 10
- Cancun: 8.46
- Punta Cana: 8.08
Pricing: Who Wins?
Based on common costs alone, Punta Cana has the higher hand on this class.
In whole, Cancun has 74 all inclusive properties to select from, whereas Punta Cana has 72. Cancun has extra 4-star choices than Punta Cana, implying extra affordability. However, on common, Cancun’s 4-star properties are over $30 extra per evening than Punta Cana. Similarly, Cancun’s 5-star properties are, on common, about $80 extra per evening than Punta Cana. This isn’t to say that Cancun has no reasonably priced choices, although.
For occasion, the 4-star Hotel Dos Playas Faranda Cancún is simply $200 per evening for the dates explored. The least expensive choice for a 4-star keep in Punta Cana, the whala!bávaro, comes out a little bit extra reasonably priced at $187 per evening. It also needs to be famous that, on common, Cancun’s 4-star and 5-star properties have barely greater consumer rankings.
Beaches
What’s a tropical trip with out a stunning seaside? That first step onto that white-sand Caribbean seaside is nearly price the price of the flight alone. When selecting between Cancun or Punta Cana, it’s necessary to know which has seashores higher suited to your journey fashion. We’ll break down the highest 5 seashores for every vacation spot and their variations. Beach rankings have been discovered utilizing Tripadvisor.
Top 5 Punta Cana Beaches
Top 5 Cancun Beaches
Biggest Differences
The single largest distinction between seaside days in Cancun vs. Punta Cana is the extent of improvement. In Cancun, the lengthy stretch of sand within the resort zone is jam-packed with eating places, retailers, resorts, and limitless actions for vacationers to reap the benefits of.
Conversely, Punta Cana’s seashores are much less developed and supply a extra genuine tropical seaside vibe. While resorts actually dot the shores, it’s a lot simpler to discover a secluded stretch of sand to absorb the solar.
Beaches: Who Wins?
When it involves seashores, there’s no particular metric that may resolve whether or not Cancun or Punta Cana is the last word winner. However, it could possibly actually be an influencing issue when deciding which vacation spot is for you.
If you like your seaside days to be near a seemingly limitless array of actions, Cancun could also be for you. The tradeoff is that the seashores can be far more busy and crowded. But if that’s your vibe, then Cancun is ideal!
Punta Cana can be a greater place for vacationers who prefer to carve out their very own house on the seaside. However, the value you’ll pay for fewer crowds and seclusion can be much less entry to facilities. That’s actually to not say there aren’t actions and eating places to strive, merely that they don’t seem to be as condensed into one space as they’re in Cancun.
Weather
The beautiful climate provided by each Cancun and Punta Cana is without doubt one of the many causes vacationers flock to those areas over the autumn and winter. Every week of sunshine and heat climate is an excellent solution to break up the winter into extra manageable sections. January is the dry season for each areas, and rain doesn’t have a tendency to stay round. For days that it does rain, it usually storms for a brief interval and rapidly goes again to stunning sunshine.
Below, now we have laid out common temperatures and different data for the month of January in every vacation spot.
Cancun
- Temperature:
- Average – 74.6°F (23.6°C)
- High – 77.7°F (25.4°C)
- Low – 72.3°F (22.4°C)
- Rainfall Average: 9 Days with Rain, averaging 3 inches (51mm)
- Average Humidity: 71%
- Average Water Temperature: 79°F (26°C)
Punta Cana
- Temperature:
- Average – 76.6°F (24.8°C)
- Low – 74.8°F (23.8°C)
- Rainfall Average: 11 Days with Rain, averaging 2 inches (51mm)
- Average Humidity: 76%
- Average Water Temperature: 80°F (27°C)
Weather: Who Wins?
Cancun and Punta Cana have such comparable averages in January that it’s tough to find out an final winner on this class. Both locations will supply a welcome respite from the chilly of winter. However, for many who don’t prefer it too sizzling, Cancun could also be higher on common as a result of decrease humidity ranges and barely decrease common temperatures.
