Cancun area of 4th of July (Tulum. Playa del Carmen, Isla Mujeres, Isla Holbox)

[EconDiva]

I have a United voucher expiring after next month.  Thinking about flying into Cancun for 4th of July week.

Wouldn't usually go somewhere like that during a major holiday (I know it's not celebrated there but assuming many Americans will be vacationing there) but I've never been.

Will just be me and I want to mostly relax and decompress.  A little bit of nightlilfe will be nice but I like balance so I don't have to have something going on every single night...nor do I want to spend the entire vacation in quiet solitude.  FYI, only place I've been to in Mexico is Mexico City.  Trip will be 5-10 days.

I will definitely do Tulum and probably Playa del Carmen or Isla Mujeres.  If I can make a trip out to Isa Holbox that would be fantastic (would love to hear experiences of those that have been there please)!

The main purpose of my thread is I wanted to know what the weather would be like actually.  Is it extremely humid that time of year?  For those who have in July before, it's rainy season right?  Is it the tropical type of storms where they pass over quickly?  Is Tulum a great place to relax/chill out for a few days?

If you had to choose would you do Playa del Carmen or Isla Mujeres?  Also, as a first timer to that area will I be missing out by not staying in Cancun at all?  The water does seem really pretty and I do love beautiful waters.  The only other contender to doing Mexico right now is Barbados but I just wasn't sure if I could check out more than one area vacationing there. 

[the_fixer]

IMO you would be missing out BY GOING to Cancun. We go to Mexico quite frequently and we do not like Cancun.. too much like going to Florida during spring break.

Playa has a nice mix of things to do, you can relax on the beach, catch a ferry to Cozumel, go out on the town and party and you are close to Tulum, Coba and even Chichen Itza now that the new highway is in.

July will be hot and humid in land activities will be hot, drink lots of water and bring a hat that provides shade!

If you are going to Playa the following are some ideas.

Coba it is amazing. We rented a car and drove to Tulum, then to Coba and rented the bikes to ride around the site. Full day of activities. There are tour buses you can take as well if you do not want to drive.

Take the ferry to Cozumel and rent a car and drive around the island or take a jeep tour, stop at punta sur, climb the lighthouse, go snorkeling and hang out at the beach. Spend a bunch of time exploring the beaches on the east side. Full day activity

If you are into history / archaeology Chichen Itza is cool. Full day activity

Xcaret is a cool way to spend a day, expensive but a fun full day activity.

Akumal snorkeling with Turtles

Go swimming in a Cenote or two

and make sure you spend some time relaxing on the beach so you do not need to take a vacation when you get back from your vacation :) 

[MayDay]

We went to Playa in December.  We purposely avoided Cancun.

My brother and his GF went on the fairy to Cozumel fr a long day trip.  They said it was amazing.  We did day trips to a cenote, Tulum, and Chichen Itza.  It was all quite lovely.  Chitchen Itza was hot as hell even in December, I would skip it in July. 

Overall I thought it was nice and would go again.

[MsPeacock]

Went to Cancun two years ago and went to Isla Mujeres this January. I loved Isla Mujeres - small, walkable, much lower key overall. Cancun is pretty big and touristy and the main "tourist zone" is a strip of gigantic hotels, one after another. There are smaller hotels and resorts on Isla Mujeres - we stayed at a place with just 10 rooms or so. There is a bit of a nightlife in the center part of town, other areas are very quiet.

I have not been to Mexico in July so I can't comment on the weather at that time of year. In January is was quite warm, so I can only imagine it would be much more so in July.

[chasesfish]

Went to Playa Del Carmen the week of July 10th for my honeymoon...as you'd expect, it was hot as hell.  Its up there with Dallas, TX summers.  All the water felt like hot tubs.

I went back in February and it was a 3 day snap of near record lows and high wind...people were huddled indoors in their flying clothes.

I have not been back

[Duke03]

We always stay at The Royal in Playa del Carmen.  Great all inclusive resort a block from 5th avenue where all the bars, shops, and restaurants are.  It's very safe and never had a problem.  Best part is you can take a ferry over to Cozumel and get to enjoy that island and it's beautiful beaches as well.  The Royal has a sister resort in Cancun and you can swap nights between the two resorts.  They will even provide transportation.

[aspiringnomad]

I was in the Yucatan early this year and definitely preferred the vibe in Tulum to Cancun or Playa. It used to be cheaper than those places but as I understand it, it no longer is if you're staying on the beach. Tulum beach is full of trendy boutique resorts rather than the massive all-inclusives you get in Cancun and Playa. As a result, it's much more chic, with a younger clientele than Cancun but not really fratty (yet). It's sort of become a Yucatan version of Williamsburg with yoga retreats, vegan restaurants, etc. We stayed in Tulum town, which is about a 30 minute bike ride away but is much cheaper than the beach, and with more of a local vibe and a ton of good, cheap restaurants.

The weather will be very, very hot and humid in July (at least it was in January!), so that 30 minute bike ride each way will not be very pleasant. If you're really looking to chill out in the sun, I'd try to find a deal at one of the lower end places on the beach rather than in town.

[EconDiva]

Based on the responses so far I'm a bit concerned about being able to enjoy beach time if it's going to be that hot and humid and the water is going to feel like a wet sauna....

4th of July last year I did Hawaii; it was low humidity and a bit hot but the water was cool.  If the water was just a couple of degrees warmer I would have considered the atmosphere there perfect since it would've been the most ideal combination of temperature and such.

Because I have 2 days off for the 4th I figured it would be the best time to go somewhere but I do really want to be able to enjoy being outside without feeling like I'm baking.

[chasesfish]

Part of the reason I haven't gone back to Mexico (or much of the Caribbean) is I discovered Hawaii in 2009 and got stuck in a hurricane on St. Marteen in 2008.

Hawaii is just more my style, get a condo with a kitchen and vacation at my leisure.  The all-inclusive resorts and cruises are nice for some people (and we've done both since we started going to Hawaii) and keep coming to the same conclusion.

There are some beautiful beaches on the East Coast around July 4th, but its their busy season too. 

[EconDiva]

Part of the reason I haven't gone back to Mexico (or much of the Caribbean) is I discovered Hawaii in 2009 and got stuck in a hurricane on St. Marteen in 2008.

Hawaii is just more my style, get a condo with a kitchen and vacation at my leisure.  The all-inclusive resorts and cruises are nice for some people (and we've done both since we started going to Hawaii) and keep coming to the same conclusion.

There are some beautiful beaches on the East Coast around July 4th, but its their busy season too.

Yeah...I went to Hawaii twice last year but stayed in Waikiki both times.  I got out to Lanikai as well which is my favorite beach I've been to ever so far.  My brother lives there now so he took me around to some other smaller beaches he dives at which was nice.  I wanted to go to North Shore last time but didn't have a chance to.  I don't have enough in vouchers to fully cover a roundtrip flight there; I'd probably have to pay a couple of hundred out of pocket.  Honestly I do want to see Kauai (spelling?) and The Big Island at some point. 

[chasesfish]

Oh!  I'd say you haven't *really* seen Hawaii until you go to the other three islands. 

Kauai and the Big Island should be on anyone's bucket list.

[EconDiva]

Oh!  I'd say you haven't *really* seen Hawaii until you go to the other three islands. 

Kauai and the Big Island should be on anyone's bucket list.

Oh they're definitely on my list!

Isla Holbox is too which is actually the primary reason I was considering Mexico (along with it being cheaper, closer, and easier to do multiple cities in one trip).