Huatulco vs Cancun: Which is better to visit in 2023?
Cancun’s immense popularity with tourists has made the city almost synonymous with Mexico. When people think of Mexico they imagine Cancun’s white sand beaches, turquoise waters, and bustling nightlife. But the truth is Mexico is a huge country and has so much more to offer!
So when deciding where to spend your winter holiday this coming 2022/2023 season, you might be considering Cancun – and that’s fine! But maybe you are open to discovering some of Mexico’s other hidden gems, such as the Bays of Huatulco. Here I will do my best to help you answer the question; Huatulco vs. Cancun: Where should I visit in 2022?
What Is Huatulco Known For?
Huatulco is definitely not as well known as Cancun, but those who do know of this Oaxacan gem have most likely heard about:
#1 – The Beaches
You might never have heard of Huatulco, but if you have you most likely have heard about the beaches! Huatulco is famous for having more than 36 beaches accessible along its pacific shores, many of them offering fantastic snorkelling, free-diving, scuba diving, surfing, or just plain old sunbathing.
The great thing about Huatulco beaches is that many of them are secluded or unserviced, meaning empty of any developments!
#2 – Sustainability
One neat thing that sets Huatulco apart from Cancun is that it has been built around sustainable tourism. While not perfect by any means, Huatulco has many more building and development regulations in place than Cancun does to protect its water and wildlife. It is also home to one of the largest national parks in Mexico!
#3 Family-Friendly
Unlike larger centres like Cancun, Huatulco is a small and pretty quiet coastal town. Depending on your preferences this is positive or negative! Huatulco is a great destination for families, but cannot compete with the nightlife Cancun has to offer.
Hutaulco vs. Cancun
What Is Cancun Known For?
Cancun is the original tourist city of Mexico. It is famous for all the idyllic things you imagine when you think of a Mexican vacation!
#1 All-Inclusive Resorts
Cancun is famous for its many all-inclusive resorts that line its beaches. I personally am not a huge fan of all-inclusives because of the many negative environmental and sociological impacts, but some people love the stress-free experience!
#2 Nightlife
Many people flock to the beach town of Cancun to enjoy the parties! Because of the high density of tourists all year round, the party never stops on the Yucatan peninsula. Famous bars like the Coco Bongo club can be found in the hotel zone.
#3 The Beaches
I’m sure you’ve seen the photos! Cancun is famous for its long stretches of white sand beaches that line the Yucatan peninsula. The beaches with the idyllic turquoise of the Caribbean waters are divine!
Huatulco vs Cancun
Huatulco vs. Cancun Beaches
So if both Cancun and Huatulco are famous for their beaches, whose beaches are better? While that is impossible to say here are a few highlights of each!
Huatulco Beaches
Huatulco’s beaches are largely made of coarse sand or coral, meaning they don’t have the same picturesque white-sand look Cancun has.
However; Huatulco has WAY more beaches than Cancun does, and they are much quieter than the bustling shores of Yucatan. Most of the beaches in Huatulco are completely secluded and free of any hotels or restaurants.
Best Huatulco Beaches
✔️ Playa Maguey Beach
Maguey is one of my favourite beaches in Huatulco, and what I feel is the beach that offers something for everyone. We have some great dive sites here, great snorkelling, its easily accessible from the town of La Crucecita, and the beach itself has restaurants on one half and virgin sand on the other. All this makes it the perfect destination for groups – because everyone will find something they want!
✔️ San Agustín Bay and Beach
San Agustín is another one of the 9 Bays of Huatulco and one of my favourite beaches to visit if I’m going for the whole day. While Maguey is easy to access from town, San Agustín is at the very edge of the region of las Bahías de Huatulco and takes about 40 minutes to get there by car.
San Agustín has fantastic snorkelling, and I always get some fresh caught oysters when they are in season!
⛱️ Organo Bay and Beach
While it is tough to limit this list, Organo bay comes in as my third choice for Huatulco’s top beaches. This secluded, unserviced beach is only a 8-minute drive and a 20 minute walk from Santa Cruz, but offers a blissful retreat. There is no cell reception, great snorkelling, and although it has a bit of a long walk to get to it, there is no elevation change so its more of a nice forest stroll. steep hike down to the beach it is still a pretty easy to get to spot!
While I love Organo Bay, one drawback is that it is very exposed with minimal access to shade. I recently bought a Neso tent to provide shade and we LOVE it for our beach days here!
Best Cancun Beaches
🐬Playa Delfines
Playa Delfines (or Dolphin Beach) is the undisputed best beach in the Cancun Hotel Zone. Located at marker 20, it is the only beach in the district that is not immediately bordered by hotels or restaurants, making it a more relaxing and chill place to spend your beach time!
While Playa Delfines is a great place to spend your days, the water is not safe to swim in. The waves and currents are very strong so if you are looking to swim, you will want to pick a different beach!
