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Playa del Carmen Hotels and Travel Guide
Playa del Carmen is located in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico, Just in
middle of the Riviera Maya. In a manner of
speaking, there are two Playas: Playa Del Carmen
(our
subject), a former fishing village that is quickly growing into one of the largest resort
on the Mexican Caribbean; and the Playacar development.
Playacar is an 875 acre-golf-course
community where you'll find a big beach-front hotels, more than 20 large all-inclusive resorts, a
championship golf course and, for anyone who might be interested, attractive
condos,
villas, houses, apartments and
lots for sale.
Scooting around Playa Del Carmen to find a
good place to eat lunch or take a dip, or better still, for a dip and then lunch, is a
grand way to get to know it. The town's main thoroughfare is known as "Quinta
Avenida", or
Fifth Avenue.
QUINTA AVENIDA
Apart from a few beach-side cafés,
Fifth Avenue is the town's restaurant row, with a
dozen of restaurants, breakfast nooks and cafés to choose from, since the town is only
about ten blocks long, it's fun to stroll down "Quinta" and check out where to dine.
There are wide ranges of boutiques along "Quinta" which feature an eclectic mix of
handicrafts from all over Mexico and Guatemala. The specialty shops feature masks,
embroidered or batik blouses, dresses, and silver, shell and amber jewelry.
PLAYA DEL CARMEN HOTELS
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SCUBA DIVING
The reef breaks the waves heading to shore, which means good snorkeling, diving,
swimming and even good wading.
For anyone who has not donned scuba gear before, Playa del
Carmen is a good place to try it out.
Introductory courses
teach the basic in a pool, then students are taken out to explore the
reef for a couple of hours. Most dives, like the reefs, are relatively
shallow (about 12-15 m/40-50) which means divers can stay down longer.
THE AVIARY
In
Playa hot, steamy days fade to cool
afternoons, an excellent time to visit the Xamán-Há Aviary in Playacar. It is run by a
private foundation sponsored by Situr, the corporation behind the Playacar development.
The admission fee is a reasonable and it's well worth a visit. If you don't have a rental
car take a taxi, or you could find yourself wandering, lost, on the Playacar fairway.
The aviary setting takes visitors into a tamed Yucatecan
jungle to wander along trails in a botanical garden. The plants are carefully
labeled for mature horticulturalists. Flamingos and other long-legged birds
amble about a pond.
Adventurous birds occasionally
hop onto the pedestrian paths; on more than one occasion the staff has had to
rescue someone being pursued by aggressive pelicans. Overhead parrots of many
colors squawk in the trees. In the main enclosure visitors can get within ten
feet of a toucan.
NIGHTLIFE.
During siesta Playa del Carmen
is quiet, but as the
sun sets the town is at its most festive. Street performers stroll "Quinta Avenida" Playing
guitars while singing Spanish folk song, and lovers walk hand in hand, their ruddy faces
glowing in the red rays of the setting sun.
Happy hour, which can
last for a generous 120 minutes, gets under way at most taverns and the village
becomes a international social club. American football flashes on giant screens
before enthusiastic Italians; which, at least, provides a new opening line: “Can
you explain this game to me?” (Asking if you live near by seems unlikely in Playa del Carmen.)
Though buses run from Playa del Carmen
to Cancun
throughout the day, an afternoon in Playa makes some visitors want to spend the night: for
which there are dozens of inexpensive hotels.
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From Playa del Carmen
it’s only a hop, skip and a jump to Cozumel. Twin-hulled ferries depart
every hour and take takes less than that to make the crossing.
Conveniently, they arrive in the heart of
the island’s one town, where tourists can find dive shops (Cozumel main
attraction) or shop in duty-free stores. The island is so close that
many people go over for breakfast rent a scooter and motor around to see
the sights. |
To get to Playa Del Carmen rent a car and
take highway 307 south for 72 km; or take one of the buses which have regular service to
Playa del Carmen.
Playa del Carmen itself has Mayan roots; its original
name was Xamán-Há. The Maya used it as launching point for pilgrimages to
Cozumel, which
they held to be the home of Ixchel, the goddess of the moon, love, pregnancy and
childbirth.
Though remnants or buildings left
behind by this ancient civilization still dot Playa’s shores, the town has
changed somewhat since the decline of the Maya, much less over the last twenty
years. Those who remember it as nothing more than a ferry stop will be stared by
the changes.
Some locals claim the town is the
fasted growing community in Mexico. First time visitors are the lucky ones. They
simply arrive, find themselves dazzled by the charm, and never want to leave.
Playa del Carmen has a sub-tropical
climate,
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Investment opportunities and Real Estate properties for sale or rent
in Playa del Carmen and the Riviera
Maya, Mexico. Residential Real Estate in the city or on the Caribbean Sea
shore. Villas condominiums, apartments, beachfront houses, lots and
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