Playa del Carmen - where to stay?

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wild_turkey

250+ Posts
Well the wife and I want a 5-6 vacation this summer to a place with nice beaches, nice weather, a younger crowd, and somewhat of a nightlife. We've heard Playa del Carmen can meet our needs, so now we have to pick a place to stay. Our goal is just to lay on the beach and drink margaritas, so help us choose a hotel/resort. Here's our criteria:

1. Location - Gotta be in PdC so we can walk into town for anything we want to do. Staying down south in Playacar is out of the question cause we don't want to fool around with cabs. Being able to walk sounds much better cause even when we are drunk we can stumble around and find cool stuff.

2. Beach - We prefer a hotel directly on the beach so we can crawl out of bed and start working on our skin cancer without having to walk down the road first. We could be convinced to stay in town if the hotel is really nice and there is access to a beach club for chairs and drink service. Chairs and beach service are pretty important though cause I don't want to have to walk around to find a drink.

3. Hotel - Gotta have nice rooms cause at some point we will head back to
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and sleep. Also it would be good if the hotel has a pool in case the ocean conditions are ever too bad for swimming. We definitely prefer not to do all-inclusive because we expect the food will suck, and we hear there are many sweet spots in town that you should eat at. Our other option is to book an all-inclusive and just not eat dinner at the resort. Cash in on the breakfast, snacks, and booze, then hit the town for dinner.

So basically, nice rooms, nice beach with wait service, and located in PdC. Any suggestions?
 
if you want to be right on the beach go with mosquito beach. if you want to be two blocks away and with a pool go with mosquito blue. playa is small so the walks are ridiculously short. not to mention fun, I love walking all over 5ta ave.

or you can stay at the blue parrot suites to be right on the beach.

those are your best bets.

there's is also the gran porto real, but it has an all-inclusive isolated vibe to it even with it being in town.

the best beach area is mamitas and kool (formerly tukan), but the blue parrot beach club is nice as well.
 
Playa Maya above looks pretty good.

I went to Playa in March for a wedding and if I had to recommend anything, it would be Mosquito Blue. Some friends of mine stayed there and when I visited, I was impressed. It's about 50 yards away from the beach and about 20 yards away from 5th Avenue. It's a perfect location and the hotel is really nice.

I stayed at the Blue Parrot Suites. The rooms were fine and the hotel was quiet by the time we went to bed. The hotel was also a stone's throw away from the beach and it was easy to get a beach chair and drinks without a hassle. Overall, I would say recommend staying there if you can't get into Mosquito Blue or another nice hotel.

Avoid the Hotel Basico because it is right next to the clubs and some friends of mine said it was loud as hell at 2:00AM.

Avoid the beach north of the pier. You either have to be staying at one of the $$$ hotels or pay for your chair and umbrella. I was very disappointed in the service there as well.
 
Yeah tripadvisor is usually my source for travel advice, but in this case the people on there really favor the all-inclusives, so it's hard to make a good judgement.
 
Hands down, Shangri La Caribe. On north end of town. It's super quiet, right on an awesome stretch of beach, and you can still walk right down 5th avenue and be in the heart of the action town in less than 10 minutes. We've stayed there about 5 times now and absolutely love the place. I too would reccomend Mosquito Blue or Deseo if you wanted a cool/modern place. This sounds like what you're looking for. Get a beachfront Bungalow if available (something like 32,33,34, or 35)
 
yeah, the shangri-la caribe is very cool and quiet however, a condo is going up across the street which negates the peacefulness of the place for the time being.

huge plus is that it is north of the gran porto real pier so the beach hasn't eroded.
 
I've been there twice in the past 6 months and the condo doesn't bother you one bit. Yeah, you hear some construction here and there, but when you're on the beach all day with a cooler full of "Sol", you don't tend to hear anything you don't want to hear.
 
So which stretch of beach is the best? I've heard it was pretty good to stay north of the docks, which I assumed meant the ferry docks down south, but is there also a pier in front of the Gran Porto Real? Where exactly is Mamitas Beach?
 
the best stretch is north of the gran porto real dock.

the "dock" is the ferry dock on the south end. the beaches get better the further north you move away from it.

playa mamitas. this is where you'll find the most boobage...that pretty much sells it for me. mamitas is just north of the gran porto real dock. if you reach the shangri-la caribe you've gone too far.
 
have a friend going down there this weekend. so sending this to her for some suggestions... and figured I ask:

what's the best meal you've had in playa?
how easy/best way to do a daytrip down to tulum, especially without a car?
 
Best Meal.....
#1=YAXCHE!!, #2= The Glass Bar, #3= tie between Negrasol and John Gray's Place. And, I never can rememeber the name of the damn place, but there is an awesome pizza place on 5th Avenue going North. It's right in the big "dip" that 5th takes. Another great place with cool atmosphere is to eat in the trees at "La Cueva Del Chango" right by Shangri La Caribe. Awesome dishes and a good variety of Margs.!
 
Trust Hornimal on this one.

As a groomsman in my wedding (last month in Playa) he did a lot of planning for a lot of people down there.

I myself have stayed at nearly everyone of the hotels mentioned in this thread and the Mosquito properties are the only ones I will stay at now. The other hotels get higher rankings and good reviews because 1.) They are cheaper. and 2.) They are run by people who create a more "family" atmosphere.

If that is what you are after, then that works for you. But I personally dont need someone to treat me like a brother and sell me $1 bottles of Sol.

Mosquito Blue is really nice, in the best location, and is absolutely suitable to (my) needs. I really like Deseo as well despite the fact that all the rooms surround the bar.

Negrosal, Karta Bar, and Glass Bar are good dinner locations. Babes Noodle bar($3 Mojitos), La Parilla, and Pizza Pazza for lunch. Java Joes, Coffee Press and HOT Bakery for breakfast.

All day at Mamitas beach club. You may or may not have to pay to sit under their umbrellas - I don't know about you, but I don't go on vacation to try and save $7/day - I pay the fee and am always happy that I did. You can also ask the desk clerk at your hotel for a free pass to the beach club - they usually have them. Hot women, cold Coronas, and tasty ceviche.

Tulum is awesome and worth your time. Also check out the Diamante K camping area for a truly secluded beach experience.

Try to work in a massage at Spa Itza - good times. Buy a cool guayabera at Kin Mayab - across from Tequila Barrel and also on Calle Corazon.
 
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