🐌Playa Caracol
Located on the calmer north side of Cancun, near marker 8. Playa Caracol is an ideal place to spend your beach days because:
- It is on the north side, so the water is calmer and better for swimming
- It is further from the hotel zone, so the beach is quieter
- the water is shallow for a long way, so its a great area for families and children
🐦Playa Gaviota Azul
Cancun’s Playa Gaviota Azul is the ultimate, picturesque, beach worthy of magazine spreads. Gorgeous white sand, crystal waters, and beach bars. Head to Playa Gaviota near marker 9.5 for excellent people-watching, drinks on the beach, and jumping in the waves if you’re up for it!
Hutaulco vs. Cancun
Huatulco vs Cancun Activities
While getting some quality beach time in is probably high on your list of activities for your time in Mexico, there is plenty more to experience than sun and sand in both Huatulco and Cancun!
Best Things To Do In Huatulco
Aside from hitting up one of the many, many beaches in Huatulco, here are some other awesome activities you can experience!
⛵Take a Tour of the 9 Bays & Huatulco National Park
Did you know Huatulco is home to one of the largest national parks in Mexico? The Parque National de Huatulco protects both land and sea and is home to all kinds of incredible wildlife!
You can take a tour by boat of the bays, or combine it with an all or half-day snorkel or dive tour to really get to absorb the natural beauty of Huatulco!
🤿 Try Scuba Diving
While the Caribbean attracts scuba divers from all over the world, fewer know of the underwater wonders of the pacific. Despite not having the same level of visibility of the Caribbean waters, the great thing about the pacific ocean is that it is full of life!
Huatulco has more than 50 dive sites to offer, so whether you are brand-new or a seasoned diver, Huatulco has a dive site for you!
🌮Eat!
One of my favourite parts of travel is discovering food culture, and Huatulco is a pretty great place to do that! Oaxaca as a whole is well known for its rich food culture and Huatulco is no exception.
Go to a mezcal tasting, try one of the seven types of mole, or pick up some tacos from a local street cart! Huatulco has so many tastes to experience!
Best Things To Do In Cancun
Need a break from the beach? Never fear, there are many activities in Cancun to fill your days with adventure!
🗿Visit the Under Water Museum
First started in 2009, the Museo Subacuático de Arte (MUSA) was installed to protect the reefs around the Yucatan Peninsula. The underwater museum draws tourists away from the natural reefs, allowing them to start to rebuild, while also allowing new reefs to form.
The MUSA was placed downstream from the natural reefs, so when the coral spawns they find their way to the museum to grow!
There are many ways to experience the MUSA, whether by glass-bottomed boat, submarine, scuba diving, or snorkelling.
🛕 Visit some Mayan Ruins
Despite the mostly modernization of Cancun, there are still some ruins to be found! If you are interested in history at all, you will enjoy a trip to Chichen Itza, a network of Mayan ruins that date back more than 1,500 years!
This trip can be done as a solo excursion, or paired with visiting some cenotes for an all-day adventure!
🌱Visit the Sian Ka’an Biosphere
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Sian Ka’an is a staggering 528,000-hectare biological reserve dedicated to celebrating and preserving the biodiversity of the Yucatan peninsula.
Sian Ka’an covers 125km of coastline, 400,000 hectares of land, and the rest is protected marine space. Visitors can tour the saltwater (Punta Allen) or freshwater (Muyil) sides on their own or through a guided tour.
Huatulco vs Cancun
Huatulco vs. Cancun Weather
Now, here is where things get interesting! While Huatulco and Cancun are both coastal communities, the weather on the Pacific and the weather on the Caribbean are very different!
Huatulco Weather
In my opinion, there is no bad time to visit Huatulco. Without going into too much detail, Huatulco’s location on the Oaxacan coast protects the region from most strong weather patterns.
The most common time of year to visit Huatulco is during the winter of course, that is when Canadian and US travellers want to escape the winter cold! But Huatulco is great to visit in the summer too, the water is very warm and the summer rains are very refreshing!
Huatulco is hotter than Cancun, which can be a deterrent for some people. Oaxaca is the hottest state in Mexico and the Bahias of Huatulco are pretty much 30°c all year round. The variance is that the evenings get a little cooler in the winter, and the humidity is higher in the summer.
Huatulco’s rainy season is from late May to early November. It rains the most from July – September with infrequent rains in the shoulder seasons. The unique thing about Huatulco though is that it does not rain at all in the dry season, even a short shower from December – April is extremely rare.
The weather is changing though, as climate change worsens weather patterns are getting more severe, and coastal communities are the most affected. In 2022, Huatulco was hit by hurricane Agatha and it devastated many local communities. But it was the first hurricane to make landfall in over 16 years.
Cancun Weather
Caribbean weather is a little different! It rains year-round (not excessively, but it can happen) and the temperates are less extreme.
Because of its location, Cancun does experience a hurricane season from June to November, with the peak being September and October. The hottest month of the year is July, while Huatulco’s hottest month is May.
In the winter, the temperatures are much lower than Huatulco, sitting around 21 – 23°c in winter, and getting up to 28°c in the summer. Much lower than Huatulco’s 28°-34°!
