Playa del Carmen Travel Forum

has anyone been to Playa Del Carmen in Mexico - the photos are amazing & id like to hear some stories... is it safe, is it expensive?

thanks in advance?

If you like to party, I am sure you can find your heaven in Playa. For me it is too developed and too westernized.
I prefer smaller place like Puerto Morelos, located between Playa and Cancun airport.
PM is a small fishing village with only couple of boutique hotels and several restaurants.
It is safe and friendly. ON the next day all the residents are saying "hola" to you like you live there.
You can snorkel for free of the beach (and yes, leave your stuff on the beach) if you have your equipment.
There are two loud bars where all the "party animals" go, and the rest of the village is quiet and romantic.
The beach was supposedly destroyed in 2005 (Wilma) and the palm trees from the beach are gone. But when you are on the beach, you don't care. Fantastic water and sand will make up for the lost trees.
See my pictures and videos for Puerto MOrelos, maybe you will like it.
If not, enjoy the Playa. Just remember, it is a big city now....they even have a huge Mall "Mayas WOrld".

I was there some years ago and liked it. However, you could not leave anything outside the bungalow (we stayed in such a nice place with a hammock in front of the door, right on the beach), or it was stolen. Assaults etc. were no problem at the time.

thanks for info guys!!!

I might look into going there next year...

Usually when I am not sure about the place...or the photos look just too "sweat" to be true (photoshop! hello!!!) - I loot at "www.youtube.com"
There is nothing more honest than 'amateurish shaky videos'!

Hi! I actually stayed at a resort called Barcelo a little south of Playa. However, we went there one night to hang out on 5th Avenue. I know the resort I stayed at was nice, plenty to do, and fairly close to Playa as well as not too far from Cancun where the airport is. From what I've heard most of the resorts are similar. The water is beautiful! I stayed at a 4 star resort and unless you just have the money to even though the 5 stars are nicer I don't know how much it would be worth. I mean yeah they have flat screen tvs, internet, and bigger bathrooms but when you go to a tropical place it makes more since to spend more time outside right?! Anyways that is my input. Hope this helps!

Depends on what your looking for. Peace & tranquility,( after a few days at most you will probably want to go elsewhere ) Puerto Morelos. Cancun great partying and amazing sites, or Playa which is in between the 2. You can stay in a resort just outside of town or intown. It is beautiful, just like the pictures of the entire coast, Cancun included. I assume your coming for more than a few days so 1/2 to 2 weeks I would split it between Cancun and one of the other 2. Playa if it was me. It easier to get tours out of Cancun & playa but limited in Morelos. You can rent a taxi for a day and go to the ruins which you should not miss.Check out my VT pages on the area. If you stay in Cancun watch for beach erosion at your hotel. Some areas are pretty bad.

Hmmmm I don't know about "heaven on earth", but yes it's a nice place. Depends on what you like and look forward to doing during your stay. The town has grown a lot the last years as its popularity has increased. Lots of foreigners visiting AND living there too. VERY close to Xcaret natural reserve so that's another plus, and yes they do have good nightlife there too. Expensive....? I guess it is if you compare it to other places in Mexico, but the entire Cancun/Riviera Maya zone is about the same nowadays because it's very "americanized" (USA-like), so lodging and tours are somewhat expensive. But I'm sure you can still find something that accomodates to your budget. I do think it's still a safe place but you have to be careful just like you would be anywhere else (I wouldn't leave my stuff unattended on the beach ANYWHERE in the world, no matter how "safe" that place was, but that's just me). I haven't heard about violent assaults being common there, so just use your common sense and you shouldn't have any problem.