It was just a few weeks ago that we got back from Playa del Carmen, Mexico, but it already feels so far away after returning to normal life in Kansas City. As I look back I remember the blue skies, warmth of the sun, surprisingly cool waters that immediately invokes a sigh of bliss, and delicious tacos. Playa del Carmen was the perfect spot for our honeymoon and while there we completely fell in love with the city. We cannot wait to return back to paradise and I just had to share about our new favorite spot!
Where to Stay
It seems like nearly everyone who goes to Playa goes the all-inclusive resort route. However, I'm going to recommend that you don't. Ok, yes, these resorts are nice and easy, but it is a lot more affordable and fun to stay within the actual city.
We stayed at Hacienda Paradise boutique hotel, which was just a block away from Avenida 5 - the central street in Playa where all of the major shops and bars are located (largely geared to tourists). The hotel was nice with a breakfast area and the staff were incredibly kind and helpful. We will be returning to this hotel!
There are plenty of other hotels close to Avenida 5, so take a look and do some research! You'll save money by sticking around downtown and be closer to all of the action!
Where to Eat & Drink
Mikael and I are fairly picky about where we eat and tend to stay away from hyper-touristy chain restaurants. On Avenida 5 it was fairly difficult to avoid the tourist-traps (they are hard to spot initially, but you'll know once the manager takes your picture and tries to sell you your own personalized tequila bottle). However, great places are there and we used Yelp to help with our search. Here are a few of our favorite places:
Kaxapa Factory - This family owned and run restaurant features authentic Venezuelan food. Just a few blocks from Avenida 5, but near the heart of the city, the dishes are unbelievable with slow cooked beef pabellon, fried plantains, and black beans. Their homemade teas are delicious enough to make up for the fact that this is one of the few places that does not sell alcohol. My favorite dish was the arepas. We loved this place so much we dined there 4 times during our 10 day stay. Don't just take my word for it, check out their rockstar Yelp review!
El Fogon - There are several of these located around Playa, but we always went to the location 5-6 blocks away from Avenida 5. This restaurant regularly has a line (which only tells you one thing - it's well worth the wait) and was the first place we ate at when we arrived. They feature classic Mexican food with halal style beef and carnitas tacos. On one of our visits, I ordered the carnitas quesadilla, which was a cheesy gooey mess of amazingness. Order a bottle of Pacifico, sit back, and enjoy the humming of the less touristy area of Playa.
Club de la Cerveza - This beer bar is tucked away on the North side of Avenida 5 and is the only bar of the kind in the area to feature craft Mexican beers. Equipped with free WIFI and serving great food, this the perfect spot to hang out once the sun goes down. Love a little heat? Try the chili beer. This light pilsner infused with a green chili is delightfully refreshing and has a nice bite of spice that makes you want to continue ordering it all night long!
Ah Cacao - This cute little coffee and pastry shop has several locations on Avenida 5. We initially fell in love with their chocolate drinks (iced Mexican hot chocolate!), but they serve flaky and warm ham croissants. We especially enjoyed adding a jalapeno sauce to the breakfast sandwich. Overall, Ah Cacao is better than the Starbucks and you can pick up chocolate products! Next time, I'm trying their ice cream.
Where to Visit
Since we spent 10 days in Playa del Carmen, we made sure to plan several days of excursions to break up our time. Here are a few places we enjoyed going in Playa as well as in the Yucatan Peninsula:
Mamita's Beach Club - One thing I loved about Playa was how down to earth everyone was. To be honest, you never know what you are going to get when you go to a beach club and quite honestly I was expecting to see perfectly tanned models sunbathing and a bunch of bros chatting girls up. Thankfully, the crowd was way more casual and we felt comfortable laying around all day at the beach. The one issue we encountered in Playa in terms of the ocean was the abundance of seaweed, however, that was only one minor blip on our radar as we enjoyed the cool, refreshing water!
Chichen Itza - It has always been my dream to visit this Mayan ruin, so we made sure to book this as an excursion. This was a full day event that included a three hour van ride through the Yucatan Peninsula. While driving out to Chichen Itza was not the most comfortable, we were delighted with our visit to this historic site. Our well-informed guide taught us about Mayan culture as we walked around the stone carvings and pyramids, so by the end I felt like I understood Chichen Itza and its context a bit better. This place is definitely worth a visit.
Tulum - This Mayan ruin is just 45 minutes from Playa and is the only ruin on the coast. It featured spectacular views of the ocean juxtaposed beautifully with intricately carved temples. It was a history buff's dream. The only set-back was our unenthusiastic tour guide who gave so little information about the site.
Coba - Mikael's favorite of the ancient ruins, Coba sits further in the Yucatan Peninsula and is about 2 hours from Playa. The site spans a vast space and most of the ruins are still covered in trees and plants, giving you a real sense of what it would have been like to discover these temples and cities. At the end of the trail in the park sits an enormous temple that reaches far above the trees. With just a 2 inch wide rope attached to the middle of the steps, brave travelers climb up and down the temple to see the view. While I was not quite so brave (the steps are precarious with narrow lengths and steep angles), Mikael climbed his way to the top and enjoyed the spectacular view. For me, I was content climbing a third of the way up and calling it a day.
Playa del Carmen is the perfect getaway for couples, friends, and families. We loved how reasonably priced it was to get there ($800 round trip for 2), to stay there ($50 per night), and to eat there ($15-30 per meal for 2). Everyone we met in Playa was incredibly welcoming and kind and we enjoyed every minute of our trip, even when we were stuck inside because of a tropical storm! Mikael and I cannot wait to go back and I hope you get the chance to go to this enchanting city in paradise!
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