• Home
  • North America
    • Mexico
    • United States
      • Alabama
      • Arizona
      • California
      • Colorado
      • Connecticut
      • Florida
      • Hawaii
      • Idaho
      • Maine
      • Massachusetts
      • Nevada
      • New Mexico
      • New York
      • Ohio
      • Rhode Island
      • Tennessee
      • Texas
      • Wyoming
  • Europe
    • Italy
    • Scotland
    • Spain
  • Central America
    • Belize
    • Costa Rica
    • Nicaragua
  • South America
    • Panama
  • Caribbean
    • Dominican Republic
  • Asia
    • China
    • South Korea
  • Pacific Islands
    • Philippines
  • Travel Farther Smarter
  • Submissions
  • About Us
  • We invite you …
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Page
  • Submissions
  • About Us
  • We invite you …
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Page
facebook twitter youtube reddit tumblr
You Me and the Dock
  • Home
  • North America
    • Mexico
    • United States
      • Alabama
      • Arizona
      • California
      • Colorado
      • Connecticut
      • Florida
      • Hawaii
      • Idaho
      • Maine
      • Massachusetts
      • Nevada
      • New Mexico
      • New York
      • Ohio
      • Rhode Island
      • Tennessee
      • Texas
      • Wyoming
  • Europe
    • Italy
    • Scotland
    • Spain
  • Central America
    • Belize
    • Costa Rica
    • Nicaragua
  • South America
    • Panama
  • Caribbean
    • Dominican Republic
  • Asia
    • China
    • South Korea
  • Pacific Islands
    • Philippines
  • Travel Farther Smarter
Home  >  Mexico • North America  >  Playa del Carmen, Riviera Maya
MexicoNorth America

Playa del Carmen, Riviera Maya

Tony Scopel Posted onMay 12, 2015April 21, 2017 mexico, playa del carmen, Travel Comments are off 2863 Views
playa del carmen

Playa Beach 3We happened to stumble onto this Caribbean paradise when spending time on its neighboring island of Cozumel after taking the 40 or so minute ferry ride to a sister resort just across the channel. This was in 2001 and have been returning ever since.




Founded in 1937, Playa del Carmen was a small fishing village before becoming a major destination for tourists. Playa, as known to the locals and frequent visitors, prides itself on keeping its tranquil fishing village feeling intact. But it is been a real challenge to keep this mecca of fun in the sun’s growth under control.

Luna Blue EntranceDuring our month and a half tour through the Yucatan Peninsula, we made a brief stop in Playa. We stayed in a nice boutique hotel on a side street just off the famous 5th Avenue. We did research on hotels Luna Blue Pool 2before stopping in Playa, visiting the ones we earmarked and deciding from there. We negotiated a price and found a place to stay for the next four days. The Luna Blue hotel is situated in a great location and the price was very fair.

Having visited Playa del Carman for many years, we now know the area pretty well. We found a nice little café on one of the side streets leading off 5th Avenue and just a half block from the beach. Playa BreakfastFood can be inexpensive here if you stay off the main drag and utilize the peso to dollar exchange rate. We had two complete fish taco dinners and two alcoholic beverages and the bill with tip came to 450 pesos (approximately 30 USD’s). Breakfast is just as cheap, two full meals with bloody Marys at around $15.00 with tip.

We spent most of our time relaxing. We talked about our past three weeks in Belize and the upcoming trip to the other side of the Yucatan. We hung out PLaya Beach Pic 7on the beach around restaurants that had water front lounging areas with over-sized umbrellas. It is easy to lose track of time when you are having fun. The food is fantastic, the beverages are refreshing and the people are so friendly.

There are lots of hotels along Playa’s beautiful white sugar fine sandy beaches, ranging from small and quaint to larger Playa Beach Indigocontemporary hotels. The ultra and mega resorts are to the south in Playa Car, if that is preferred. The Internet is an ideal way to find a perfect match. The turquoise waters of the Caribbean-fed Gulf are Playa Beach 2picturesque against the solemn blue skies, something that I have a hard time pulling myself away from.




Playa Beach BarAfter spending a day or two on the beach relaxing and taking in the scenery, we took a short stroll to Playa’s older city park. This part of Playa del Carmen offers the traditional feel of the past. The park has a Playa Park Church“Little White Chapel” that is always busy with weddings. Besides Sunday, the enchanting Playa Church Pic Weddings 1monument performs countless ceremonies every day of the week. We stood there for awhile and observed the wedding parties congregate around the small church entrance. Brides and grooms waited anxiously for the chance to fulfill their long awaited fantasy. When the time came, preparations where done and the fairytale moment began.

Playa Park SculpturePlaya’s Parque Fundadores (Founders Park) is also home to the Portal Maya Sculpture. They were finishing up final details on the 50-foot high and wide archway. The sculpture was designed by a local artist to commemorate the end of the Mayan PDC Park Bronze Statuecalendar and the beginning of a new era.

Playa Beach Sand SculptureWe spent the rest of our time in Playa del Carmen wondering up and down the beach and around town enjoying the laid back atmosphere and the Mexican culture. Sand sculpting (pictured right) is a hobby to many locals. Fishing is a tradition that still supports many families in the area. Playa Beach Pic 6The beach is dotted with lots of Pangas and other assorted water crafts.

Playa is approximately 70 km, or 44 miles, south of Cancun and is a place that can be enjoyed by families and couples alike. This part of the Yucatan Peninsula is very tourist-friendly, as well as safe. The day has come when we need to head northwest to our next adventure, but we can’t wait to return and possibly spend a month or two in Mexico’s Riviera Maya.

Playa Beach Bar TonyAuthor: Anthony Scopel
Photographer: Anthony & Maureen Scopel
Editor: Sheri L. Thompson
Publisher: YMATD 

 

 

11
SHARES
ShareTweet
Previous Article Shore Lodge’s Culinary Festival & Competition
Next Article The Taste of Fort Myers Beach

Related Posts

  • Viewer’s Pictorial Expo 2016

    October 3, 2016
  • culinary festival

    Shore Lodge’s Culinary Festival & Competition

    May 7, 2015
  • parma food

    Eating Our Way Through the Heart of Italy: Foods of Parma

    April 28, 2015

Where We’ve Traveled

Visit Villas De Cisnes
Subscribe to You, Me and the Dock and we'll take you around the world with us.
Loading

Archives

  • September 2023
  • August 2023
  • July 2023
  • June 2023
  • April 2023
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • March 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • March 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • June 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • January 2020
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
facebook twitter youtube reddit tumblr
Powered by Kemper Kreative, LLC © Copyright 2023. You, Me and the Dock.