New Year's Eve - Mexico or Dubai?

Every year shortly after Christmas, many people ask themselves the question: 'What am I going to do on New Year's Eve?

We also answered this question a few weeks in advance this year. Last year we spent the turn of the year in Dubai. It was spectacular, something very special and besides that simply beautiful WARM. So we decided to escape again this year. We thought for a long time whether we should fly to New York City or Mexico - but the craving for sun and good weather eventually won. And so, shortly after Christmas, we finally landed in Mexico. It's strange when you get off the plane and would like to rip off your sweater, even though a few hours earlier you were trembling in your sweater...

We picked New Year's Eve just because we recently uploaded the blog about our New Year's Eve night in Dubai. Perfect for making comparisons!

In Playa del Carmen, a lot is happening on the 5th Avenue, a large tourist pedestrian zone. Most people reserve a table in the numerous restaurants, which are unusually expensive on that evening. We would advise against that... It's better to get something to drink in the supermarkets and stroll along the 5th Avenue. There's something going on everywhere and we certainly didn't get bored! People are in a good mood, have dressed up particularly chic, and at every corner, there's a different street artist performing.

In a side street of the 5th, we found our spot in the crowd. Around us, the various nightclubs tried to outdo each other in terms of music, so that no one really had to go to the clubs anymore - we could hear the music loudly in the streets as well. Especially because the nightclubs in this area were mainly just covered dance floors. There were a lot of people around us - some more entertaining than others.

You have to like that, of course. The atmosphere was great, everyone was happy and celebrated without crossing the line (at least we didn't notice anything like that from our spot).

At midnight, the crowd counted down the last seconds to the new year and cheered loudly, when it finally arrived. We also cheered because we hadn't really gotten used to the six-hour difference from German time yet. Our friends and relatives had already arrived in the new year several hours earlier than us, and apparently we hadn't fully processed our jet lag. 🕓

Finally, contrary to our expectations, there was a small firework display (I love fireworks), which we could see very well from our spot. Just like the dancing cow wobbling in front of one of the nightclubs... Well, it wasn't a real cow, of course, but a person dressed as a dancing cow... I don't know why I'm mentioning this now, but every time I think of New Year's Eve, I have this cow in front of me. I also have it on video, but unfortunately, I can't show you videos here 🐄☹️

Although we really enjoyed the evening and let ourselves be carried away by the good mood, we only made it until half past two - then we dragged ourselves back to our hotel and fell into bed 😴. So it wasn't a particularly long night, but it was still a very successful New Year's Eve for us. 😊

Of course, like everything else, it's a matter of taste.

If you want a spectacular firework display 🎇, you will find it more in Dubai. If you want to have a 'party' 🎊, I would recommend Playa del Carmen. In Dubai, among other things, it is forbidden to consume alcoholic beverages in public 🥂. It didn't bother us, but if that's important to you, we advise against Dubai. You don't have to worry about that in Playa del Carmen. If it's worth the money (about €120 per person), you can also spend New Year's Eve at the Coco Bongo in Playa del Carmen. We decided against it, but we'll tell you more about that in another blog entry.

We had a wonderful evening in both places. You just have to know what exactly is important to you. Everywhere is in a state of emergency on this evening. In Playa del Carmen, the advantage is that most of it takes place on the 5th Avenue, while in Dubai, many attractions are relatively far apart. It's more difficult to get from point A to point B and therefore more stressful. In our case, we fortunately avoided the stress, but it was clear to see that Dubai was completely crowded on New Year's Eve and probably always will be.

Our New Year's Eve on this beach in Dubai was somehow different. The atmosphere is completely different.

Conclusion: Playa del Carmen is the perfect place to celebrate 🎉- Dubai is a completely different world ✨