Puerto Vallarta vs Punta Cana

Resort pool with white umbrellas and lounge chairs, palm trees, and a multi-story hotel building backed by green mountains.

Puerto Vallarta13 resorts · ★ 4.3 average

Luxury bathroom at Sanctuary Cap Cana with soaking tub, dual sinks, travertine walls, and ocean view through tall window.

Puerto Vallarta and Punta Cana, 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

Puerto Vallarta compared with Punta Cana
Puerto Vallarta	Measure	Punta Cana
Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution	U.S. travel advisory	Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution
13	Resorts in our catalog	37 (better)
★ 4.3	Average guest rating	★ 4.6 (better)
$47–$268/night pp	Nightly rates	$40–$505/night pp (better)
2 of 13	Adults-only resorts	14 of 37
In the hurricane belt	Hurricane exposure	In the hurricane belt
Usually June–October, with showers and thunderstorms	Rainy season	May and August–October, mostly brief tropical downpours
November–May, outside the usual rainy season	Sweet spot	December–April
Puerto Vallarta International (PVR)	Airport	Punta Cana (PUJ), most resorts 15–30 min away
Town outings, restaurants and a beach-resort stay	Best for	Value, families, groups, first-time all-inclusive trips

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

Puerto Vallarta

Punta Cana

Weather, month by month

Month-by-month average high temperature and rainfall for Puerto Vallarta and Punta Cana
Measure	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Puerto Vallarta · high °F	82	82	82	84	87	90	92	92	90	89	86	83
Punta Cana · high °F	84	84	85	86	87	88	89	89	88	87	86	84
Puerto Vallarta · rain (in)	0.4	0.2	0.1	0.1	0.5	7.0	11.0	10.5	13.5	4.0	0.8	0.5
Punta Cana · rain (in)	2.0	1.7	1.7	2.5	4.5	3.0	2.5	3.5	3.5	4.5	3.5	2.5

Approximate climate normals for Banderas Bay and Punta Cana / Bávaro: planning guidance, not a forecast. A deeper tint is a higher number, read within its own row.