Destinations · Head-to-head
Canary Islands vs Riviera Maya
Canary Islands 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.
By the numbers
| Canary Islands | Measure | Riviera Maya |
|---|---|---|
| Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution | U.S. travel advisory | Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution |
| 15 | Resorts in our catalog | 39 (better) |
| ★ 4.6 (better) | Average guest rating | ★ 4.6 |
| $83–$260/night pp | Nightly rates | $41–$635/night pp (better) |
| 3 of 15 | Adults-only resorts | 12 of 39 |
| No hurricane season (better) | Hurricane exposure | In the hurricane belt |
| November–February, lightly, and mostly on the north coasts | Rainy season | June–October, heaviest September–October |
| Year-round; December–March is when the islands earn their keep, and summer is the value season | Sweet spot | December–April |
| Winter sun, a spring-like year-round climate, big well-run resorts | Best for | Cenotes + ruins + beach in one trip; low-rise seclusion |
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
Canary Islands
Riviera Maya
Weather, month by month
| Measure | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canary Islands · high °F | 70 | 71 | 73 | 74 | 76 | 79 | 83 | 84 | 82 | 79 | 75 | 71 |
| Riviera Maya · high °F | 82 | 83 | 85 | 87 | 89 | 90 | 90 | 91 | 89 | 87 | 84 | 82 |
| Canary Islands · rain (in) | 1.2 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 1.3 |
| 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 Tenerife South 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
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