If you’re headed to Playa Del Carmen in the near future, then this blog post is full of tips for a fun and safe time whether you’re going for a week, or two, or the entire winter!
How to get to Playa Del Carmen:
From the Cancun airport: take the ADO bus from the airport directly to one of the two Playa Del Carmen bus terminals. Check to see where your accommodation is, and get off at the correct terminal (most accommodations are close to the tourist terminal).
From other places in Mexico: Flights between major cities in Mexico are very common. Local airlines like VivaAerobus are pretty reliable and have different routes almost daily, and for very affordable prices. Booking them is another issue. Canadian/American credit cards will NOT work through any travel portal nor the airline website. The best way around this is to go through a travel agency like Sayvin. The nearest airports are Cancun and Cozumel.
Another option for cross-Mexico travel is the ADO bus which runs to-and-from most places. Keep in mind: there’s no English. If you don’t speak Spanish, just make sure to keep fellow passengers in eyesight any time you get off, and remember which platform number your bus is stopped at. Some bathrooms at the various terminal stops will not have toilet seats and covers, so it may be worth it to use the one on the bus.
These buses are air conditioned, comfortable, play loud movies during the day (the screens go dark around midnight), have bathrooms, and sometimes have places to charge your phone.
Where to Stay in Playa Del Carmen
There is a very definite tourist area in Playa Del Carmen that is built up with well-maintained buildings and nice walking areas. This area is roughly from calle 2-28 (going south to north), and avenida 5-15 (east to west). If you prefer to shop at chain stores, too, the area highlighted below in yellow is also okay during the daytime.
Calle’s go north by 2’s (2, 4, 6, etc), and major two-way calle’s have actual names (ex, Benito Juarez/CTM).
Avenida’s go west by 5’s (5, 10, 15, etc), until you reach the highway.
Accommodations in the tourist area are generally more expensive. Please keep in mind that there is an issue with gentrification (landlords kicking the locals out so they can renovate and charge higher prices to foreigners/tourists). This is a very difficult situation for the locals, so it is best to be conscious of this by avoiding the places that ask for an extremely high rental fee.
Shorter Stays:
I found it really easy to find and book places via booking.com. There also seem to be a lot of deals around the holidays, too, so you could end up with a great place for a great price. If you’re using Airbnb: make sure there are MANY reviews, as the newer places with hardly any reviews are commonly scams (don’t exist/aren’t true to picture/etc).
Hostels and hotels on avenida 5 are probably going to be pretty loud, especially on weekends, because avenida 5 is the main pedestrian walk-way. There’s tones of shopping, restaurants, clubs, and bars – the latter of which play loud music after 8pm and late into the night. Sometimes it’s worth looking for accommodation that’s on a calle between avenida 5 + 10, because the side roads can sometimes be a little protected from the noise.
If you didn’t know already: Playa Del Carmen is a party town. Even people from other places in Mexico travel here for the purpose of relaxing and partying. There are quiet places, sure, but…it’s very hit and miss and can quickly change when new neighbours arrive.
Longer Stays:
Rentals go FAST in the winter time and rents are doubled. My best advice is to travel down there with a temporary hotel/hostel booked, and look for a local real estate agent that handles rentals (preferably one that’s referred to you by expats, but who is actually local – DO NOT GO WITH AN EXPAT AGENT).
Go view places with the agent in person, and be prepared to place a deposit/sign a lease on the spot. Most landlords only want to offer 6 month leases or longer…but some will offer 3 months.
A month-to-month rental offers you NO PROTECTION over rent increases, so I would advise against this. Also be wary of lower floor rentals (go with 3rd floor and above).
Try to get a place that includes: water/lights/AC/gas. If the agreement does not include lights/electricity, ask for sample bills from the previous tenants because there are different electricity companies that charge different amounts; it’s a hard lesson to find out that your electricity is the expensive one. These bills typically come out every two months.
Translate the lease before you sign it, too.
Your deposit is NOT last months rent like it is in Canada. It’s literally held in case there’s other expenses. Landlords are supposed to give it back, but this does not happen often.
Facebook Marketplace also shows the type of prices and options you can expect. Scams are sometimes posted here, though, so I would highly recommend working with a legit real estate agent.
What to Do When you First Arrive
Whether you’re here for a week or 6 months, it’s very affordable to get a sim card + a prepaid phone package. So when you first arrive, go to any OXXO and ask the cashier for a Telcel sim card and to activate a 200 peso sin limite plan (200 pesos is about 15$ Canadian). This should give you 30 days of unlimited call/text to Mex/Cd/USA, as well as 2GB of data.
