My Playa del Carmen Vacation

By John McNamara

Mexico's Playa del Carmen, a city situated between the more famous places, Cancun and Cozumel. Where Cancun is more an Americanize place, they have a hotel zone that you think you were in Jersey Shore or Long Beach, CA. Then Cozumel, the famous cruise ship port, this city always get an influx of hundreds and hundreds of tourist a day. Take a deep breath and get ready to experience a Mexican vacation, go to Playa Del Carmen and the cities along the Riveria Mayan coast. The reason I like Playa Del Carmen, it has a great walking areas, activities that are not limiting, places to stay for all taste, food that is fun to eat, and easy transportation to get around. Plus there are many great flight / hotel packages this region.

The Activities seems endless for the everyone and for every level, from easy to more challenging. Since the water is my favorite, you can do swim with the dolphins in Playa Del Carmen, snorkel, and scuba dive. Swimming is an extremely popular activity here and you get a wide range of dolphin swims in Playa Del Carmen and places to do this. Other towns that are near Playa Del Carmen that you can swim with the dolphins are Cozumel, Puerto Adventuras and Xcaret. In Cozumel you swim with the dolphins and also get to enjoy the Chankanab National Park.

Chankanab National Park has some of the best beach snorkeling around. In Puerto Adventuras, you can swim with the dolphins plus swim with Manatees and Sea Lions. At Xcaret, you can swim the dolphins plus see an amazing nature park of Xcaret which I will be writing more about it. Snorkeling, I think everyone can enjoy this sport from the novice to the expert. You can almost snorkel everywhere and see amazing reefs. You do not need to take a boat to see the reef, like I mention, Chankanab National Park, you can beach snorkel and dive. Even off Playa Del Carmen there is amazing snorkeling. Now, while snorkeling is for everyone, scuba diving is for those who are certified. This area is known for some of the best diving in the world. You can make a vacation just to get certified and scuba dive for 7 – 10 days.

The land activities that is available for everyone are some very beautiful Parks and Beaches. The parks range from Xcaret, Hel – Ha (pronounced Shell Ha), and Chankanab Park. You will see lots of promotions for Xcaret and Hel-Ha, which has transportation from your hotel to these parks. I only visited Xcaret. Xcaret definitely exceeded my expectation, from activities in the park to beauty. The activities are amazing here, from scuba diving, snorkel in the ocean and a lazy river that run through caves, snuba (where you have a helmet and dive in the ocean, no certification), beaches to swim, natural caves, the rivers, the ocean, and observation tower that looks over all of coast line. The cost is $76.50per adult and $38.25 (ages 5-12) per child with transportation from you hotel. You will be spending a full day here, so plan on it, bring cloths, swimming attire. Lockers are available.

Mexico is famous for all its Mayan ruins and this area has plenty from Tulum to Chichein Itza. There are guided tours from your hotel to get to these places. Don’t forget when you come to Playa Del Carmen, you need to enjoy the beach, at least 1 day. The beaches are beautiful and well maintained. I was surprised to see everything in such great conditioned after the impact of Hurricane Wilma, October of 2005. I would say everything seems back to normal. Getting back to the beach, you should consider one day to rent a Huge Beach Umbrella, get a great book, and RELAX!!! Playa Del Carmen has accommodations for everyone taste, from High End to quaint villas on the beach.

Mayan Riviera Area and Playa Del Carmen

For places to stay in Mexico you have the option for all inclusive resort, which includes your meals and drinks. Maybe you want to do this on your first time here, but I say if you are adventurous and a returning guest, go out and explore some of the great restaurants and cantinas. You will save money if you pick a hotel where you only pay for the room. I stayed not on the beach and the hotel was very clean and comfortable even though I was not sure how good it would be, since it was very cheap, $50 a night. The AC ran and the sheets were clean. When I say AC, Mexico can be very hot and AC at night is a blessing!!>)

Transportation is bountiful here in Playa del Carmen, Taxis, Buses, and Ferries. The taxis are relatively inexpensive; from Playa del Carmen to Xcaret is only $12 US. The cost from the Cancun Airport to Play Del Carmen is about $40 to $50, 1-hour ride. Remember the cabs drivers do not expect tips and the price is for the whole cab. You do not pay extra for more people. The buses are very comfortable, I would take the bus from Playa Del Carmen to Cancun about a 1-hour ride, the cost was $4 US, on a sleeper type chair, with movie and cold AC. The ferries run all day from Playa del Carmen to Cozumel. The cost is about $10US and takes about 30 minutes. You will have to go to Cozumel for at least 1 day.

Overall, you need to stay in Playa Del Carmen and enjoy these people that are eager to please tourist of all nationalities. You won’t be disappointed. Your Mexican vacation could be the beginning of many more trips to this incredible region of the world. To book your Mexican vacation, check out Expedia.com for the best deals.