1

More information needed. Check out this Forum, Google, check a guidebook, then ask relevant questions. Remember the end of the year is also a big season for national tourism in beach areas.

2

Go to either one, and stay away from the tourist zones. They're easy enough to spot.

3

Peninsula Maya is more relaxed and has good beaches which is a good option with kids

4

Oaxaca has a great festival "Fiesta de los rabanos" on December 23. That, history, food, amazing arts and street life make it a good choice. The beaches are nice in Yucatan, but I would prefer Oaxaca...

5

I too think that Oaxaca would be a good choice. The festivities that start on the 12th of the December (Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe) extend all the way through January 6th (Los Reyes Magos). Touristic, yes, but I really enjoyed being there at that time.

6

Geographically, the difference is that much of Oaxaca is mountainous, but the Yucatan peninsula has no mountains. The effect of this difference is that you have a choice of weather in Oaxaca: cooler weather in the mountains or hotter weather near the sea, but it will be hot everywhere in the Yucatan, no place to go to cool down. Likewise, the scenery in Oaxaca is much more varied than in the Yucatan. Besides that, Oaxaca offers much more variety in indigenous ethnic groups than the Yucatan.

7

Tough choice to make, both are great places, but if as a mater of fact I do prefer Oaxaca, why? because it has a lot of choices that you don't get in the Yucatan peninsula, it has a better climate (as the mountains and central valleys are cooler in the winter), the coast is always warm, and the fact that at least for me it is more travel friendl.

And I say friendly because it is very accessible with local transportation, in the peninsula you feel you need to rent a car, in Oaxaca there is always a bus, truck , taxi, and besides it is way cheaper in Oaxaca, in some places of Yucatan and Quintana Roo I feel I'm getting ripped off, like for example in Tulum , the beach is wonderful, but so is in Huatulco, Estacahuite, Zipolite or Mazunte in Oaxaca and way cheaper as compared with Tulum, Cozumel or Playa del Carmen.

As for food, this is really difficult because both are my favorite regional Mexican foods, I could eat Chochinita Pibil or Poc Chuc (Yucatan) or Mole Negro (Oaxaca) forever.

Choices, choices.

8

I've been to Puerto Escondido while there was unrest in the City of Oaxaca, in fact as recently as last weekend. Puerto Escondido (and Huatulco as well) has had no defacing, violence, disruptions, etc. Perhaps the odd sign (which I haven't seen) but nothing else. The City of Oaxaca is not the place to go to see beaches. It's about a 6 hour drive from the city to the beaches at Puerto Escondido and Huatulco, 35 minutes by plane. On the Pacific coast resorts in the state of Oaxaca you'll find extremely good prices on accommodations comparatively speaking, because notwithstanding the foregoing, tourists have tended to lump the whole state together which has unfortunately adversely affected tourism at the Oaxacan beaches.