This is helpful because sometimes hotel wifi is hit or miss, and almost every service/business uses Whatsapp to communicate with customers. Telcel data is extremely fast, and the only dead zone I experienced was in a different part of Mexico in the mountains.
Pro-tip: calling home or 1-800 numbers is a bit tricky, but just search how to do that and it will work for you.
If you’re here longterm: it’s really easy to top up your phone. Download the “mi telcel” app (in Spanish only), and sign up with the number on your sim card package. Then, you can top up 200 pesos so that your plan isn’t interrupted after the 30 days of time is up, or change to a different plan.
You can also go to any OXXO and give them your number, and ask to put 200 on it again.
When You Want to Eat In
I know, I know – most people just go out. But let’s say you’re an introvert, or you’re just not feeling it one day. There’s an app for that, and it’s called Rappi.
Rappi allows you to order food from restaurants, and grocery stores. Last I checked, it even had some products from pharmacies. It needs a credit card (or debit/credit), and the delivery drivers are fairly reliable as the app shows where they are in real time. For your address, make sure to list the roads your hotel is on/near, as well as its name. You might have to meet the delivery driver at the entrance. Tips are given on the app itself.
There is Ubereats, too, but it didn’t work for my foreign card.
Playa Del Carmen Restaurants/Tips
There are options for almost every type of cuisine you could possibly want, and most of them are somewhere along avenida 5/10/15. Sometimes there’s even live music. Servers don’t always speak a lot of English, although they do tend to give top notch service. Places will have limited hours, or be closed entirely, on the usual holidays (Christmas/New Years/April Holy Week etc).
Tips should be at least 10-15%, although many rich tourists pay upwards of 30%. If you can afford to tip the higher amounts, please know that it helps locals a lot. Many workers in the tourist areas have been pushed to the edges of town due to gentrification, and they spend 1-2 hours commuting to their 12 hour shifts. They deserve those tips!
Tips made on machine also lose a percentage to processing fees, so try to tip in cash.
My absolute favourite burger restaurant in Playa is Branton Burguer Grill on CTM near avenida 5. These are the biggest and juiciest burgers I’ve had before, and I was always full with just the burger. The one that comes with avocado slices is what I recommend.
There’s also a chain called Mr Dog Del Caribe which has a variety of options. I visited the calle 2 between avenida 5+10 location because it was close to where I stayed for a few days. The service was amazing and everything I tried tasted great.
I can’t remember the names of places I visited with groups of people, but suffice to say: there are a lot of really great restaurant options in Playa Del Carmen.
Water/Bathroom/Laundry
DO NOT DRINK THE TAP WATER. It’s very mineral heavy, and not processed very much, so it can give you a sore tummy or a stomach bug really fast. This means it can also be rough for sensitive hair and any washing (it destroyed some of my cloth pads).
Many people also say you shouldn’t cook with it, nor brush your teeth with it, although washing your dishes (and letting them fully dry before next use) is completely fine. Washing your hands/showering is also fine. Just try not to get it in your mouth.
If you run out of bottled water supplied by a hotel, then head to your local OXXO and buy some there (they come in many different sizes). If you’re staying long term, it’s worth it to look into the big jug delivery services…or ask around for your local refill spot. The chain stores also sell water pumps for the big jugs.
Bathrooms: toilet paper cannot be flushed because the system is not equipped to handle it. So please throw all used toilet paper in the trash (and take that trash out daily). Trash cans are usually in front of most buildings if you’re renting a place, and it’s collected by the city frequently.
For Laundry, you need to find a service that does this. Take your clothes there, they’ll weigh it, and it takes a few days. They’ll tell you when to pick it up, and you pay by weight.
Groceries/Local Tiendas & Fruterias
So the big grocery chains are places like Soriana, Super Aki, Chedraui, MEGA, and Walmart. If you shop at those places, sure – you’ll feel like you”re back home because of the selection and options. But if you’re on a budget and want to support local, then there are tiendas and fruterias around Avenida CTM and beyond that sell fresh chicken and fruit/veggies.
And when I say fresh chicken…I MEAN FRESH. You’ll never have better chicken in your LIFE.
DAC Frutas y Verduras on Avenida 30 and calle 20 is also a great option for fruits, veggies, and healthy teas!
