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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 essentially the most visited Destinations in Mexico, whereas Punta Cana is essentially the most visited vacation spot within the Dominican Republic. Each location affords guests a wide array 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 most effective 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 value, 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 nicely. All costs proven are based mostly on two folks touring collectively.
All Inclusive Costs & Options
One of the driving decision-making elements 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 are going to 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 median price of every class, and the outcomes are beneath:
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 complete, 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 possibility for a 4-star keep in Punta Cana, the whala!bávaro, comes out a little bit extra reasonably priced at $187 per evening. It must also be famous that, on common, Cancun’s 4-star and 5-star properties have barely greater person rankings.
Beaches
What’s a tropical trip with no lovely seashore? That first step onto that white-sand Caribbean seashore is sort of price the price of the flight alone. When selecting between Cancun or Punta Cana, it’s essential to know which has seashores higher suited to your journey type. 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 seashore days in Cancun vs. Punta Cana is the extent of growth. In Cancun, the lengthy stretch of sand within the resort zone is jam-packed with eating places, retailers, inns, and infinite actions for vacationers to make the most of.
Conversely, Punta Cana’s seashores are much less developed and supply a extra genuine tropical seashore vibe. While inns definitely 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 final word winner. However, it may possibly definitely be an influencing issue when deciding which vacation spot is for you.
If you favor your seashore days to be near a seemingly infinite array of actions, Cancun could also be for you. The tradeoff is that the seashores will likely be rather more busy and crowded. But if that’s your vibe, then Cancun is ideal!
Punta Cana will likely be a greater place for vacationers who prefer to carve out their very own house on the seashore. However, the worth you’ll pay for fewer crowds and seclusion will likely be much less entry to facilities. That’s definitely to not say there aren’t actions and eating places to attempt, merely that they aren’t as condensed into one space as they’re in Cancun.
Weather
The beautiful climate provided by each Cancun and Punta Cana is likely 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 method to break up the winter into extra manageable sections. January is the dry season for each places, and rain doesn’t have a tendency to stay round. For days that it does rain, it typically storms for a brief interval and rapidly goes again to lovely sunshine.
Below, we now 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 related averages in January that it’s troublesome 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 because of the decrease humidity ranges and barely decrease common temperatures.
Activities
Cancun and Punta Cana supply a variety of actions to take pleasure in throughout your keep. The most important distinction in choices is the type of actions obtainable. While there are numerous overlaps, similar to snorkeling, watersports, and swimming in cenotes, every vacation spot has its personal really feel and distinctive choices for vacationers to take pleasure in.
Cancun Activities
Cancun’s resort zone is sort of a big 15-mile-long playground. It is the center of tourism in Mexico and is designed to supply infinite leisure to these visiting its shores. Nightclubs, eating places, procuring malls, seashore golf equipment, and extra are all only a fast taxi trip or stroll away whenever you keep within the resort zone. An intensive checklist of each exercise obtainable would require a number of pages, so we’ve listed a couple of of word beneath:
- 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, however it definitely units itself aside from the remaining!
- Nightlife – Cancun’s nightlife is unimaginable, and there are some wildly widespread 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, unimaginable music, and rather more, company will benefit from the get together of a lifetime.
- Day Trips Galore – Not solely is Cancun itself full of issues to do, however it additionally has quick access to some fairly unimaginable day journeys. From Cenotes to historic ruins, many adventures await. Tulum is likely one of the hottest day journeys, permitting guests to go to an historic Mayan archaeological website.
Punta Cana Activities
Punta Cana is a superb place for vacationers who respect the outside and have an adventurous spirit. While it additionally has nightlife choices, there aren’t almost as many as Cancun. For an adventurous break day the resort, vacationers can trip ATVs via the inside forests, zipline via the bushes, swim in a cenote, or trip a horse on the seashore at sundown. Here are a couple of actions of word in Punta Cana beneath:
- Scape Park – This 247-acre park is a good way to participate in a number of out of doors actions multi function 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 growth. If you need to really feel like you’re strolling alongside the seashore in an untouched tropical paradise, that is the place to do it. Day journeys embrace a ship trip to the island, typically with an open bar and a buffet lunch.
- Unique Night Life – While Punta Cana might not have as many choices as Cancun in terms of nightlife, it definitely has some distinctive ones. One of essentially the most attention-grabbing must be Imagine Cave Disco. Built proper into pure caves, this nightclub units the tone for what is certain 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 once they go to a brand new place. For vacationers trying to spend extra time outdoor adventuring, Punta Cana would be the method to go. Cancun is the way in which to go for vacationers searching for a vacation spot that feels rather more city and is teeming with infinite issues to do.
Safety
All inclusive properties in Cancun and Punta Cana are thought of secure locations. When venturing away from the resorts nevertheless, guests ought to train elevated warning. The commonest 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 international locations needs to be secure 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 charge of 61.02. This implies that per each 100,000 folks, 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 embrace Miami, New York City, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Seattle. Notable Canadian cities with direct flights embrace 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 embrace Miami, New York City, Atlanta, Austin, and Chicago. The east coast has the higher hand for flights to Punta Cana. There are not any direct flights to Punta Cana additional west than Austin, Texas, for the month of January.
Notable Canadian cities with direct flights embrace 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 in terms of 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 reputation, we are going to possible see extra cities providing direct flights. For now, nevertheless, 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 folks 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 widespread as Cancun in terms of Google searches. However, this doesn’t essentially imply that Cancun is best, merely that it’s looked for extra typically. Also, this solely takes under consideration searches throughout the United States.
The Bottom Line
Cancun and Punta Cana each supply unimaginable all-inclusive experiences for vacationers heading for hotter climate and sandy shores. Which one comes out on high will in the end be a call for every particular person traveler.
Cancun is best related and cheaper to fly to, affords infinite actions, and has world-class seashores with unimaginable facilities proper alongside the shore. If you’re after quick access to actions, late-night events, and a extra energetic vibe, Cancun is for you.
Punta Cana has cheaper lodging, affords extra secluded seashore experiences, and caters to vacationers who take pleasure in adventuring outdoor once they aren’t stress-free at one among its luxurious all-inclusive properties. If you’re after a location that feels much less developed and extra genuine, Punta Cana is for you.
Both locations supply superb experiences that will likely be remembered for a lifetime, and both one can be nicely price a go to. Punta Cana and Cancun are each winners in our guide. The greatest 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 most recent breaking information that may have an effect on your subsequent journey, please go to: Traveloffpath.com
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