Activities
Cancun and Punta Cana supply a variety of actions to get pleasure from throughout your keep. The most vital distinction in choices is the fashion of actions obtainable. While there are various overlaps, corresponding to snorkeling, watersports, and swimming in cenotes, every vacation spot has its personal really feel and distinctive choices for vacationers to get pleasure from.
Cancun Activities
Cancun’s resort zone is sort of a large 15-mile-long playground. It is the guts of tourism in Mexico and is designed to supply limitless leisure to these visiting its shores. Nightclubs, eating places, procuring malls, seaside golf equipment, and extra are all only a fast taxi journey or stroll away if you keep within the resort zone. An in depth listing of each exercise obtainable would require a number of pages, so we’ve listed a couple of of observe under:
- Xoximilco Cancun – A self-named “Floating Fiesta” awaits guests heading to Xoximilco. Guests board colorfully adorned gondolas with an open bar and a three-course meal. As you enterprise via the park’s canals, you will notice many various bands and reveals. This is only one of Cancun’s many dinner reveals, nevertheless it actually units itself aside from the remainder!
- Nightlife – Cancun’s nightlife is unbelievable, and there are some wildly fashionable locations to go. Coco Bongo is a should and is arguably Cancun’s most well-known nightclub. With reside performances, balloons, confetti, bubbles, full stage lighting, unbelievable music, and far more, company will benefit from the social gathering of a lifetime.
- Day Trips Galore – Not solely is Cancun itself filled with issues to do, nevertheless it additionally has quick access to some fairly unbelievable day journeys. From Cenotes to historic ruins, many adventures await. Tulum is without doubt one of the hottest day journeys, permitting guests to go to an historic Mayan archaeological web site.
Punta Cana Activities
Punta Cana is a wonderful place for vacationers who recognize the outside and have an adventurous spirit. While it additionally has nightlife choices, there aren’t practically as many as Cancun. For an adventurous day without work the resort, vacationers can journey ATVs via the inside forests, zipline via the timber, swim in a cenote, or journey a horse on the seaside at sundown. Here are a couple of actions of observe in Punta Cana under:
- Scape Park – This 247-acre park is a good way to participate in a number of outside actions multi functional place. Swim in underground caves, zipline alongside a cliff, go caving, snorkel at Bucaneros reef, or float round within the turquoise waters of Hoyo Azul, a hidden cenote.
- Visit Saona Island – Saona Island lies off the southern coast of the Dominican Republic and is a nature reserve free from main improvement. If you need to really feel like you might be strolling alongside the seaside in an untouched tropical paradise, that is the place to do it. Day journeys embody a ship journey to the island, usually with an open bar and a buffet lunch.
- Unique Night Life – While Punta Cana could not have as many choices as Cancun with regards to nightlife, it actually has some distinctive ones. One of probably the most fascinating must be Imagine Cave Disco. Built proper into pure caves, this nightclub units the tone for what is bound to be a memorable evening.
Activities: Who Wins?
If we base the winner purely on the variety of actions provided, then Cancun is a transparent winner. However, each traveler has their very own distinctive tastes after they go to a brand new place. For vacationers seeking to spend extra time open air adventuring, Punta Cana often is the solution to go. Cancun is the way in which to go for vacationers in search of a vacation spot that feels far more city and is teeming with limitless issues to do.
Safety
All inclusive properties in Cancun and Punta Cana are thought of protected locations. When venturing away from the resorts nonetheless, guests ought to train elevated warning. The most typical crime affecting vacationers in each locations is petty theft. Criminals assume that vacationers have some huge cash, smartphones, jewellery, and different valuables.
The U.S State Department classifies The Dominican Republic and the Quintana Roo State (the place Cancun resides) as Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution. Advice from the state division for Level 2 areas consists of:
- Stay conscious of environment
- Do not resist a theft
- Don’t show indicators of wealth
- Follow native recommendation of resort or tour guides for security
Both nations ought to be protected for vacationers who persist with well-known vacationer areas and actions. However, by the numbers, Cancun comes out forward for security. Mexico has a criminal offense rate of 54.19 whereas the Dominican Republic has a criminal offense fee of 61.02. This signifies that per each 100,000 individuals, 61 of them are topic to a criminal offense within the Dominican Republic whereas 54 are topic to a criminal offense in Mexico.