If you’re worried about leaving the tourist areas, just remember: stick to avenida 5, and/or the main calle roads (they’re all named, like CTM) as much as possible along the way. Most likely you’ll be fine if you keep belongings stowed away safely, and watch your surroundings (and the sidewalk).
If you’re choosing a big chain store, though: I found Soriana to have the best options in terms of quality/freshness (meat and veggies/fruits). The big chains are usually open on holidays, although you may see armed soldiers at the doorway depending on the area. Your debit/credit card should work at these stores just fine, but local shops are mostly cash-only.
Phones/Cameras/Bags
DO NOT HAVE YOUR PHONE/CAMERAS OUT WHILE YOU’RE DISTRACTED OR NOT AWARE OF SURROUNDINGS. People will take chances to grab at it broad daylight, even on avenida 5. Keep valuables in a secure spot where it’s not easy to grab and run.
Similarly, if you’re riding a bike, don’t keep your backpack or wallet in the basket/on your back. People have tried to grab these from motorcycles as they speed past.
Playa Del Carmen Beaches
There are actually two beaches – one that all the tourists flock to, and one that has mostly locals.
The tourist beach is really easy to find: just turn right out of the tourist bus station and walk one calle past it, then turn left toward the water. You’ll see a gorgeous statue and the Playa Del Carmen sign here, too.
The locals beach is a bit more tricky to find. Go down avenida 5 heading north until you reach avenida CTM, and then turn right (east) and go towards the water (it’ll look like a bunch of buildings, though). Cross to the left side of the road.
Follow it until the tiny business block ends, and turn left (the opposite direction from The Reef Coco Bay, on google maps). Follow this little road to the end, where there’s what looks like a high end hotel. At the far side of the hotel/the end of the road, is a little sandy path that leads to the beach.
After having experienced both? The locals beach is much quieter, and sandier, with a lot more space.
There’s also been issues with seaweed lately – some days there’s more, some days less.
Ferry to Cozumel
Cozumel is a gorgeous island and the day trip (or longer!) is so worth it. The ferry terminal is at the tourist beach (with a ticket booth outside it), and there are two ferry lines that operate every other hour from each other – Ultramar (yellow/blue) and Winjet.
I would suggest checking the Ultramar website and planning to take the Ultramar ferry, as it’s newer and…much more comfortable when the seas are rough.
They also reverse the ferry’s direction after getting away from the dock. So if you’re in the shade when you sit down, you might end up in the sun on the way there. Choose your seat carefully, because it gets HOT sitting in the sun for 40 minutes (and it doesn’t go well with the motion of the ocean).
Shopping
MEGA and Chedraui are kind of like Walmart, except with unique options. I liked seeing the differences when I visited those stores.
Of course, though, it’s so much better to shop local. For natural health products – everything from vitamins to teas to even healthy food options – I loved going to a store called Bio Natural. It’s between calle 40 and 42 on Avenida 5.
And then DAC Frutas y Verduras on Avenida 30 and calle 20 is also another great option for natural health foods.
For clothing, there used to be a once-a-month Sunday flea market around calle 50. There are also a lot of local shops the further you get from the tourist area. This would be another thing to ask about in the expat Facebook groups.
For snacks like ready-to-eat beans/rice/cookies/water etc, OXXO is great. It’s a Mexican chain convenience store, but the prices aren’t that bad and the store is literally everywhere.
Pro tip: if you buy crackers or anything else that’s dry like that, but cannot finish them, PUT THEM IN YOUR FRIDGE. Playa Del Carmen air is very humid, and will make your crackers soggy and mouldy within a day. Food in general should be kept in there, too, because of the tiny ants that WILL invade and find every crumb.
Local Transportation
A great blog that goes into more detail on transportation in Playa Del Carmen can be found here. But I just wanted to stress the points below:
1. if you’re a woman, do NOT get in a taxi alone at night without taking a picture of the car number and plate, and sending to a friend. Preferably don’t get in one alone at night, though.
2. When hailing, always ask them how much before you get in and negotiate if necessary. They are supposed to charge specific rates depending on the zones/how far/how many people, although some drivers will try for more if they think you don’t know.
3. Check with expat groups on Facebook to see if there is still a taxi consortium that uses Whatsapp. It’s basically a group of taxi drivers who organized together, and you can book them over Whatsapp (for either immediately or a specific time). It’s a lot safer and the drivers were always very professional.
