Playa del Carmen

[outdoordave]

Any recommendations for things to see or do in Playa del Carmen? Any nice restaurant suggestions?

Thanks

 

[DCLonghorn]

I'm going to the Mayan Riviera for my Honeymoon next year and will be staying at Maroma Resort and Spa for a week and then moving up to Excellence Playa Mujeres for another week. My new bride and I plan on swimming with the dolphins and whale sharks and touring Tulum. 2 weeks in the Mexican Riviera should be fun and relaxing. Here's a list a restaurants and bars that I've heard are pretty good.

1. Yaxche
2. Negrosal
3. Babe's Noodle Bar
4. Glass Bar
5. Hotel Deseo
6. Mil y Un Alux (Cave Bar)

 

[pulque]

The Cave Bar is cool, but the food sucks....

 

[HouHorn97]

Went to Yaxche for lunch this past summer while vacationing at the Iberostar Grand. Great variety of tacos and cold beer...all very cheap.

 

[PecosBill]

We go to Playa a couple of times a year and here are the spots we visit each trip:

Yaxche - authentic Mayan and the 3peppers are way too hot!
Chicago Don Jose - Steak and very laid back, say hello to Dahlia and ask for the Hungarian ravioli appetizer and spinich and strawberry salad.
Bodeguito del Medio - Best mojitos and Cuban salsa dancing
Babes is good and cheap noodles off 5th Av
John Gray's Place upscale menu but very low key off 5th
H&C Monterrey - Order the nacional
EZ's or La Taberna for sports
Tequila Barrel for people watching on 5th Av but Posada Freud nearby is much more fun.
Tons of other good places to eat and drink

Try a couple of hole in the wall places like:
Carbonicita's off 5th
La Ranita on 10th street
Dirty Martini on 1st Av
2 Dollar Drinks on 10th Av

Avoid any tourist place you recognise the name of like Carlos & Charlies, Senor Frogs etc waste of money...

Beach spots are Bad Boys (thursday!), Fusion, Pinche Gringo and three in either direction trying to compete.

Upscale are Mosquito Blue/Mosquito Beach, Deseo, Basico all the pretty people are there.

Alux cave is very interesting but the food is not worth it. Ask for Alex and take the tour.

Breakfast is La Cueva del Chango, Papa Hemingway, Carbonicitos

Playa used to be fun and cheap and now it is fun and crowded most of the season. Be prepared to find the food and drink to be comparable to the US price wise.

Playa Maroma is a good 20 minutes to Playa so check the hotel for a shuttle. get the cab fare agreed oupon before you hop in. FYI

Have a great time!

 

[DCLonghorn]

Great recommendations PecosBill, thanks.

Anyone have recommendations for Isla Mujeres?

Also, anyone take day trips to Tulum or go swimming with the dolphins or whale sharks?

 

[PecosBill]

For the Dolphin swim and tulum the same day you can rent a car go to Tulum early when its cool and spend a couple of hours then stop at puerto aventuras on the way back for the dolphin swim. Both are worth doing.

As for Isla we usually pass as it takes quite a trip and ferry to get there and you will burn an entire day.

Tulum and the beach are good choices, PA has a marina and golf course, Playacar has a golf course, Coba is a day trip but the ruins are much larger than Tulum and less crowded.

You can get a lot of info atThe Link and locogringo.com in the forum section.

Since you are there for two weeks consider the ferry to Cozumel ($11) and do some diving on San Francisco or Planacar.

 

[DCLonghorn]

I thought about going to Cozumel and doing some diving, etc. but since I've been to Cozumel many times diving and fishing with the guys while in college, its not a big priority for me while on my honeymoon.

I'm more concerned about where I'm going to eat and drink and lay on the beach than anything else.

Our first week, we'll be staying at Maroma Resort & Spa and plan on taking a day trip to Tulum to see the ruin and relax on the beach. Coba sounds like a good idea, I need to find info on that excursion. I'm sure we'll visit Playa on several occasions to walk the shops and have dinner.

The second week, we'll move north of Cancun to Excellence Playa Mujeres. We'll be about 10 mintes from the Isla ferry and plan to go to Isla Mujeres for a day and swimming with the whale sharks/dolphins/mana-rays at Holbox Island.

 

[Horny Ringman]

I have stayed at Maroma many times. Trust me, you will not want to leave the Hotel/Beach. It is the most relaxing place that I have ever been and, so I keep going back. I am in desperate need to sit at Freddy's Bar and have a margarita and some cool conversation.

Restaurant suggestions on here have been right on....
Yaxche is a MUST!
Glass Bar is great (however, when I was there in June, it wasn't open)
John Grey's is Awesome little laid back place (Yanik the General Mgr is cool dude)
Cueva Del Chango is casual spot for breakfast, lunch or dinner and the food is awesome!
The Babe's on the Northern end of 5th (towards Chango) is better than the other one.
Awesome Pizza @ Mandarins (in the "dip" on 5th)

 

[pulque]

I'm not sure the whale sharks will be at Holbox this late in the year...But I hope they are for you!

 

[HtownAg92]

Yaxche is a must.

We go once a year and still love some of the touristy places like Blue Lobster and La Parilla. After all, we don't live there and we are tourists. The owner of Blue Lobster knows us and always brings over tequila to share a shot with us. And La Parilla has the mariachi band nightly, which we love.

Last trip we went ot Divino on 5th, which was excellent.

 

[DCLonghorn]

Great suggestions, very much appreciated. Do I need a reservation for Yaxache?

Holbox has the highest concentration of whale sharks in the world from June through August. Here's the link to the whale shark guides website: Dove 6 - Whale Shark Experience One of the guides and owners is originally from Georgia and I've heard great things about their tours.

 

[Horny Ringman]

Shouldn't nead a reservation, but you can make them online. I'd do it and tell them you want to sent out in the garden area in the back.

 

[outdoordave]

thanks for all of the responses!

 

[DCLonghorn]

I heard there is a $50 tax that must be paid at the airport to leave Mexico. Is this true? I remember paying a $10 tax to leave Dominican Republic but $50 seems extreme, is this $50 pesos or US Dollars?

 

[PecosBill]

All the taxes are included when you purchase your airline tickets.

 

[DCLonghorn]

In reply to:

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[PecosBill]

Take a look at the airline or travel site and you will see that there are about $110+/- in taxes and fees per person added to the amount paid to the airline for the airfare.

The taxes and fess are listed seperately on the ticket and are part of the total.

 

[pulque]

Pecos Bill is correct. Take a deep breath...

 

[DCLonghorn]

Thanks, I'll look at my airline tickets to verify. I've had to pay a $10 tax to enter and exit the Dominican Republic that was called a "tourist visa". We paid this fee when going through their customs. I was thinking the fee was collected in the same manner, not through airline tickets. My bad....