The other major difference is that Cancun cools off in the evening, whereas Huatulco does, but not very much. Huatulco will get down to as low as 18°c overnight, but in the evenings it will only get down to as low as 25° in the winter.
Huatulco vs Cancun
Best Places To Stay
If you plan to travel to Huatulco or Cancun, you are going to need some places to stay! Here are my top picks for each location.
Huatulco Accommodations
The biggest difference between Huatulco and Cancun accommodations is most likely style. While Huatulco does have a couple chain hotels and all-inclusives, we do not have the same level of luxury that Cancun offers. But here are some great picks!
🤫 Secrets Huatulco Resort and Spa
If you are leaning towards the wonders of Huatulco, but still want the luxury all-inclusive experience, Secrets is most likely the place for you. Its luxurious amenities, many pools, wonderful architecture, and unique location in Bahias Conejos make Secrets the #1 pick for travellers.
🏨 Quinta Bella Huatulco
If you are looking for a luxury experience, but with a little more independence than the all-inclusive offers, Quinta Bella Huatulco is a great option! Located right on the beach in Chahue, the Quinta Bella is famous for its ocean-view rooms with private plunge pools, their 6 on-site restaurants, and the many events they host during the week!
🏩 Hotel Maxico
Looking for an affordable hotel, but still close the action? Hotel Maxico is right across from the park in Santa Cruz and offers extremely affordable hotel accommodations for as low as $1400 pesos a night!
Cancun Accommodations
Cancun has SO many options for places to stay, it can be really overwhelming! Here are a couple of suggestions, depending on what you are looking for.
🌴 Grand Oasis Palm
The Grand Oasis Palm is the highest-rated all-inclusive in Cancun. It is a huge resort, with 16 specialty restaurants and 9 bars to choose from! People love this all-inclusive for its location, facilities, wifi, and of course, food!
🛕Emporio Cancun
If you are looking for a great hotel on the beach, but not the all-inclusive part – look no further than Emporio Cancun! Not only is this property very affordable, it is also a part of the Travel Sustainable program, meaning they have taken some extra steps to reduce the waste and environmental impact the hotel and visitors have.
🏖️ Cancun Plaza
Prefer to have your own space? You can! Cancun also offers some great apartments and entire home rentals like Cancun Plaza . This is a great hotel/house crossover. You get all the amenities of the hotel, but with your own kitchen and private space!
Safety Concerns in Huatulco and Cancun
Thanks to decades of smear campaigns, the first question on a lot of people’s minds when they hear “Mexico” is “Is Mexico Safe?”. But I think this is the wrong question, safe compared to what? Is the US a really safe place?
The reality is that there are some dangerous parts of Mexico that it is smarter to avoid, but I would say the same thing about parts of Canada, and definitely about parts of the US. In general, Mexico is a great and safe place to be!
Is Huatulco Safe For Tourists?
So is Huatulco safe to visit? Absolutely! Huatulco has a safety rating of 85, which is very high! Personally, I think it should be higher because I disagree with this site’s assessment of the risk for taxis and mugging. The safest way to travel in the area is by taxi, and it is very affordable too!
I have not heard any stories of people having their things stolen or destroyed, just like anywhere I am sure it happens sometimes, but I often leave my things on the beach and go swimming with no issue.
The greatest risk is of course if you are out drinking. Intoxicated people are easy targets for pick-pocketing and other petty theft, so if you decide to go and enjoy the nightlife in Huatulco, make sure you only take what you need and are careful with your wallet or purse!
Earthquakes
One of the things that can make Huatulco feel unsafe for tourists is the earthquakes. Oaxaca is situated on 3 fault lines, so we are in a very active part of the world!
However, don’t let the “temblors” put you off, most of our seismic activity falls under 6 on the Richter scale, so the most you feel is a little rumble similar to a large truck driving by. Thankfully Huatulco rarely gets destructive earthquakes.
The last quake to do damage was in June 2020, it did some damage to houses but no one was hurt thankfully! The town of La Crucecita is especially well built to withstand the shakes.
Is Cancun Safe For Tourists?
Similar to Huatulco, Cancun is a tourist city so the people and governments try to maintain their reputation as best as possible. Crime is pretty low compared to other places in the world, or even in Mexico, but the difference in population between Cancun and Huatulco make Cancun a slightly higher risk.
Cancun has a safety rating of 71, so still very high! Its a lower rating than Huatulco, but still a very safe place to spend your holiday!
I would caution that in Cancun you are more at risk of being accosted by salespeople on the beaches and streets, which is not a crime at all. You just might be convinced to voluntarily give up more money for souvenirs and trinkets!
Cancun also has a much more active nightlife than Huatulco does, so take extra caution when going out.
Conclusion: Huatulco Vs Cancun
So, where will you be headed this winter? Obviously, I am a little biased towards Huatulco because, well, I live here! Both Huatulco and Cancun have so much to offer tourists, so you really can’t go wrong either way.
Wherever you end up, have a wonderful holiday!