Aside from taxi’s, there are also colectivo’s – vans with their destinations written on their windows. These run in the local areas and can be caught along avenida 30. Last I heard, they were about 10 pesos a ride. Just wave them down after you see the window has your destination location listed. Expats in the Facebook groups may also have a route map available if you ask.
General Safety
If you have to walk alone at night, walk along avenida 5 as much as you can. There are many shops and restaurants along this road, which means many people. It’s not ideal once you get past calle 28ish, but it’s better than the other options.
Pedestrians DO NOT have right of way. Cars WILL NOT stop for you. Always make sure the road is clear before you cross.
DO NOT walk down avenida 20 and above (25/30/35 etc) at night or in the quiet early morning. You want to have people present when you’re on these roads. Shops close early, and open around 9 or 10. The sidewalks are also uneven and have many holes, so it’s just a general safety thing, too.
People from outside this town commonly call it “Playa Del Crimen,” so take this into account. You can still have a great time! But there are very real reasons that it’s called this. A lot of people from MANY countries come here and that can make things a little chaotic. The anger and distress from gentrification is also part of it.
Store cash in secret spots – belt compartment, shoes, or below your shorts/underwear. Police have asked people in the past to lift their shirts to check for cash, especially around holidays. If you look foreign, they might stop you and ask you.
Always keep your Immigration form/passport with you, or have a copy of both to show on your phone. If you get stopped and cannot show these, you can get fined.
Extra Tips For Neurodivergents:
If you have a random bad feeling, turn around. You’re probably picking up on something even if you don’t know what it is yet.
If an expat gives you a bad feeling, or they’re too friendly/chatty/have some spiritual practice you might be interested in: leave or stop interacting. Not every “friendly” person is interested in your well being. A lot of expats do not consider the impact of their actions on other people (personal experience).
If hotel/hostel staff recognize you outside of the hotel and ask you to visit their family member’s business, it’s likely NOT a friendly gesture. If you are alone and don’t feel comfortable, make up a lie about meeting someone soon and leave. I was naive and accepted the offer, only to find him shut the door behind me and stand in front of it.
Don’t get distracted and take any surface for granted; carefully watch for any holes/curb drops/rubbish hiding holes/loose pavement/deep grass, etc.
Doctors
There are doctors who will make house visits, but that service is expensive and you need cash (around 2500 pesos, or 190$ Canadian). There are also some who speak great English if your Spanish isn’t up to par. Many of them are contactable by Whatsapp, so that’s another reason it’s handy to get a phone sim.
If you can get to the doctors place instead of asking for a house visit, it’s not usually that expensive (depending on the doctor/service needed). Pharmacies are almost everywhere, too, so getting prescriptions filled shouldn’t be too hard.
Also, it’s very common for people to get a sickness from the water…so if you tell this to the pharmacy, they should know what you need. If it persists and/or gets worse, that’s when you’d visit a doctor to test for what specific amoeba you have.
Withdrawing Cash
Go to a bank machine inside a bank – do not use the ones in other places. If you choose a bank by the Super Aki/Soriana on avenida 30, you’ll see HUGE lineups. But don’t be dismayed: look in the window to see if the ATM machines are full. If they aren’t, then scoot in to use one of those. Sometimes there are two lineups, and the one for the machines is always shorter.
Your debit card from home should work just fine, but the difference is that you’ll pay two fees: one that your bank charges for international withdrawals, and one for using the machine. Each bank charges a different fee. I think HSBC was one of the more expensive ones (7$), and Scotiabank was more reasonable (3$), but don’t quote me on that.
If your card doesn’t work with one bank, don’t dismay! Just try another bank.
As usual, make sure no one follows you after you leave, and store your cash safely out of sight. The blogs out there really scared me about this at first, but I quickly learned that it’s not as bad as everyone reported. I’m sure issues happen, but…it never did for me any of the times I had to withdraw cash alone.
And above all else: HAVE FUN!
The weather is likely going to be gorgeous, and there’s so much to do, see, and learn about. Playa really does have something for everyone. It’s totally possible to have a great time, but also necessary to have a little bit of caution.
Like anywhere in the world, there’s always people who will do terrible things. But once we have an awareness of what things are common for a specific place, it makes it so much easier to prevent those situations and bask in the good vibes. I hope this list of tips for Playa Del Carmen helped give you an idea of what to expect so that your trip down there is AMAZING.
And hey: I LOVE TRAVEL PHOTOS, so feel free to @ me and share!