Courtesy Trip Advisor

If you read Part 1 of this topic thread, I stated I would be covering the best times of the year to visit Cancun and the Riviera Maya along with covering resort brands most likely to fall within vacation budgets.  So let’s get started!

I have been making trips to all-inclusive resorts in Cancun and the Riviera Maya for the past 12 years–sometimes I even vacation there several times a year, so I am aware of what the experience is like during different months.  Here are some basic weather-related stats:

• Average temperature by month (numbers are in degrees Fahrenheit)–Jan. 67-82, Feb. 67-83, March 69-84, April 72-87, May 75-89, June 77-89m July 76-90, August 75-91, Sept. 75-90, Oct. 74-88, Nov. 70-84, Dec. 68-83.
• Average ocean water temperature by month (numbers are in degrees Fahrenheit)–Jan. 76-81, Feb. 77-81, March 77-81, April 79-82, May 81-84, June 82-85, July 82-86, August 83-87, Sept. 84-87, Oct. 82-86, Nov. 80-83, Dec. 79-82.
• Average rainfall by month (numbers are in inches)–Jan. 2.6, Feb. 2.2, March 1.4, April 1.6, May 4.3, June 7.3, July 5.1, Aug. 5.9, Sept. 8.9, Oct. 7.3, Nov. 3.3, Dec. 3.1
• Hurricane/rainy season in this part of Mexico is from June through November.  There are lots of tropical storms that go through the area during this time period and certainly not all weather systems turn into hurricanes, but tropical storms can still put an end to fun in the sun on a vacation.  The months of Sept. and Oct. are when you are more likely to experience a hurricane in Cancun or the Riviera Maya.

Next, here are some personal observations I’ve made about the weather in Cancun and what it has been like to stay here at various times of the year; about the only months I haven’t stayed in this part of Mexico have been May, June, September, and December.

• I would not recommend vacationing here in January.  The pools were cold (even heated pools are cold unless guests complain to management on multiple occasions), the skies were overcast more often than not, and there were short periods of light rain more often than not.  Never again.
• If you are going to vacation here in Feb., book your stay after Feb. 15.  I’ve vacationed at different times in Feb. over the years and the weather gets a lot better towards the end of the month.  The pools are still on the chilly side however.
• March and April have great weather, but that is why so many vacationers come here for spring break.  If you choose to book in this area during those months, the weather should be fantastic for the most part but you may have to deal with crowds wherever you go as well as higher flight and resort prices.  Also, some resorts are spring break central so if you aren’t into that sort of vacation you have to know which ones to avoid if you are still insistent on booking something. (I will post a separate article in the future listing the resorts which are more likely to have a lot of young spring breakers).
• I’ve avoided staying here in May or June because the weather starts to turn rainy–remember June is the start of hurricane/rainy season.
• I love vacationing in this part of Mexico right after the July 4 holiday!  I’ve gone several times mid July and the weather was beautiful.  That doesn’t mean it isn’t hot and humid, it’s summer in Mexico, so be sure to book a resort that is well A/C’d and has good pools with lots of shade opportunities.
• August is a month where you will most likely be extremely physically uncomfortable due to the heat and humidity when you venture anywhere outdoors.  I stayed at a resort several years ago during August which was not well A/C’d outside of the guest rooms and I was literally sweating during dinner because of the extreme heat and humidity even during the evenings. Ugh.  Also, tropical storms during August have sidelined some vacations with cancelled return flights and worrying about where I was going to stay if the storm turned into a hurricane.  Not worth it, so never again.
• I haven’t booked vacations here during Sept. simply because this month has the greatest probability of more severe weather occurrences such as tropical storms and hurricanes.
• While Oct. is also one of the months during which more severe weather can occur in this area, I have booked resorts at various times during this month.  I have had varied vacation experiences weather-wise from blue skies the entire time to rainy and overcast conditions during different resort stays.  You always take a chance with the weather if you book your stay during Oct.
• My Nov. stays have been good for the most part–a lot of sunny and warm days where I could still use the pools comfortably, but there have also been very short-lived but intense storm systems that went through the area.  Thunder, lightning, and lots of rain can occur during this month (Nov. is still within the rainy/hurricane season)–a storm like that may be awesome to watch from your balcony, but it does interrupt one’s vacation plans.
• I’ve never vacationed in this area during Dec. because I’m too busy getting ready for Christmas, lol…

