Guanacaste vs Mexico

Guanacaste and Mexico, 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.

Guanacaste guide · Mexico guide · How we score

By the numbers

	Guanacaste	Mexico
U.S. travel advisory	Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution	Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution
Resorts in our catalog	5	17
Average guest rating	★ 4.4	★ 4.5
Nightly rates	$800+	$300–$800+/night
Adults-only resorts	1 of 5	6 of 17
Hurricane exposure	Low hurricane risk	In the hurricane belt
Rainy season	May–November ('green season'), seriously wet September–October	June–October, heaviest September–October on the Caribbean side
Sweet spot	December–April, bone-dry	December–April

Advisory levels sync from travel.state.gov; catalog figures reflect the resorts we've researched, not every hotel in the country.

Weather, month by month

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Guanacaste — high °F	91	92	93	93	91	88	88	88	87	86	87	89
Mexico — high °F	82	83	85	87	89	90	90	91	89	87	84	82
Guanacaste — rain (in)	0.1	0.1	0.2	0.7	7.7	9.0	5.9	7.9	13.0	12.2	4.3	0.5
Mexico — 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 Papagayo / Guanacaste and Cancún / Riviera Maya — planning guidance, not a forecast.

Where you'd actually stay

Best of Guanacaste

Chains here: Westin · Planet Hollywood Hotels & Resorts · Secrets Resorts & Spas

Full Guanacaste guide

Best of Mexico

Chains here: Barceló · TAFER Hotels & Resorts · Excellence Resorts

Full Mexico guide

More destination head-to-heads

Jamaica vs Dominican Republic Jamaica vs Aruba Mexico vs Dominican Republic Jamaica vs Mexico Aruba vs Turks & Caicos Aruba vs Curaçao Jamaica vs St. Lucia Maldives vs Mauritius Greece vs Turkey Maldives vs French Polynesia Cancún vs Punta Cana Cancún vs Riviera Maya Punta Cana vs Riviera Maya Montego Bay vs Negril Los Cabos vs Puerto Vallarta