What is there to do in Playa del Carmen? LOTS!
Of course the primary reason you are making plans to be in Mexico in early February 2014 in the first place is probably to help us celebrate our nuptials...but there is tons of other fun to be had while there! Whether your idea of a good time is relaxation at the resort or adventures like zip-lining and discovering the ancient Mayan culture, or somewhere in-between, you will find many great experiences.
One of the reasons we love this part of Mexico and the location of the resort is that there are many activities that are walking distance from the resort and there are many more that are also easily accessible by taxi, tour-bus or boat.
Here are some suggestions that we think you might enjoy.
IMPORTANT:
As you look through the suggestions below, it is important that you know that any activities involving eco parks, cenotes, snorkeling, underground rivers, and other natural environments often require the use of biodegradable sunblock and natural insect repellent. This is because the chemicals in most sunblocks/bug sprays damage the coral reefs, ecosystem and natural rock formations. See the what to pack section for more information.
If you like a specific tour/tour company, these should be booked and arranged ahead of time. You can also wait until you are there to choose tours/activities, most of the time there are tour reps at the hotel, or you can find a place to sign up in town, but you won't have as many options. For places that require a ticket for entrance to a park/show, these can also easily be purchased either at the hotel or in town, but you may find discounts for advance purchase online.
Also, many tours include transportation from your hotel and back, and others offer it at an additional cost. Others may have a meet-up place close by in town. The other option is to have a taxi drop you off if it is an activity nearby like something in town or Rio Secreto or Xplor/Xel-Ha/Xcaret parks. Taxis are usually plentiful and close-by, and may save you $ and time waiting. But make sure you get a phone # to call for a pick-up if necessary. More about taxis under travel tips.
One of the reasons we love this part of Mexico and the location of the resort is that there are many activities that are walking distance from the resort and there are many more that are also easily accessible by taxi, tour-bus or boat.
Here are some suggestions that we think you might enjoy.
IMPORTANT:
As you look through the suggestions below, it is important that you know that any activities involving eco parks, cenotes, snorkeling, underground rivers, and other natural environments often require the use of biodegradable sunblock and natural insect repellent. This is because the chemicals in most sunblocks/bug sprays damage the coral reefs, ecosystem and natural rock formations. See the what to pack section for more information.
If you like a specific tour/tour company, these should be booked and arranged ahead of time. You can also wait until you are there to choose tours/activities, most of the time there are tour reps at the hotel, or you can find a place to sign up in town, but you won't have as many options. For places that require a ticket for entrance to a park/show, these can also easily be purchased either at the hotel or in town, but you may find discounts for advance purchase online.
Also, many tours include transportation from your hotel and back, and others offer it at an additional cost. Others may have a meet-up place close by in town. The other option is to have a taxi drop you off if it is an activity nearby like something in town or Rio Secreto or Xplor/Xel-Ha/Xcaret parks. Taxis are usually plentiful and close-by, and may save you $ and time waiting. But make sure you get a phone # to call for a pick-up if necessary. More about taxis under travel tips.
The town of Playa del Carmen
The Royal Playa del Carmen is very centrally located in the town. Just off the resort you will find lots of shopping, spas, restaurants and bars/clubs within walking distance. Also right by the resort is the ferry to the island of Cozumel, which is a nice place to visit for a day trip.
In our previous visit, we really enjoyed the Fish Spa, where little fish nibble the tough calluses off your feet and leave them super smooth and soft! Yes, it sounds a bit weird, but it is not painful, but very gentle and just a little bit ticklish, it kind of feels like little bubbles around your feet! It would be a great thing to do on the last day of your vacation.
We also visited Veronica's Massage in the town for a really nice massage, but there are several other spas in the town that you can go to, and they are much less expensive than the resort (although not the fancy resort spa experience) but great if that doesn't matter to you. Here's TripAdvisor's list of spas in the town.
There is a delicious little Starbucks-esque coffeeshop/chocolate cafe called Ah Cacao. They have awesome cafe mochas and melt-in-your-mouth chocolate brownies that are to die for.