Now on to resort chains and where to start focusing on what resorts to possibly choose for your vacation given your budget…let’s start with the easy ones to classify.  Here’s the most expensive all-inclusive resorts and resort chains I’m aware of for vacationers who have a very large budget:

• Karisma–Palafitos-Overwater Bungalows at El Dorado Maroma
• Velas Resorts–Grand Velas Riviera Maya
• Viceroy–Viceroy Riviera Maya (this is an all-inclusive optional resort)
• Xcaret Hotels–La Casa de la Playa, Hotel Xcaret Mexico, Hotel Xcaret Arte
• Blue Diamond Luxury Boutique Hotel
• Hyatt–anything Secrets Impression will be very expensive
• Karisma–Nickelodeon

Now for upper budget range:

• Excellence Resorts–Excellence Playa Mujeres, Excellence Riviera Cancun, Finest Playa Mujeres
• Karisma–El Dorado resorts (adults-only), Azul resorts (family-friendly), and Generations Riviera Maya (family-friendly)
• Secrets Resorts–Secrets Maroma, Secrets Moxche, and Secrets Akumal will be the most expensive
• Hyatt–since Hyatt bought out AMResorts, they have all gone up in price.  That means Secrets, Dreams, Zoëtry, and Breathless resorts are now in the upper budget range.
• Other Hyatt properties–Hyatt Ziva Cancun and Riviera Cancun (Ziva properties are family-friendly), Hyatt Zilara Cancun and Riviera Maya (Zilara properties are adults-only)
• AIC Hotel Group–UNICO 20 87
• Palmaïa The House of AïA
• Hard Rock resorts
• Hipotels Hotels and Resorts–Haven Riviera Cancun
• Iberostar Grand Paraiso–the rest of this mega-resort would qualify to be within the mid to lower budget ranges
• Palace resorts–Sun Palace, Moon Palace, The Grand at Moon Palace, Playacar Palace, Beach Palace, Le Blanc
• Fiesta Americana–Coral Beach and Condesa Cancun
• TRS properties–these are adults-only upgraded sections of Grand Palladium mega-resort properties
• Planet Hollywood Cancun
• ATELIER Playa Mujeres (some Inspira upgrades may push this into needing a very healthy budget to stay here)
• Live Aqua Beach Resort Cancun
• Paradisus resorts
• Majestic Elegance
• Hilton

Now for mid-budget range:

• Royalton Resorts–Royalton Riviera Cancun, Royalton Splash Riviera Cancun, Royalton Chic Cancun
• Valentin Hotel Group–Valentin Imperial Riviera Maya (sometimes this resort moves to the upper budget range)
• The Fives–The Fives Beach, The Fives Residences
• Barcelo–Barcelo Maya Palace and Barcelo Maya Riviera (the rest of this mega-resort would be in a lower budget range)
• Grand Palladium properties
• Wyndham Grand Cancun
• Barcelo Occidental Xcaret
• Oasis properties–Sens, Grand Oasis Cancun, The Pyramid Cancun
• Akumal Bay Beach and Wellness Resort
• Crown Paradise Club
• Sandos properties
• Club Med
• Sunscape–family friendly resort in the Hyatt collection

How about lower budget options…

• Riu resorts–there are many to choose from in this part of Mexico.  Riu Palace resorts would be an upgrade and might become a mid-budget option.
• Wyndham/Wyndham Alltra properties
• Barcelo–Occidental Tucancan
• Iberostar properties–you can find good prices at most Iberostar resorts
• Krystal properties in Cancun
• Catalonia resorts are typically very reasonably priced
• Emporio Cancun
• Reef Resorts
• Bahia Principe mega-resort
• Park Royal
• Royal Solaris
• They have nice swim-up suites at Flamingo Cancun resort

My personal favorite all-inclusive in each budget category would be Hotels Xcaret, they are all fantastic for expensive properties, Excellence resorts for an upper budget (Finest for family-friendly and Excellence Playa Mujeres for adults), mid-budget would be Valentin Imperial Riviera Maya for adults-only and Barcelo Maya Palace for families, and lower budget would be Riu Palace Las Americas.

Thanks for hanging in there with me, I probably should have divided this post into two sections…Obviously this isn’t a totally comprehensive listing, but it should give people an idea of where to start looking at resorts after deciding on the time of year to travel.

Let me know any additions I need to make here for a fair representation of what the area has to offer…