Beaches
The best and most popular beach is Mamita's, namedafter the beach club at that location. The sand is wide and
the surf could not be any more perfect; a combination
of gentle swells when you are waist deep, and crashing
waves to play in if you venture farther out.
In the mid-town area the beaches are not as wide, and
there are some rocks off shore. Although it's still nice for
swimming, we always walk north to Mamita's.
Transportation
You can walk to most restaurants and attractions.Taxis are available throughout town for longer distances.
If you are traveling to destinations outside of Playa, buses and colectivo vans are available. The colectivo vans go
north to Cancun or south to Tulum. You can be dropped
off at any destination along the way.
Taxi fares, bus, and colectivo information is on our
Playa del Carmen map & travel guide.
Nightlife
One of the most popular forms of nightlife is to sit atone of the open-air restaurants or bars and watch the
parade of tourists stroll by on the pedestrian boulevard.
There are also dozens of trendy lounges, many offering
Mediterranean-style hookah pipes. Two beach clubs turn
into dance clubs on the sand at night, and Coco Bongo
nightclub provides the ultimate in nightclub action.
See all of Playa's nightlife on our
Playa del Carmen map & travel guide.
Shopping
The 5th avenue pedestrian street is lined with an eclecticmix of souvenir shops and boutique stores. It's a fun
shopping experience. Walmart, Costco, Sam's Club,
and several large grocery stores are a short taxi ride
(or within walking distance) from most hotels.
Hotels
Playa has a little of everything–upscale resorts, trendy, boutique hotels, budget hotels, youth hostels, and evencamping.
View all hotels in Cancun at our hotel locations map.
Hotels are also shown on our
Playa del Carmen map & travel guide.
Restaurants
You'll find excellent dining throughout Playa. In theLittle Italy area there are quite a few small restaurants
that offer European recipes. There's even a restaurant
located in an underground cave. Some of our favorites
are inexpensive local treasures (you'll find all of our
favorites on the Playa del Carmen map).
Reviews and recommendations on our
Playa del Carmen map & travel guide.
Tours & activities
Snorkeling, trips to the Tulum Mayan ruins, or nearbyXcaret park are the most popular. Though these are fun
excursions, it seems that most visitors to Playa prefer
to spend most of their time on the beach.
Atmosphere
Playa has become Mexico's trendiest destination.You'll still find some of the thatched-roof beach clubs,
but the beachfront also has quite a few boutique lounges
with lounging beds on the beach replacing towels.
(We still prefer our towels!)
The high percentage of European tourists (and
business owners) has greatly influenced the atmosphere.
The combination of Mexican culture catering to American,
and European tourists creates an interesting atmosphere.
5th Avenue is a pedestrian street that runs parallel to
the beach for over a mile. At night it is packed with
tourists enjoying a beautiful evening, and provides
quite a fashion show.
Who visits
A mix of Americans, Canadians, and Europeans.Although you'll see every age group, it seems that the
beaches are lined with a majority of younger European
travelers.