In our previous visit, we really enjoyed the Fish Spa, where little fish nibble the tough calluses off your feet and leave them super smooth and soft! Yes, it sounds a bit weird, but it is not painful, but very gentle and just a little bit ticklish, it kind of feels like little bubbles around your feet! It would be a great thing to do on the last day of your vacation.
We also visited Veronica's Massage in the town for a really nice massage, but there are several other spas in the town that you can go to, and they are much less expensive than the resort (although not the fancy resort spa experience) but great if that doesn't matter to you. Here's TripAdvisor's list of spas in the town.
There is a delicious little Starbucks-esque coffeeshop/chocolate cafe called Ah Cacao. They have awesome cafe mochas and melt-in-your-mouth chocolate brownies that are to die for.
Nightlife
There are also lots of bars and clubs in the town for those seeking some fun later in the evening (it is of course a vacation destination).
BUT, if you only make it out for just one night, we highly recommend going to Coco Bongo. The TripAdvisor page is here. It is not your typical night club, but rather a stage show with music, dancing and acrobatics that is surrounded by a club. They have a couple options for tickets: VIP (or "Goldmember") tickets give you a table with seats in a separate area with a better view of the stage. Regular tickets would be better if you want to dance on the main floor. ALL types of tickets include UNLIMITED drinks...although the VIP area has better drinks and your own designated waiter.
BUT, if you only make it out for just one night, we highly recommend going to Coco Bongo. The TripAdvisor page is here. It is not your typical night club, but rather a stage show with music, dancing and acrobatics that is surrounded by a club. They have a couple options for tickets: VIP (or "Goldmember") tickets give you a table with seats in a separate area with a better view of the stage. Regular tickets would be better if you want to dance on the main floor. ALL types of tickets include UNLIMITED drinks...although the VIP area has better drinks and your own designated waiter.
Mayan Culture/Educational
There are four major Mayan ruins that can easily be visited with a day trip from Playa del Carmen...Chichen Itza, Tulum, Coba and Ek’ Balam. There are many tour companies available that do tours to the Mayan ruins, several of which you can find on TripAdvisor. Because there are so many, we recommend reading their reviews to make sure you are making a good choice...some are smaller and more "personal" and unique, and others larger and more generic and touristy. There are also several combinations of activities that can be included with the trips to the ruins...visits to cenotes, snorkeling, zip-lining, visits to other towns, sailing on a catamaran, unique restaurants with traditional Yucatan foods, etc.
On our last trip, we visited Chichen Itza, the largest and best preserved of the ruins, also a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one the New Seven Wonders of the World. It is one of the furthest away, so expect a long tour, but totally worth it. We went with a tour by YucaTreks that we thought was fabulous, but there are several tour companies that look good. Also to note, it is only at Coba and Ek' Balam that you can still climb the pyramids/structures.
There is also an eco theme park called Xcaret which is a combination of nature park/zoo/Mayan culture. There are a lot of activities, exhibits, performances and nature trails, and also the option for add-on activities such as sea animal encounters, wine-tasting, a dinner show, spa treatments/Mayan sweat lodge and ceremony. We have not yet been to Xcaret, but plan to during this visit.
On our last trip, we visited Chichen Itza, the largest and best preserved of the ruins, also a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one the New Seven Wonders of the World. It is one of the furthest away, so expect a long tour, but totally worth it. We went with a tour by YucaTreks that we thought was fabulous, but there are several tour companies that look good. Also to note, it is only at Coba and Ek' Balam that you can still climb the pyramids/structures.
There is also an eco theme park called Xcaret which is a combination of nature park/zoo/Mayan culture. There are a lot of activities, exhibits, performances and nature trails, and also the option for add-on activities such as sea animal encounters, wine-tasting, a dinner show, spa treatments/Mayan sweat lodge and ceremony. We have not yet been to Xcaret, but plan to during this visit.
