Travel Eye on Playa Del Carmen (Mexico)

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Overview:

Playa, as the locals call it, is a beach-side city located on the coast of the Caribbean Sea. You generally fly into Cancun airport then transfer to Playa, which is an hour's drive.

Playa del Carmen stretches from the beach west to highway 307 and beyond, however the tourist zone is the area along the coast. Most tourist buses pull into Playa turning off the highway at Benito Juarez Avenue and drive to the downtown bus station which is located right on 5th Avenue. The ferry docks to Cozumel are located close to the bus station as well. This is the busiest spot in all of Playa.

5th Avenue [Quinto Avenida] is the main street that runs parallel to the ocean. It's around 500 meters from the water. In between the water and 5th are hotels, Bed & Breakfasts, Inns, Rentals, Timeshares, and restaurants. It is commonly referred to as, "Playa del Carmen's Pedestrian Walkway".

Along 5th Avenue you will find numerous stores selling interesting items as well as restaurants and hotels. There are clothing stores selling the latest trends from Europe as well as Cuban Cigar and Rum stores. It is a vibrant atmosphere reminiscent of a carnival. We have seen live lions, fire breathers, giant boa constrictors and a cavalcade of characters parading down 5th.

There are also lots of bars along 5th making it a good place to party. The after hour clubs swing into action after 12:00. These clubs are located on the beach away from the majority of hotels and resorts because of the noise level.

Intersecting with 5th are streets that all lead to the beach. Along many of these streets are dive-shops, convenience stores, hotels, tour operators, Internet cafes, currency exchanges, and restaurants. All the beaches in Playa are open to the public.

This area attracts backpackers to luxury seekers, although the former are increasingly being priced out of the market within the main town. Playacar is mainly for package tourists, with Americans well-represented. The main town offers primarily smaller, good-quality, more characterful options catering more for independent mainly European travellers.

The accommodation ranges from thatched huts on the beach to large top-notch, international-standard properties, with the latter developing at a rate to make up for lost time.

Locality:

Playa Del Carmen is found on the Caribbean (E) coast of the Yucatan Peninsula. (42 mls SW of Cancun; 33 mls S of Cancun international airport). It is In an area of blue seas, long stretches of white sand backed by dense native forest and dry scrub in the generally flat inland areas. The island of Cozumel lies about 12 miles off shore.

Entertainment/Facilities/Attractions/Things to do:

The blue waters of the main village bay lap a popular beach of fine, white sand with plenty of dive centres and thatched restaurants running along the back and thankfully only a random scattering of loungers and sunshades.

Most everyday needs are well-catered for by local convenience stores and minimarkets, though Playacar residents will find they have to visit the main village for just about everything. A mass of arts and crafts stalls and shops line the first couple of streets in from the beach, offering a wide range of leather goods, ceramics, wrought-metal items and textiles. Brand-name clothes shops are just beginning to spread down from Cancun.

During the daytime the main activities include sunbathing on the beach or by the pool. There are plenty of water sports including diving and snorkelling in particular. There are some small local Mayan ruins. There are fantastic visits to the island of Cozumel. And plenty of facilities for Golf.

The nightlife here consists of strolling the main street and browsing the souvenir options.There is music, and much of it live, it spills out of the many restaurants and bars. There is a handful of late music bars and discos. The large hotels organise their own entertainments programmes.

There is a huge choice of generally good-quality restaurants and bars, although fine dining is limited to the large hotels. The mexican cuisine intermingles with the ubiquitous pasta-pizza tourist fodder there is Asian food is available in several establishments and a McDonald's and a couple of other international brands.