Playa del Carmen located on the coast of the Caribbean Sea in the northeast of the Mexican state of Quintana Roo is a fast growing city with a population the third largest after Cancún and Chetumal.
Originally a small fishing town, tourism to Playa del Carmen began with the passenger ferry service to Cozumel, an island across the Cozumel Channel and world famous scuba diving destination. Today Playa del Carmen is the center of the Riviera Maya concept, which runs from south of Cancún to Tulum and the Sian Ka'an biosphere reserve.
Playa del Carmen is a stop for several cruise ships being a popular tourist destination with boutique hotels, shops, bars, and restaurants.
Elements within the Playa del Carmen local community and government have attempted to retain Playa del Carmen's reputation and charm as a small fishing village and artists' colony, without it becoming as large or tourist dependent as Cancún. To this end, the city passed an ordinance limiting buildings to three stories. A few four story buildings were built before the ordinance, however. Playa del Carmen is currently expanding north beyond the Colosio section and on the other side of highway 307, the Ejido. Playacar is a residential and tourist development in Playa del Carmen, just south of the main urban area, where most of the all-inclusive hotels, the aviary, and the golf course are located. Playacar is privately owned by the Castanon family.
There is a significant European influence in Playa, with a number of local business proprietors drawn from the European expatriate community.
Today Playa del Carmen can offer you a never-ending amount of excursions, activities and fun. You would like to discover the Mayan culture visiting the famous Cenotes, the fresh water caves which were considered like sacred wells for the Mayan civilization, the ruins of Chichen-Itza, Tulum, Coba, located about 3 hours or 50 minutes from Playa del Carmen so a day is enough to plan the excursion.
Caribbean fauna and flora are so rich that you cannot miss a tour in the jungle to observe plants and animals or an underwater exploration to discover the wonderful underwater world while scuba-diving or snorkeling in the warm and clear Caribbean sea in Playa del Carmen or in the national park of Cozumel or in the lagoons of Xcaret and Xel-Ha .
Sports lovers would go to play golf, or deep fishing barracudas, sailfish, yahoo, or enjoy the smooth wind while windsurfing, kite-surfing, or discover the Caribbean cost from the sky jumping from a plane and sky-diving or parasailing. If you prefer jungle rather than sea you could go for a horse-back-riding or a trip with quads.
Playa del Carmen also got 3 gymnasiums where tourists can exercise. More lazy tourists would prefer spending the day on the beach chilling out and sunbathing or in a cooler area having massages at the Spa and if you like shopping, you will find everything in the fifth avenue “La Quinta” the main street with his numerous shops and plazas.
Transportation in Playa del Carmen is very easy: bus, taxis and mini-vans are at every street corners but if you prefer to go by your own, you could rent a car, scooter or bike. Night life is great in Playa del Carmen!!!! Don’t miss the atmosphere of “La Quinta” while Mariachis play, usually start about 8pm. You will find here all kinds of ambiance you like in the numerous bars and restaurants of traditional Mexican food, seafood or international cuisine.
Then you will go dancing to the night clubs until the sunrise and can choose in between many styles like salsa, reggae, jazz or techno music .
So there’s no way to get bored under Playa del Carmen’s sun, the famous destination of the Riviera Maya which year round invite different events like music festivals and TV shows. Take your own way to leave it, enjoy Playa del Carmen whoever you are and whatever you like, you will find everything here !! Enjoy a private, romantic getaway .. grace your business trip with a touch of class, go scuba diving, big game fishing, play golf and tennis,visit Ancient Mayan Ruins, world-famous Xcaret & Xel Ha theme parks, snorkel in cenotes & underground lakes, tour nature preserves, jungles and lagoons or relax on your own private hammock .. laze on the superb beaches and run your toes through the softest sand anywhere, swim in sparkling green waters or sway to the town's Latin pulse ..where dream are real.
This is also a great place to find souvenirs. Lush golf courses are also available for guest access. The Xaman Ha Aviary is a haven for endangered birds of Southeastern Mexico. Tourists can view the exotic species including, ducks, storks, parrots, fowls, macaws, and more.
Possibly the most awesome destination to see is the city of Coba. Built around 600-900 AD this ancient Mayan city was once the largest Maya City in the Yucatan, with roads (called the Sacbes) that connected the entire Peninsula. Great Pyramids like the Nohoch Mul is the highest pyramid in the Yucatan, while the Iglesia, comes in second. Centuries ago, Coba had almost 50,000 inhabitants where people probably functioned as an important link in trade between the Caribbean and the inland cities. Visit Boca Paila, an untouched piece of land so peaceful and serene.
Because the area is protected from human intervention, the visitors are allowed to have a very tangible contact with nature. Other activities include, swimming, golfing, fishing, bars, boutiques, and more. Not too big and not too small, Playa del Carmen offers miles and miles of white powdery sand beaches and turquoise Caribbean waters. The popularity of Playa del Carmen is not just with American tourists, but also Europeans and now South Americans who have discovered the area. Towering hotels are forbidden in Playa del Carmen, which adds to the charm of this destination. Thus Playa del Carmen has grown into a darling town with a pedestrian street called 5th Avenue as is filled with Mexican artisans, an eclectic array of restaurants, boutiques and open-air bars filled with music and dancing.
