Playa Del Carmen: An Escape To Serenity. Review on Mexico, General

My first trip to Mexico was 2 years ago, this month and we enjoyed it so much that I have been back twice! Playa Del Carmen was my favorite, because of the beautifully lush settings along amazingly clean, crystal clear beaches and the most attentive service I have ever experienced in my entire life.

I will, first, explain a few key points that may help you with your arrival. Traveling to Playa Del Carmen will usually require flying into Cancun. The wait to get through Customs can be in excess of an hour, so I would suggest using the restrooms prior to getting into line, especially if you are traveling with children. Once you have past the Customs area, you will enter Security and this process is often quite simple. Everyone passing through security must press a button and if a green light is lit you may pass, but if a red light is lit, then you are victim of a random search...which is usually a simple and friendly procedure. The airport is very hectic and many people will bombard you with attempts to sell their wares or services, but once you have left the airport, you will find peace. If you are not interested in buying a timeshare or being hustled by the many salesman…STAY AWAY FROM THE INFORMATION DESKS!! It’s only a small part of the experience there and I think of it as that everyone has to make a living and competition must be rough for them. As you exit the airport, buses and taxis will be waiting to take you to your destination. Some brave souls elect to rent a car and drive themselves…they drive so fast that I would not want to drive myself (this is coming from someone with a lead foot!). Keep in mind that everything is negotiable in price there, especially the price for taxis, etc. and some people will try to over charge you if you are not wise to it. The average price we paid for this 45 minute drive, for 5 people was about $40 USD or if we took an air conditioned van, it cost a little more. Also, your return trip to the airport will usually cost you less.

Playa Del Carmen is part of the Riviera Maya, which is known for its beautiful beaches, thick jungle, and very interesting history. It is no where near as commercialized as Cancun, nor as crowded and noisy. The closer you get to the resorts, you will notice the greenery thickening, much of it natural and Iguanas and other tropical life roam freely. As you enter your resort, you will notice crisply dressed staff, hustling about with smiles on their faces. I thought it was quite interesting how often you would notice them singing and before you know it, they would have you smiling…this is something that most resort personnel are very good at. The people in Play Del Carmen are some of the nicest people and they strive to make you feel completely at home. The entire staff is usually paid a very modest wage and survives by the tips that they inspire from their patrons. I am sure you will find that they are very deserving of a pleasant compensation for all that they will add to your experience, while in Mexico.

The resort we stayed at in Play Del Carmen was The Occidental Caribbean Village. It was an all inclusive 3 star resort. The 3 stars was only because their private beach was a short 5 minute bus ride, instead of directly attached to the resort…it felt like a 5 star! I will never forget our arrival, we couldn’t wait to find our rooms and check out everything the resort had to offer. The rooms were very clean and sufficient, but not fancy…which is fine for me, because I do not vacation in the hotel room! One word of caution, I have noticed that all of Mexico seems to have hard mattresses for some reason. If this will be a problem for you, you may want to address this issue early and perhaps make arrangements for your own comfort. The beds made no difference to me, I slept like a baby. You cannot drink the water in the rooms here, but they provide free bottled water at several locations on the premises and I recommend filling your water up early and often, as it is no fun trying to find a full water bottle when you just want to brush your teeth and go to bed. You will need the water for drinking and for brushing your teeth. Anyway, once we had our bags in our rooms, we freshened up and went in search of something to eat. As soon as we started to walk around, the intoxicating aroma of wonderful foods being carefully prepared filled the air. There were 2 restaurants and a poolside buffet. All of the food was amazing and they feed you practically around the clock! You will never have a chance to go hungry. One of the restaurants offered a gourmet style buffet and they specialized in different ethnic foods on different nights and the other restaurant was a more formal Mexican restaurant that required reservations and a less casual attire. We were in heaven! We had a wonderful meal, sat watching live entertainment by the pool, while sipping wonderful tropical libations. That is how we spent our first night.

We spent the first day by the pool and while it was wonderful, we had no idea what we were missing by the beach! While the sun was so inviting and the pool was refreshing, there was no breeze to cool us, because the resort was tucked in the middle of thick greenery. The pool was perfect at night and the beach was amazing during the day! White sandy beach with little hammocks tucked in the shade or loungers in the sun were sprawled out to view a spectacular bright blue, crystal clean ocean beach. The fresh breeze kept us cool and the kitchen staff grilled wonderful treats all day, while the wait staff brought refreshments right to our side. There were kayaks and such to use free of charge and you could rent the motorized type of water-sport equipment. On each night, they have a different theme…barbeque, beach bash, Calypso night etc. On show nights, they are very good at getting the audience to interact with them and this can be a wonderful opportunity for family snapshots (Dad trying to hula-hoop and kids learning a new dance). A few nights of the week, the resorts will host vendor nights, when local vendors will display all kinds of fun souvenirs and you can shop for your special something right there at the resort. When you would like to do something besides swim or sunbathe, the entertainment staff coordinates several activities that you can participate in. They even have a kids club. One of my favorite things about this resort was that every day, when we walked out onto the resort main areas, the entertainment staff always remembered our names and always made a special ordeal to call my youngest son by name and ask what he wants to do for the day. They called him “Dude” and “My Main Man” etc. They made him feel so important and I completely appreciated that. We all started to feel like family by the time we had to leave. Off site from the resorts are some fabulous excursions you can go on. I highly recommend Xel Ha or Xcaret which are ecological theme parks where you can swim with dolphin, scuba with exotic fish and more. Chichen-Itza and Tulum are Mayan ruins that offer such interesting history and some surprising sights!

This really was an amazing vacation and I would recommend it to anyone! We had such a wonderful time and our kids still say that it is there favorite place, even more than Disney World!