Playa del Carmen, the new place to be
I’ve talked about Playa del Carmen in my previous Mexico entries, it’s a touristy place, much more homely and charming compared to Cancun and the Hotel Zone. The locals call Playa del Carmen simply as “Playa” and in the olden days, “Xaman Ha”, a once small fishing village, now a booming city, it is the 3rd largest city in the Quintana Roo state after Cancun and Chetumal.
I was deliberating if I should take the taxi to Playa del Carmen but the concierge in my hotel told me that the bus terminal called ADO is just around the corner and buses go to Playa every 15 minutes. He put my worries to ease when he said that the buses are new, huge, comfortable air-conditioned buses, and indeed when I saw the buses they look exactly the same as the tourist buses used for long distance tours in Europe.
The bus ride from Cancun to Playa took about one hour and fifteen minutes and fare is $80 Mexican Pesos retour compared to $350 one-way by taxi. In fact I felt safe going with the bus with all the other passengers than going alone in a taxi.
My impression of Playa del Carmen is like—WOW, what a nice place, it feels like I am in the south of Europe! The tourist activity in the area centers around Quinta Avenida (Fifth Avenue), a lengthy stretch of pedestrian walkway from Calle 1 to Calle 34, delightfully packed with shops, bars, cafes, clubs, hotels, restaurants and stores of any kind, and its side streets on the way to the beach facing the Caribbean Sea.
I’ve spent a lot of my time along Fifth Avenue, browsing through the shops, taking fotos, having coffee while people watching.
Now more pictures...
Let us go back to the beaches...
Well, the white sandy beach stretch was very nice and I also had a nice beer in one of the cafés facing the Caribbean Sea. Some of the cafés have live bands and there were many people sunbathing while listening to the live music. I’m not much of a beach person but I like beaches as long as I don’t swim in it.
Well there’s a lot to do in and around Playa del Carmen. Xel-Ha, Eco Park, Xcaret and Xplor, all eco parks packed with water and nature activities with Xcaret offering cultural shows, each already is a full day of rewarding activities. The Tulum ruins, where I have been to, are also less than an hour away and many Cenotes can be found in the area as well which both can be a good combination for a day trip.
I highly recommend Playa del Carmen. If I were to choose between Cancun and Playa, I would definitely choose to stay in Playa but of course I will visit Cancun. In addition, there are many Europeans in Playa which I wasn't really surprised at all since the ambience of Playa is very European. It appears that the place is more favored by Europeans while the Hotel Zone in Cancun are more popular to the Americans and Canadians.
More pictures in the later part of the afternoon towards the evening in Playa del Carmen:
Adios for now Playa del Carmen!
Travel Period: January 2010
Destination: Playa del Carmen (Quintana Roo), Mexico
Keep in touch and follow me on Facebook: Travel & Lifestyle Diaries by Dutched Pinay Travels
Happy Travels! Enjoy Life =)
I was deliberating if I should take the taxi to Playa del Carmen but the concierge in my hotel told me that the bus terminal called ADO is just around the corner and buses go to Playa every 15 minutes. He put my worries to ease when he said that the buses are new, huge, comfortable air-conditioned buses, and indeed when I saw the buses they look exactly the same as the tourist buses used for long distance tours in Europe.
The bus ride from Cancun to Playa took about one hour and fifteen minutes and fare is $80 Mexican Pesos retour compared to $350 one-way by taxi. In fact I felt safe going with the bus with all the other passengers than going alone in a taxi.
This is on Calle 1 by the beach and I had a nice chilled Corona in this bar.
Sunbathing while the sun is up, unfortunately we didn't have great weather everyday there.
So super busy here at Playa del Carmen!
My impression of Playa del Carmen is like—WOW, what a nice place, it feels like I am in the south of Europe! The tourist activity in the area centers around Quinta Avenida (Fifth Avenue), a lengthy stretch of pedestrian walkway from Calle 1 to Calle 34, delightfully packed with shops, bars, cafes, clubs, hotels, restaurants and stores of any kind, and its side streets on the way to the beach facing the Caribbean Sea.
I’ve spent a lot of my time along Fifth Avenue, browsing through the shops, taking fotos, having coffee while people watching.
Now more pictures...
I cannot get enough with taking pictures!
Let us go back to the beaches...
Well, the white sandy beach stretch was very nice and I also had a nice beer in one of the cafés facing the Caribbean Sea. Some of the cafés have live bands and there were many people sunbathing while listening to the live music. I’m not much of a beach person but I like beaches as long as I don’t swim in it.
Playa del Carmen beach... beautiful white sandy beaches. It was a nice day, it was warm and the sun was up.
Imminent sunset in Playa del Carmen.
Well there’s a lot to do in and around Playa del Carmen. Xel-Ha, Eco Park, Xcaret and Xplor, all eco parks packed with water and nature activities with Xcaret offering cultural shows, each already is a full day of rewarding activities. The Tulum ruins, where I have been to, are also less than an hour away and many Cenotes can be found in the area as well which both can be a good combination for a day trip.
I highly recommend Playa del Carmen. If I were to choose between Cancun and Playa, I would definitely choose to stay in Playa but of course I will visit Cancun. In addition, there are many Europeans in Playa which I wasn't really surprised at all since the ambience of Playa is very European. It appears that the place is more favored by Europeans while the Hotel Zone in Cancun are more popular to the Americans and Canadians.
More pictures in the later part of the afternoon towards the evening in Playa del Carmen:
Adios for now Playa del Carmen!
Travel Period: January 2010
Destination: Playa del Carmen (Quintana Roo), Mexico
Keep in touch and follow me on Facebook: Travel & Lifestyle Diaries by Dutched Pinay Travels
Happy Travels! Enjoy Life =)