Flight Connectivity and Costs
Hotel and normal prices within the space are simply two items of the puzzle when planning a visit. Another sizeable piece is flight prices and the way straightforward it’s to get to the place you’re going. Below we’ve damaged down how well-connected Cancun and Punta Cana are to the United States and Canada.
Cancun Connectivity and Cost
For the month of January, there are 40 U.S. cities and 16 Canadian cities that fly nonstop to Cancun. Notable U.S. cities with direct flights embody Miami, New York City, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Seattle. Notable Canadian cities with direct flights embody Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. Below are some costs for a round-trip ticket to Cancun from January 14th to January 21st.
Toronto to Cancun Round-Trip (YYZ to CUN)
- Price: $512
- Airline: Air Transat
- Luggage: Free Carry On, $54 Checked Bag
New York City to Cancun Round-Trip (JFK to CUN)
- Price: $356
- Airline: American Airlines
- Luggage: Free Carry On, $60 Checked Bag
Punta Cana Connectivity and Cost
For the month of January, there are 20 U.S. cities and eight Canadian cities that fly nonstop to Punta Cana. Notable U.S. cities with direct flights embody Miami, New York City, Atlanta, Austin, and Chicago. The east coast has the higher hand for flights to Punta Cana. There aren’t any direct flights to Punta Cana additional west than Austin, Texas, for the month of January.
Notable Canadian cities with direct flights embody Toronto, Montreal, and Quebec City. Below are some costs for a round-trip ticket to Punta Cana from January 14th to January 21st.
Toronto to Punta Cana Round-Trip (YYZ to PUJ)
- Price: $569
- Airline: Air Canada
- Luggage: Free Carry On, $46 Checked Bag
New York City to Punta Cana Round-Trip (JFK to PUJ)
- Price: $470
- Airline: JetBlue
- Luggage: Free Carry On, $60 Checked Bag
Flights: Who Wins?
Cancun is the winner with regards to each flight connectivity and flight costs. While flights to Punta Cana aren’t overwhelmingly costlier, Cancun persistently has decrease costs. Also, Cancun has double the variety of direct flights to each the U.S. and Canada. Cancun additionally has additional reaching nonstop flights, whereas Punta Cana solely goes as far west as Austin, Texas. As Punta Cana continues to develop in recognition, we’ll doubtless see extra cities providing direct flights. For now, nonetheless, Cancun is cheaper and simpler to fly to.
Traveler Interest
One key indication of the final inhabitants’s curiosity in one thing is how many individuals seek for it on Google. To see how individuals have been in Cancun and Punta Cana over the past yr, we in contrast the 2 utilizing Google Trends.
Looking on the graph above, we are able to see that for the previous yr, Punta Cana has been about half as fashionable as Cancun with regards to Google searches. However, this doesn’t essentially imply that Cancun is best, merely that it’s looked for extra usually. Also, this solely takes under consideration searches inside the United States.
The Bottom Line
Cancun and Punta Cana each supply unbelievable all-inclusive experiences for vacationers heading for hotter climate and sandy shores. Which one comes out on prime will in the end be a choice for every particular person traveler.
Cancun is best linked and cheaper to fly to, presents limitless actions, and has world-class seashores with unbelievable facilities proper alongside the shore. If you might be after quick access to actions, late-night events, and a extra full of life vibe, Cancun is for you.
Punta Cana has cheaper lodging, presents extra secluded seaside experiences, and caters to vacationers who get pleasure from adventuring open air after they aren’t enjoyable at certainly one of its luxurious all-inclusive properties. If you might be after a location that feels much less developed and extra genuine, Punta Cana is for you.
Both locations supply superb experiences that can be remembered for a lifetime, and both one can be properly price a go to. Punta Cana and Cancun are each winners in our guide. The finest recommendation we can provide vacationers questioning which one to decide on can be… select each!
This article initially appeared on Travel Off Path. For the newest breaking information that may have an effect on your subsequent journey, please go to: Traveloffpath.com
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