Is Playa Del Carmen nicer than other Caribbean?

We were planning to go to Puerto Rico until we looked into Playa Del Carmen. It looks amazing very pretty and fun I also heard it is safe there. With the ruins being close it sounds like a great place to be. My question is, is it worth spending the extra money to go there or would we be better of going to a different place in the Caribbean. Our main interest is pretty beaches with calm waters that are crystal clear, snorkeling, deep sea fishing, scenery, culture and food. There will be three of us going.