Great question I would ask myself if I were traveling here a second time. But the choice would be very easy for me and I would definitely shape it from my needs.

Good beaches, discos, shopping centers – Cancun

If it were my interest, I would stay in Cancun. There are large apartment complexes here, the area is very reminiscent of Miami Beach. There are restaurants, there are good discos and shopping centers. There are nice enough private beaches and turquoise water, although it often storms.

Which you definitely won’t get in Cancun:

1.  Calm sea, hard to catch but possible in the morning, that’s what we had.
   
2.  Street with promenade, it is more of a roadway and curb, but maybe I don’t know something.

Good accommodation, infrastructure, restaurants, promenade – Playa del Carmen

It’s probably worth going to Playa del Carmen if you don’t really care about the beach, but are great for inexpensive accommodation with increased comfort, and also a lot of restaurants, bars, discos and a promenade with nightlife are important to you.

Hangouts, restaurants and promenade I liked unequivocally more in Playa del Carmen, and only because of this I would choose this place for a vacation.

What you won’t get in Playa del Carmen:

1.  Beautiful sea – the sea reminded me of a dirty ocean, and often with a smell reminiscent of feces
2.  A good beach – although there is infrastructure, but I think it is an order of magnitude lower than in Cancun or Tulum.

Postcard chic beaches, turquoise sea and palm-lined beachfront – Tulum

All lovers of the turquoise sea, which is calm, although there are evening waves and kiting, clean beaches and a long beach line should go to Tulum.

All you want to do in Tulum is just lie on the white sand and enjoy the warm, turquoise Caribbean sea. It’s great to come here not only during the day, but also in the evening to swim until sunset.

What you won’t get in Tulum

1.  It’s hard to settle in or almost impossible or very expensive on the beachfront.
   
2.  Access to beaches – either go to a paid one in a protected area or make your way to the private ones.
   
3.  Free beaches – they are all paid, as either a protected area or private.
   
4.  The sea is near – everywhere it is necessary not to go, and go to the sea and often it can be 3-7 km, that’s how much you will drive from your own home.
   
5.  Public transportation to the beach – there is no public transportation here, so car for rent, bicycle (long), scooter – your best friends.

Conclusions

Choose what you would like most of all beaches, promenade and discos, unfortunately all together in one place we could not combine.