Playa del Carmen
From World travel guide
Playa del Carmen is resort town on the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. It's 45 minutes south of Cancun on the Mayan Riviera, and offers a more relaxed atmosphere engineered for lounging and beach frolic.
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Get in
Buses can be taken directly from Cancun airport, for around $10. To get to the bus terminal, go right after exiting the main terminal and walk about 200 yards. Purchase a ticket (buying it in Pesos will save you a few dollars) right before exiting the terminal.
Get around
VW Bugs for $45/day. Some of them are hacked off to resemble convertibles. Scooters are a dangerous, but available, alternative. Tourists comprise at least half of the automobile traffic and tourists simply cannot drive.
There is a closed off street where all the taxis are centralized, right next to the plaza. It costs $4 to get to most all-inclusives.
There is an Alamo outlet on this same street.
See
Tulum Is a little town so close to Playa, but de amazing of this place are the mayan ruins, Tulum is a wonderful place where you can see piramids next to the beach, a terrific image
Do
Rent a canopy bed on the beach. Draw the canopy back and catch the rays, then pull it back again for an afternoon nap. Mamitas beach has plenty of beds and great music playing during the day. Be aware that many women do go topless in Playa del Carmen and this is one beach where you will definitely be exposed to this.
Ceviche and cerveza all day. Livin.
Nightlife is definitely happening in Playa del Carmen. If you are interested in nightlife (dancing, drinks late until the evening/morning), then be sure to visit Blue Parrot, Santenera, and Hotel Deseo. The Blue Parrot has a fun fire show around 9 PM some nights, beach dancing, swings at the bar, and plenty of dancing. Santenera has a beautiful roofdeck bar. Deseo also has a roofdeck bar, but it comes with beds. Very relaxing and beautiful.
Scuba diving is plentiful, though the reefs are off the shore and require boat to get to. All hotels have a dive shop, though some can be found in the city itself. Better open-water scuba diving can generally be found in Cozumel via the ferry. Several dive shops in Playa del Carmen do offer cavern diving about an hour inland, which cannot be found in Cozumel.
There are several internet cafes in Playa del Carmen.
Mexican ruins are available by 2-6 hour bus rides.
Tulum Is a little town so close to Playa, but de amazing of this place are the mayan ruins, Tulum is a wonderful place where you can see piramids next to the beach, a terrific image
A few miles out of Playa del Carmen one can go cavern snorkelling amongst the cat fish and stalagtites, an excellent experience. One can easily get to this by hiring a scooter. There are also numerous roads through the loose jungle, all in a fairly bad condition and apparently leading no where, perhaps a discontinued government development project. The roads are however, a great place to pleasure ride a scooter, there will be very little traffic and you'll pass the caverns on the way.
Buy
The touristy part of the city is laden with shops. These basically sell the same products - shirts, bracelets, and souvenirs, but for varying prices depending on the mood of the shopkeep and your haggling/seduction skills. Every shop hires outside sitters to "amigo" you into taking a closer look, but don't settle for the absurd price they'll label you with. It is possible to buy both Mexican and Cuban cigars here, but prices are not particularly cheap. If you are young or have long hair, many shop keepers are likely to offer you marijuana.
There is also a huge Wal-Mart in Playa del Carmen, but one should remember that shopping here will not really benefit the local economy, or even Mexico.
Eat
Octopus Tacos at the PlayaMaya hotel on the beach. Wonderful.
Perros Calientes (hot dogs) If you wanna eat a great(great is big) hot dogs, you have to walk two street from the fifth avenue and you will enjoy so good hot dogs.
Drink
Travellers will have no problem finding nice bars on the beach, alternatively if you are on a very tight budget many shops outside the main tourist area will sell drinks in bottles and cans that you can take onto the beach.
Sleep
Playa del Carmen has a variety of all-inclusive resorts as well as typical hotels. All-inclusive resorts provide food, drinks, and activities such as live-music and organized excursions. Although this relieves some of the burden of planning, it can also be limiting. The resorts are generally secluded, and prevent one from experiencing the sights, sounds, and tastes of the city, and to some extent Mexican culture as well, since you will be surrounded by Western tourists and amenities. If you are interested however, it is usually cheapest to book all inclusive resorts as part of a package deal with a travel agent.
You may also choose to stay at a condominium/apartment which are reasonably priced and available in the heart of the town and near the beaches.
There are also several inexpensive backpacker style hostels in Playa del Carmen, if you are on a tight budget and don't mind sharing a dorm room with other travellers this is a good option, you will have no trouble finding them, and as Playa del Carmen was once a cheap backpacker destination before the incursion of the all inclusive resorts, many retain excellent beach spots.
Get out
There are two competing companies that will ship you across to Cozumel for around $7. The dock is in the center of the city, south of the plaza. Boats leave roughly every hour, and the ride itself is 30 minutes.
The central bus station, right next to the taxi street, sells rides to the entirety of the Yucatan peninsula. Bus travel is relatively inexpensive, you can either travel second class, or first class, which is sometimes also called 'Express' although it is not notably any faster at all. First class buses cost around 40% more and will have toilets and TVs on them, but both classes have air conditioning. A second class ticket to Chetumal on the Belizean border costs $116 Mexican Pesos ($11 USD) and takes around 4 1/2 hours.
External links
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