Best International Bachelor Party Destinations from the US in 2027: An Honest Comparison

Updated: 20 September 2026 · CABÚ Viajes, local operator in Cartagena de Indias (National Tourism Register, RNT 215668). We run bachelor and bachelorette trips for groups flying in from the United States.

In short: if anyone in the group has no passport, Puerto Rico is the only international-feeling option that works — roughly half of Americans do not hold one. If the group is six or fewer and wants a resort where nothing needs deciding, Cancún or Cabo. If the group is ten or more, wants one private house instead of scattered rooms, a full day on a private boat, and a city you can walk at night, Cartagena — it is the only destination on this list billed per unit rather than per head, and that inverts the cost curve for big groups. This page compares the eight destinations American groups actually weigh against each other, including where Cartagena loses, written by an operator in one of them who does not sell the other seven.

The eight destinations, side by side

Destination Passport Nonstop from the US Beach and boat day How the trip is billed Best for Where it loses
Puerto Rico (San Juan) No Nearly every major hub, 2.5–4 h Yes. Catamaran to Icacos or Culebra, shared or private Per person; US prices, US dollars Groups where someone has no passport. Zero friction US price level. Old San Juan is small; nightlife is spread out and taxi-dependent
Cancún / Riviera Maya Yes Almost everywhere, 2–4 h Yes. Isla Mujeres, shared or private catamaran Per person; all-inclusive resorts Any group size. The easiest flights in the hemisphere Hotel zone: everything is a taxi ride. It is the trip half the group has already done (Cartagena vs Cancún, compared in full)
Tulum Yes Via Cancún + 1.5 h by road, or the new Tulum airport Yes. Beach clubs, cenotes Per person; beach clubs with high minimum spends A younger, design-led crowd It has become one of the most expensive beach towns in Mexico, and the transfer eats a half day
Los Cabos Yes Most western and central hubs, 2–3.5 h Yacht to the Arch. Colder water and surf; many beaches are not swimmable Per person; the most expensive of the Mexican three Villas with pools, resort service, golf The highest on-the-ground cost on the Mexican side. Taxi-dependent
Punta Cana Yes Miami, NYC, Atlanta, Charlotte and more, 2.5–4 h Yes. Resort beach, party catamarans Per person; all-inclusive A resort bubble where the bar is included There is no city. Leaving the resort is the exception, not the plan
Costa Rica (Guanacaste / Tamarindo) Yes Liberia from Houston, Miami, NYC, Denver, 3–5 h Yes. Surf, sailing charters Per person; villas available Surf, nature, a slower pace Nightlife is a beach town, not a city. Long drives between anything
Cartagena Yes (no visa) Miami (American, 5 a week) and Fort Lauderdale (JetBlue, daily) year round; JFK in winter; Houston, Washington Dulles and Orlando open December 2026 Yes, and it is the argument: a full day on a private boat to Cholón or the Rosario Islands Per unit: the house, the boat and the van cost the same for 8 as for 16 Groups of 10–20 who want one private house, a private boat and a walkable colonial city Passport required. Fewer nonstop cities than Cancún. Caribbean heat all year. Needs 4 nights
Medellín Yes (no visa) Miami, Fort Lauderdale, NYC, Orlando from December 2026 No. The city is in the mountains: no beach, no islands, no boat Per person; clubs and tables Nightlife-first groups. Spring weather all year If the group wants the sea, it is not the destination

The passport: the number nobody says out loud

Every destination on this list except Puerto Rico needs a passport, and that is not a small filter. About 48 out of every 100 Americans hold a valid passport, according to State Department figures — and because some people hold both a passport book and a passport card, the real share of individuals is a little lower. In a group of twelve, the statistical expectation is that five or six do not have one.

That has a hard consequence for planning: the passport question has to be asked before the destination is chosen, not after. A first-time US passport currently takes weeks, sometimes months. If the trip is inside that window and one groomsman has no passport, Puerto Rico is the honest answer and no amount of villa photos changes it. If everyone has one, or the wedding is far enough out to get them, the rest of this list opens up.

Colombia asks nothing beyond the passport: no visa for US citizens, and the old Check-Mig form is no longer mandatory.

The structural difference that decides most of it

Seven of these eight destinations bill the trip per person. A resort room is per two people, a catamaran is split by head, a beach club has a per-seat minimum, a table has a per-bottle minimum that scales with the group. Add a guest and the cost goes up roughly in proportion.

Cartagena bills most of the trip per unit. The house costs the same whether eight or sixteen sleep in it. The boat costs the same whether ten or eighteen board it. The van costs the same either way. Only food, drinks and a few activities scale with the headcount.

Group size Per-unit model (Cartagena) Per-person model (everywhere else on this list)
4–6 people Expensive per head: the house and the boat are split few ways Competitive. This is where resorts and Puerto Rico win
8–10 people Roughly break-even against a resort week Roughly break-even, and climbing
12–20 people Cost per head keeps falling as the group grows Cost per head stays flat or rises with minimums

That is why the same question has two opposite answers depending on who asks. A five-man trip is usually cheaper in Cancún. A sixteen-man trip is usually cheaper in Cartagena, with a private house and a private boat included instead of a resort corridor and a shared catamaran. A villa at 600 USD a night for sixteen, four nights, is 150 USD a head for the whole stay. The full breakdown, per component.

