Destinations · Head-to-head
Montego Bay vs Riviera Maya
Montego Bay 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.
Montego Bay guide · Riviera Maya guide · How we score
By the numbers
| Montego Bay | Measure | Riviera Maya |
|---|---|---|
| Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution | U.S. travel advisory | Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution |
| 7 | Resorts in our catalog | 39 (better) |
| ★ 4.5 | Average guest rating | ★ 4.6 (better) |
| $120–$210/night pp | Nightly rates | $46–$635/night pp (better) |
| 4 of 7 | Adults-only resorts | 9 of 39 |
| In the hurricane belt | Hurricane exposure | In the hurricane belt |
| May–June and September–November, mostly short afternoon bursts | Rainy season | June–October, heaviest September–October |
| December–April | Sweet spot | December–April |
| Sangster (MBJ), most resorts 10–30 min | Airport | Cancún (CUN); transfers run 25–90 min depending how far south |
| Short transfers, golf, first Jamaica trips | Best for | Cenotes + ruins + beach in one trip; low-rise seclusion |
| Rose Hall Great House; Doctor's Cave Beach | Signature | Jungle-meets-sea resorts; the cenote belt inland |
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
Montego Bay
Riviera Maya
Weather, month by month
| Measure | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montego Bay · 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 |
| Montego Bay · 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 / Rose Hall 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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