Jamaica vs Riviera Maya

Two-story beachfront resort building with white columns and balconies, lounge chairs and umbrellas on sandy beach, palm trees, and pool visible.

Aerial view of Barceló Maya Palace resort showing blue pool complex, palm-lined grounds, beachfront buildings, and Caribbean Sea.

Jamaica 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

Jamaica compared with Riviera Maya
Jamaica	Measure	Riviera Maya
Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution	U.S. travel advisory	Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution
44 (better)	Resorts in our catalog	41
★ 4.5	Average guest rating	★ 4.6 (better)
$117–$822/night pp	Nightly rates	$41–$719/night pp (better)
27 of 44	Adults-only resorts	12 of 41
In the hurricane belt	Hurricane exposure	In the hurricane belt
May–June and September–November, mostly short afternoon bursts	Rainy season	Generally May–October; winter nortes can also bring rain and rough seas
December–April	Sweet spot	December–April

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

Jamaica

Riviera Maya

Weather, month by month

Month-by-month average high temperature and rainfall for Jamaica and Riviera Maya
Measure	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Jamaica · high °F	82	82	83	84	86	88	88	88	88	87	85	83
Riviera Maya · high °F	82	83	85	87	89	90	90	91	89	87	84	82
Jamaica · rain (in)	0.9	0.6	0.6	1.1	4.0	3.5	2.4	3.5	5.1	7.1	3.0	1.5
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 Montego Bay and Playa del Carmen–Tulum: planning guidance, not a forecast. A deeper tint is a higher number, read within its own row.