Puerto Vallarta vs Riviera Maya

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

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

Puerto Vallarta 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

Puerto Vallarta compared with Riviera Maya
Puerto Vallarta	Measure	Riviera Maya
Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution	U.S. travel advisory	Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution
13	Resorts in our catalog	41 (better)
★ 4.3	Average guest rating	★ 4.6 (better)
$47–$268/night pp	Nightly rates	$41–$719/night pp (better)
2 of 13	Adults-only resorts	12 of 41
In the hurricane belt	Hurricane exposure	In the hurricane belt
Usually June–October, with showers and thunderstorms	Rainy season	Generally May–October; winter nortes can also bring rain and rough seas
November–May, outside the usual rainy season	Sweet spot	December–April
Town outings, restaurants and a beach-resort stay	Best for	Combining resort time with towns, cenotes and archaeological sites
Swimming conditions vary by beach and day	Beach check	Confirm swimming access and recent conditions at your resort

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

Riviera Maya

Weather, month by month

Month-by-month average high temperature and rainfall for Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Maya
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
Riviera Maya · high °F	82	83	85	87	89	90	90	91	89	87	84	82
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
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 Banderas Bay and Playa del Carmen–Tulum: planning guidance, not a forecast. A deeper tint is a higher number, read within its own row.