Adventure/Water Activities
If you seek adventure, there is plenty to do. Again, TripAdvisor is a great resource to use for ideas/more information/reviews. You can zip-line, snorkel, scuba dive, go deep sea fishing, take a boat ride, ride horses, swim in underground rivers, drive ATVs, take a cooking class, etc. Below are just a couple options, but there are many more.
Xplor is an eco adventure park with zip-lining, an underground river system with areas to swim and raft, and courses to drive amphibious/ATV vehicles. We went here last visit and had a blast, even in the RAIN. We are even planning to make a repeat visit. It is a great place to go if you are a beginner, but exciting enough for those who have done such activities before. Warning: even without rain, you will be getting WET from the neck-down, but ladies it IS definitely possible to do all the activities and avoid submerging your head. But you will want to wear your swim-suit (with a cover-up you don't mind getting wet if you want). Admission here includes food and drink at the park.
Xel-Ha is a natural aquatic park with a large focus on snorkeling and water activities. There are also optional add-on activities. Admission here also includes food and drink at the park. You can also combine a visit to Xel-Ha with a tour of Coba or Tulum through Experiencias Xcaret.
Experiencias Xcaret also offers a Xenotes Oasis Maya Tour that visits 4 different cenotes, where you can rappel, snorkel, zip-line and kayak.
Rio Secreto is a cool tour of a underground river system where you put on a wetsuit and a helmet with a headlamp and hike, crouch, wade and swim your way through the tour. We did this tour a couple years ago and really liked it. It is similar to the underground river swim at Xplor, but a better version of it. You can't bring your own camera inside, but there is a photographer that takes photos of you and the tour group along the way that you can purchase.
Xplor is an eco adventure park with zip-lining, an underground river system with areas to swim and raft, and courses to drive amphibious/ATV vehicles. We went here last visit and had a blast, even in the RAIN. We are even planning to make a repeat visit. It is a great place to go if you are a beginner, but exciting enough for those who have done such activities before. Warning: even without rain, you will be getting WET from the neck-down, but ladies it IS definitely possible to do all the activities and avoid submerging your head. But you will want to wear your swim-suit (with a cover-up you don't mind getting wet if you want). Admission here includes food and drink at the park.
Xel-Ha is a natural aquatic park with a large focus on snorkeling and water activities. There are also optional add-on activities. Admission here also includes food and drink at the park. You can also combine a visit to Xel-Ha with a tour of Coba or Tulum through Experiencias Xcaret.
Experiencias Xcaret also offers a Xenotes Oasis Maya Tour that visits 4 different cenotes, where you can rappel, snorkel, zip-line and kayak.
Rio Secreto is a cool tour of a underground river system where you put on a wetsuit and a helmet with a headlamp and hike, crouch, wade and swim your way through the tour. We did this tour a couple years ago and really liked it. It is similar to the underground river swim at Xplor, but a better version of it. You can't bring your own camera inside, but there is a photographer that takes photos of you and the tour group along the way that you can purchase.
Cozumel
Cozumel is an island just off the coast of the Mayan Riviera. This is a great option for a day trip. There is a ferry that has regular departures to and from Cozumel from Playa del Carmen. There are two companies that provide these transfers to/from Cozumel, they are UltraMar and Mexico Waterjets. The ferries depart approximately every hour but they alternate, so only buy a one-way ticket in case you need to ride the other company back. The ferry terminal is about a 15-20 minute walk from the resort, route mapped out below:
Activities in Cozumel
There is also lots to do on the island of Cozumel, you can consult TripAdvisor for ideas. A great way to see a variety of things that the island has to offer would be to hire a driver for the day. This allows you to have a customized tour of the island, doing the activities that you are most interested in, and at your own pace. Of course, any activities/food you would pay for, as you are hiring a driver vs. taking a tour. Having used this company once before, it was a fantastic experience. The driver was very personable and knowledgeable of the island, and made recommendations of where to visit. We visited the San Gervasio Ruins (interesting but not nearly as impressive as the ones on the main land), the Chocolates Kaokao chocolate factory tour (excellent!), and Playa Bonita restaurant for lunch (fun staff, delicious fresh seafood, gigantic margaritas and AMAZING view of the water).