Destinations · Head-to-head
Aruba vs Riviera Maya
Aruba and Riviera Maya, side by side: live travel advisories, our resort catalog's real guest data, and each destination's honest weather picture. Everything you need to break the tie.
Aruba guide · Riviera Maya guide · How we score
By the numbers
| Aruba | Measure | Riviera Maya |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions (better) | U.S. travel advisory | Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution |
| 9 | Resorts in our catalog | 39 (better) |
| ★ 4.4 | Average guest rating | ★ 4.6 (better) |
| $143–$332/night pp | Nightly rates | $46–$635/night pp (better) |
| 2 of 9 | Adults-only resorts | 9 of 39 |
| Outside the hurricane belt (better) | Hurricane exposure | In the hurricane belt |
| October–December, and 'rainy' is generous: this is one of the driest islands in the Caribbean | Rainy season | June–October, heaviest September–October |
| Year-round; January–March is peak season and priced like it | Sweet spot | December–April |
| Aruban florin; USD universally accepted | Currency | Mexican peso; USD widely accepted in resort corridors |
Advisory levels sync from travel.state.gov; catalog figures reflect the resorts we've researched, not every hotel in the country. A marked row is one we are willing to call; rows without a mark are a matter of taste, or we have no comparable figure for both sides.
On the map
Aruba
Riviera Maya
Weather, month by month
| Measure | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aruba · high °F | 85 | 85 | 86 | 87 | 88 | 89 | 89 | 90 | 90 | 89 | 87 | 85 |
| Riviera Maya · high °F | 82 | 83 | 85 | 87 | 89 | 90 | 90 | 91 | 89 | 87 | 84 | 82 |
| Aruba · rain (in) | 1.5 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 1.8 | 3.0 | 3.7 | 3.2 |
| Riviera Maya · rain (in) | 3.5 | 2.0 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 4.0 | 6.5 | 4.0 | 4.5 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 4.0 | 3.5 |
Approximate climate normals for Palm Beach / Eagle Beach and Playa del Carmen–Tulum: planning guidance, not a forecast. A deeper tint is a higher number, read within its own row.
Where you'd actually stay
Not these two?
Square up two other destinations
More destination head-to-heads
Jamaica vs Dominican RepublicJamaica vs ArubaMexico vs Dominican RepublicJamaica vs MexicoAruba vs Turks & CaicosAruba vs CuraçaoJamaica vs St. LuciaMaldives vs MauritiusGreece vs TurkeyMaldives vs French PolynesiaCancún vs Punta CanaCancún vs Riviera MayaPunta Cana vs Riviera MayaMontego Bay vs NegrilLos Cabos vs Puerto VallartaBarbados West Coast vs Barbados South CoastMaldives vs SeychellesSeychelles vs MauritiusSri Lanka vs MaldivesBahamas vs Turks & CaicosChile vs Argentina