Where Cartagena honestly loses

  • Anyone without a passport. Puerto Rico, full stop. Cartagena vs Puerto Rico, compared in full.
  • Groups of six or fewer. The per-unit model works against you; the flight time does not pay for itself. Cancún, Cabo or Puerto Rico.
  • A two-night weekend. With the flight there is no room for the island day, which is the reason to come. Cartagena needs four nights; three is tight.
  • Flights outside Florida and the Northeast. Cancún flies nonstop from almost everywhere; Cartagena from Miami and Fort Lauderdale year round, JFK in winter, and Houston, Dulles and Orlando only from December 2026. Most of the country connects. Every route, verified.
  • If the group wants a resort bubble where the bar is included and nothing needs deciding. Punta Cana or an all-inclusive in Cancún. Cartagena is a city, and cities need a plan.
  • Heat. Caribbean all year. Some groups want spring weather, and that is Medellín or Costa Rica's highlands.
  • Rainy season, May to November. Afternoon downpours and the occasional dock closure. Prices drop, but the boat day carries a small risk.

How to decide in two minutes

  • Does anyone lack a passport? Puerto Rico. Done.
  • Six or fewer? Cancún, Cabo or Puerto Rico. Cheap flights beat everything else at that size.
  • Ten or more, want the sea and one house for everyone? Cartagena. This is where the per-unit model pays and the private boat day exists.
  • Ten or more, nightlife first, no sea needed? Medellín, or Cancún if the beach is a bonus.
  • Want a resort, not a city? Punta Cana or an all-inclusive in Cancún.
  • Five nights or more? Medellín plus Cartagena: two nights in El Poblado, three in a house with the islands, one hour of flight between them. Cartagena or Medellín, compared in full.

If the answer is Cartagena, this is what comes next

Frequently asked questions

What is the best international bachelor party destination if someone has no passport?

Puerto Rico. It is a US territory, so no passport is needed, and it is the only destination on this list where that is true. Roughly 48 out of every 100 Americans hold a valid passport, so in a group of twelve it is likely that several do not.

Do Americans need a visa for Colombia?

No. A valid passport is enough for tourism, and the Check-Mig pre-registration form is no longer mandatory.

Is Cartagena cheaper than Cancún for a bachelor party?

It depends on the group size, and that is the whole point. Cancún bills per person, so the cost per head stays flat as the group grows. Cartagena bills the house, the boat and the van per unit, so the cost per head falls. Below about eight people Cancún is usually cheaper; at twelve to twenty, Cartagena usually is, and it comes with a private house and a private boat rather than a resort and a shared catamaran.

Which US cities fly nonstop to Cartagena?

Miami with American, five a week, and Fort Lauderdale with JetBlue, daily, year round. New York JFK is a winter route. United opens Houston and Washington Dulles on 17 December 2026, year round, and Frontier opens Orlando on 19 December 2026.

How many nights do you need in Cartagena?

Four. Three is tight and two leaves no room for the island day. With five or more, the trip can be combined with Medellín.

Is Cartagena or Medellín better for a bachelor party?

Cartagena if the group wants the sea, a private house and a boat day. Medellín if the plan is clubs, the group is small and spring weather matters. Medellín is in the mountains and has no beach. With five nights or more, the two combine well.

Verified facts and sources

  • US passport holders: about 48 passports per 100 Americans in circulation, State Department data as compiled by USAFacts (September 2023); the share of individuals is slightly lower because some hold both a book and a card.
  • Entry to Colombia for US citizens: no visa for tourism; Check-Mig no longer mandatory. Colombian Foreign Ministry and Migración Colombia.
  • Nonstop routes to Cartagena: FlightConnections route data, checked 16 September 2026 — American is the only carrier Miami–Cartagena (5 weekly), JetBlue the only one Fort Lauderdale–Cartagena (daily), JFK resumes with JetBlue in October and Avianca in December.
  • New routes: United press release — Houston and Washington Dulles to Cartagena from 17 December 2026, four weekly, year round. Frontier newsroom — Orlando to Cartagena from 19 December 2026, once weekly.
  • Cartagena price references: per-component ranges published on our cost pages; villa example 600 USD/night for 16, private boat 850–3,800 USD per day.

The five pages that answer the rest

All of it is open on the site, with no form in the way:

Tell us what you need and get it back in 24 hours

You do not need to have everything decided. With these four things we send a real quote, not a brochure:

  1. Dates (or the month) and how many nights.
  2. How many people. Here it is billed per unit: the house, the boat and the van cost the same for 8 as for 16, so the headcount changes the per-person price a lot.
  3. What is non-negotiable for the group: the island day on a private boat, a chef in the house, a table at a club.
  4. Where you fly from and whether everyone lands the same day.

Within 24 hours you get a per-unit breakdown of what is included and what is not, and the payment calendar: a deposit to hold the house and the balance before the trip, against a company invoice. No agency fee and no commitment: the quote is a draft open to changes, and nothing is booked until you confirm.

Ask for your quote here · Local operator in Cartagena, RNT 215668.

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