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So looking at summer 2024 plans. Kids want to go to Florida but I want to tack something else on, not in the USA.
Mexico seems to tick the boxes we want but I’m concerned about the weather. Would likely head to the pacific coast then have a couple of days in Mexico City at the end.
We can probably have sufficient flex in the plans to head somewhere else if there’s a hurricane brewing.
And if anyone has other suggestions to mix culture and beaches, am all ears. We’ve been to Costa Rica and enjoyed that. Thanks
I’ve been to the Caribbean in August a few times, and at least early in the month there’s not a huge risk of hurricanes – but don’t forget Florida has been one of the worst-hit places as well in the last few years, it’s not just the islands, so you need to weigh up that risk as well.
I don’t know how the Atlantic hurricane season impacts the Pacific coastal areas, so that may be a safer bet.
For culture, history and beaches, Puerto Rico or Dominican Republic might fit the bill if you decide against Mexico. I’d say Cuba but that might not mix well with a US itinerary just now!
Yes, any self-respecting Mexican, including locals who rely upon the tourist trade, will tell you it’s stupid. I told my brother in law this last year but they still decided to go to Cancun in August and greatly regretted the weather conditions and place. Another friend didn’t want to go but was persuaded by her teenage boys that it was too ‘cool’ to pass up but on arrival discovered it wasn’t remotely ‘cool’ in any sense and Mum disliked it even more than them.
Hurricanes do also affect the Pacific coast @Northern Lass – see Hurricane Hilary in late August that hit Mexico and California.
In summer the temperatures and humidity are much higher (so 30-35 degrees and 80%), you get very regular storm activity (and even if not up to hurricane level, it can be very bad) and it’s mosquito season. On the Caribbean coast it is also the worst time for the toxic seaweed which you don’t get at all on the Pacific coast.
In the winter months the weather is absolutely ideal and very reliable on both coasts – 25-30 degrees and it’s very dry. You do get much shorter days as it’s obviously in the Northern Hemisphere, but the evenings are still wonderfully warm and it means the nights are cool enough to sleep with windows open so no need for air-con and no mosquitoes despite many nearby lagoons; the water levels are too low to activate their nests. This is also much more agreeable weather for sightseeing or sports.
The weather in Mexico City in the summer is better because of the altitude, but that season is still wetter/more humid.
Re Cancun, clearly many people don’t venture far out of the confines of their hotel but drugs and crime are an ever growing issue and it isn’t really Mexico any longer, but really a suburb of the US.
Personally, I don’t find strips of huge characterless hotels very appealing and you should look on Google earth to make sure you know what you are signing up to!
Others will say it’s bloomin’ magic, so you have decisions to make!
Thanks both. We have done Florida in august a few times (Easter is the other option but it’s just rammed) so we know what we are getting into weather-wise there.
Any other “central” American places I might want to consider?
If you don’t mind the weather but don’t want a faceless resort like Cancún, Mérida and the surrounding area, also on the Yucatán Peninsula is easy to get to but a much more Mexican experience, less crowded and still a good base for visiting Mayan sites if those appeal to you.
I thought the Caribbean coast was best avoided owing to the seaweed at that time of year?
I was eyeing flying into Huatulco as there seemed to be some authentic beach towns over there.
Apparently, Hilary was the first hurricane to hit California since 1939 so that might just have been unlucky. I’m assuming @Swiss Tony, like we have been for the past few years, is restricted to travelling in school holidays and trying to make the best of it!
The sargassum weed is starting to be a year-round issue, but you can have areas that are completely clear depending on the tides and currents. My son is doing an A-level Geography project on it at the moment and the environmental and economic impact is quite alarming. It’s affecting a large part of the Florida coastline as well as the Caribbean; it was very much in evidence in the Keys last December.
I don’t think we’d go back to Cancun; it sounds as though it’s not much different from Miami these days. The Pacific coast is starting to sound quite appealing!
I know you said you wanted to try somewhere other than the US but there is so much there – you could head over to the west coast for a drier climate, or even Hawaii for the beaches. Once you’ve suffered the initial immigration pain, domestic flights are a relative doddle! You can also get some great deals with avios on AA.
I thought the Caribbean coast was best avoided owing to the seaweed at that time of year?
I was eyeing flying into Huatulco as there seemed to be some authentic beach towns over there.
The seaweed problem on the Caribbean coast is year round, but worse in the summer. Anywhere in Oaxaca will be nicer, hopefully safer and a much more traditional all round Mexican experience in a very positive way, but it is still the rainy season which is June to September. Much if the state is at relatively high altitudes so it can be cooler and a bit dryer, but obviously that doesn’t apply on the coast.
Is Oaxaca easy to get to and around? I suspect my OH thinks that the entirety of Mexico is like being in a Quentin Tarantino film so might take some convincing, even with the lure of big pelagic species!
We’ve seen quite a lot of the country over the years but I just feel the US is now a terrible value proposition. And the smell of pot turns my stomach. It’s really only our DVC membership that gives us justification to go to Florida for a few days.
It’s a 17hr bus ride from Mexico City to Huatulco, or just over an hour’s flight, so that probably gives some idea of the road conditions. Oaxaca seems to be one of the safer states and is under-touristed, too.
And yes we’re stuck with school holidays for a while longer, yet!
Is Oaxaca easy to get to and around? I suspect my OH thinks that the entirety of Mexico is like being in a Quentin Tarantino film so might take some convincing, even with the lure of big pelagic species!
Yes, Oaxaca city has taxis and luxury coaches, international and domestic flights, great restaurants with outside dining on roof tops.
Is Oaxaca easy to get to and around? I suspect my OH thinks that the entirety of Mexico is like being in a Quentin Tarantino film so might take some convincing, even with the lure of big pelagic species!
No, not particularly easy to get around as Oaxaca is a very mountainous state, so there’s a road along the coast and then some roads up to the capital, Oaxaca but obviously the difficulty of access makes it a more real, unspoilt and interesting place. It’s considered to be one of the most traditional states, a centre for art and handicrafts as well as some of the best food. Cancún airport handles 30m passengers a year now and there will shortly be an airport in Tulum which has completely changed the nature of the place; there’s nothing Mexican about it any longer.
It’s actually often quite difficult to get from one state to another or even move within a state except via Mexico City and the roads can be very slow and some of them are considered dangerous.
If your OH is nervous, there’s a map on the FCDO website (under warnings and insurance) that highlights its views of different states and the US State Department has a list. We go to Guerrero which is on the naughty list, unless you fly into ZIH and it’s on the banned list for US government employees although we have met some there!
Is Oaxaca easy to get to and around? I suspect my OH thinks that the entirety of Mexico is like being in a Quentin Tarantino film so might take some convincing, even with the lure of big pelagic species!
Very easy to get to, it’s just a short flight from Mexico City. We went in April to Mexico City and flew out to Oaxaca for a few days and loved it. Food is fantastic and very reasonable. Traffic is quite bad in and around Oaxaca, but the centre is quite small and easy to walk around
Cancun in August is like boiling in hot water, it was very unpleasant when we visited with 35-40+ degrees for all days. I would certainly avoid it.
Went to playa del Carmen in august. Was so so humid. Really hot also, but did not notice as I was practically inert. I’d avoid that month
+1 for Oaxaca! It is my second favourite state in Mexico after Chiapas (although no beach there, and even more difficult to travel around). I much rather prefer Puerto Escondido or Mazunte than Huatulco.
Chiapas is definitely much better than Oaxaca but christ Puerto Escondido is a shithole and best avoided if you want to see a vaguely authentic Mexico.
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