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There’s no query that Cancun and Punta Cana are two of the most well-liked 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 gives 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 towards 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 primarily based on two folks touring collectively.
All Inclusive Costs & Options
One of the driving decision-making elements for holidays is price, so it’s value exploring how Cancun and Punta Cana rank towards 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 had been discovered utilizing reserving.com and the dates of January 14th by January 21st.
Only all-inclusive properties had been thought-about, and pricing knowledge was pulled on September 5th. We combed by all accessible 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 night time
- Punta Cana: $239 per night time
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 night time
- Punta Cana: $422 per night time
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 night time than Punta Cana. Similarly, Cancun’s 5-star properties are, on common, about $80 extra per night time 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 night time for the dates explored. The least expensive possibility for a 4-star keep in Punta Cana, the whala!bávaro, comes out just a little extra reasonably priced at $187 per night time. It must also be famous that, on common, Cancun’s 4-star and 5-star properties have barely increased consumer scores.
Beaches
What’s a tropical trip with no lovely seaside? That first step onto that white-sand Caribbean seaside is sort of value 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 had 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 provide a extra genuine tropical seaside vibe. While resorts definitely dot the shores, it’s a lot simpler to discover a secluded stretch of sand to take in 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 could definitely be an influencing issue when deciding which vacation spot is for you.
If you favor your seaside days to be near a seemingly limitless array of actions, Cancun could also be for you. The tradeoff is that the seashores will probably be way more busy and crowded. But if that’s your vibe, then Cancun is ideal!
Punta Cana will probably be a greater place for vacationers who wish to carve out their very own house on the seaside. However, the value you’ll pay for fewer crowds and seclusion will probably 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 attractive climate supplied 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 typically storms for a brief interval and shortly goes again to lovely sunshine.
Below, now we have laid out common temperatures and different info 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 provide 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 provide a variety of actions to get pleasure from throughout your keep. The most important distinction in choices is the type of actions accessible. While there are numerous overlaps, resembling 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 big 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 experience or stroll away if you keep within the resort zone. An intensive record of each exercise accessible would require a number of pages, so we’ve listed a number of of observe 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 by the park’s canals, you will notice many various bands and exhibits. This is only one of Cancun’s many dinner exhibits, nevertheless it definitely units itself aside from the remainder!
- Nightlife – Cancun’s nightlife is unbelievable, 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, unbelievable music, and way 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 easy accessibility to some fairly unbelievable day journeys. From Cenotes to historical ruins, many adventures await. Tulum is without doubt one of the hottest day journeys, permitting guests to go to an historical Mayan archaeological web site.
Punta Cana Activities
Punta Cana is a superb place for vacationers who admire the outside and have an adventurous spirit. While it additionally has nightlife choices, there aren’t practically as many as Cancun. For an adventurous time off the resort, vacationers can experience ATVs by the inside forests, zipline by the timber, swim in a cenote, or experience a horse on the seaside at sundown. Here are a number of actions of observe in Punta Cana beneath:
- Scape Park – This 247-acre park is an effective way to participate in a bunch of out of doors 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 wish to really feel like you’re strolling alongside the seaside in an untouched tropical paradise, that is the place to do it. Day journeys embrace a ship experience 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 on the subject 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 bound to be a memorable night time.
Activities: Who Wins?
If we base the winner purely on the variety of actions supplied, 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 trying to spend extra time outdoor adventuring, Punta Cana stands out as the solution to go. Cancun is the best way to go for vacationers in search of a vacation spot that feels way more city and is teeming with limitless issues to do.
Safety
All inclusive properties in Cancun and Punta Cana are thought-about protected locations. When venturing away from the resorts nevertheless, 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 needs to be protected for vacationers who stick with well-known vacationer areas and actions. However, by the numbers, Cancun comes out forward for security. Mexico has against the law rate of 54.19 whereas the Dominican Republic has against the law fee of 61.02. This implies that per each 100,000 folks, 61 of them are topic to against the law within the Dominican Republic whereas 54 are topic to against the law 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 simple 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 aren’t 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 on the subject of each flight connectivity and flight costs. While flights to Punta Cana aren’t overwhelmingly dearer, 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 probably 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 during the last 12 months, we in contrast the 2 utilizing Google Trends.
Looking on the graph above, we will see that for the previous 12 months, Punta Cana has been about half as widespread as Cancun on the subject of Google searches. However, this doesn’t essentially imply that Cancun is healthier, merely that it’s looked for extra typically. Also, this solely takes under consideration searches inside the United States.
The Bottom Line
Cancun and Punta Cana each provide unbelievable all-inclusive experiences for vacationers heading for hotter climate and sandy shores. Which one comes out on prime will finally be a choice for every particular person traveler.
Cancun is healthier linked and cheaper to fly to, gives limitless actions, and has world-class seashores with unbelievable facilities proper alongside the shore. If you’re after easy accessibility to actions, late-night events, and a extra energetic vibe, Cancun is for you.
Punta Cana has cheaper lodging, gives extra secluded seaside experiences, and caters to vacationers who get pleasure from adventuring outdoor after they aren’t enjoyable 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 provide superb experiences that will probably be remembered for a lifetime, and both one can be nicely value a go to. Punta Cana and Cancun are each winners in our guide. The finest recommendation we may give 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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