Playa del Carmen or Cancun?

Cancun is the stronger beach destination. Its Hotel Zone has about 22km of pale coral sand, and you can choose your water: the sheltered, shallow bay around Playa Tortugas and Playa Langosta, or the surf of Chac Mool and Delfines on the open sea, where the currents need care.

Playa del Carmen's town beaches are narrower and get crowded near the centre, though the reef keeps the water gentle and Playacar and Punta Esmeralda are quieter. Its finest sand is a short ride out, at Xpu-Ha, Akumal and Puerto Morelos, which makes a beach day there more of an excursion.

Playa del Carmen eats a little better. Its long-settled Italian and Argentine community means reliable pizza, pasta and coffee, and the streets a few blocks inland from Quinta Avenida have al pastor stands, Yucatecan cooking and simple ceviche places, all within walking distance.

In Cancun the Hotel Zone mostly offers buffets and international menus, so good local food means taking the bus downtown to Parque de las Palapas or the Mercado 28 and Mercado 23 halls. Those markets give Cancun the one thing Playa lacks, a proper place to eat among residents.

Neither town is a reason to come for heritage, since both were built as resorts in the late twentieth century. Cancun's Maya Museum, with the San Miguelito ruins in its grounds, makes the more rewarding afternoon. Playa del Carmen has only the small Xaman Ha ruins in Playacar, the seafront chapel and a few galleries, so in both places the real history lies a day trip away.

Both are loud, late and aimed at a young crowd, but they differ in scale. Cancun's Party Center has huge show clubs with acrobats, confetti and open-bar wristbands that run until dawn, the full spring-break spectacle in one spot.

Playa del Carmen packs its scene into Calle 12, with open-fronted bars, beach-club day parties and rooftop sunset drinks. It is easier to step away from too, with mezcal and cocktail bars on the quieter northern side streets, though touts come with the strip.

Playa del Carmen is better placed for the outdoors. Cozumel's reef walls and drift dives are on its doorstep, Akumal's green turtles and the Sian Ka'an reserve lie to the south, and cenotes line the road inland.

Cancun has its own good outings, including MUSA's underwater sculptures, kayaking in the Nichupte lagoon mangroves, bird-watching on Isla Contoy and summer whale-shark trips. Most of the reef and cenote country is still a drive down the coast, so more of your time goes on getting there.

Sitting in the middle of the Riviera Maya gives Playa del Carmen the edge. Tulum's cliff-top ruins are under an hour away and Coba about an hour and a half, so both work as relaxed days rather than early starts, and Cozumel is a short crossing.

From Cancun those sites are a longer haul, and Chichen Itza and Valladolid make a long day from either town. Cancun's own advantage is the north: Isla Mujeres is a quick ferry ride, and Holbox is easier to reach for an overnight stay.

Both work equally well with children, in different ways. Cancun's strengths are its resorts, with kids' clubs and shallow pools, plus the calm bay beaches and an aquarium in the Hotel Zone.

Playa del Carmen has the big eco-parks of Xcaret, Xel-Ha and Xplor just outside town, shallow cenotes and Akumal's turtles, and the town is compact enough to walk with a pushchair. In either place, pick a base away from the nightlife strip.

Getting around is much easier in Playa del Carmen. The flat centre is walkable from end to end, and colectivo vans on Highway 307 drop you at beaches and cenotes along the coast. Coaches, the Cozumel ferry and a Tren Maya station cover longer trips.

Cancun is laid out along one long boulevard, with long distances, patchy pavements and heavy heat, so you depend on the frequent buses, taxis or tours. Its ADO coaches and the Isla Mujeres ferries are good, but even short errands take some planning.

Cancun shops indoors. Large air-conditioned malls along the Hotel Zone carry luxury labels, international fashion and duty-free, a cool escape on a hot afternoon, while crafts mean a bus downtown to Mercado 28, where hammocks, huipiles and silver come with bargaining and much the same stock at every stall.

Playa del Carmen shops on foot, along the open-air length of Quinta Avenida. The southern end by the ferry is mostly souvenirs, tequila and Huichol beadwork, and the northern stretch has a few boutiques for linen clothing and local design, which Cancun barely offers. In both towns, look closely at the quality of crafts before buying.

Both are expensive by Mexican standards, but Playa del Carmen is slightly easier on a careful budget. Apartments a few blocks back from the sand, taco stands, colectivos and free beaches let you skip resort prices without giving up much.

Cancun's Hotel Zone is priced for international visitors, and saving money there means staying and eating downtown, away from the beach. An all-inclusive package is often the simplest way to keep costs predictable.

Neither offers a theatre or concert season, and everything you will find is put on for visitors. Playa del Carmen has a little more casual live music, with bands in the Quinta Avenida bars, fire dancers on the beach and the Xcaret evening spectacle nearby. Cancun's offer is mostly folkloric dinner shows and resort entertainment.

Cancun's strength is the scale of its hotel spas, with hydrotherapy circuits, ocean-view treatment rooms and massages on the sand, suited to an all-inclusive stay where you hardly need to move. Boulevard traffic and noise from the Party Center mean that real quiet lies at the far southern end of the strip, or across the water on Isla Mujeres.

Playa del Carmen leans more towards yoga, with a good number of studios in the calmer streets north of the centre and an easy pace set by the beach and the heat. The temazcal, the guided Maya sweat-lodge ritual of steam, herbs and chanting, is offered in and around both towns.