r/playadelcarmen

Traveling to Cozumel in a week and planning a day trip to Xcaret for the night show with the lunch. Should we book online now or at the resort and try to negotiate? Alsohow do people typically get there from Cozumel? Ferry to PDC then bus? Is that part of the Xcaret Total Package?

Best cenotes to visit in PDC accessible via bike or scooter?

My husband and I are going back to Playa del Carmen for 4 nights in June. We were there 10 years ago, but everything I'm reading is making me nervous to go back. The sargassum seems to be so bad in recent years and from what I've read, it is especially bad this year. I'm from San Diego so laying on the beach is not a huge deal breaker (I can do that at home), but our room (at the Viceroy north of Playa del Carmen) is literally directly on the beach, as is the resort pool. I'm worried about smell and views. We are going to Holbox the second 4 days of our trip and from what I understand the sargassum is not nearly as bad there - should I extend our Holbox portion of the trip? I've also read going north the sargassum isn't quite as bad, will it be lighter north of PDC?

I also wanted to ask about the restaurants we plan to go to - Alux, Ictio Fish House, and Axiote. I am trying to stay away from SUPER touristy spots - I've read Alux is pretty touristy, however, I've also read it doesn't matter because it is a really cool spot. I'm fine with slightly touristy, but trying to stay away from the "Senor Frogs" vibe, if you catch my drift.

Also looking for recommendations for a chill beach club - our resort pool is very nice, but I would like to explore more this time around.

Any insight will be helpful!

Can anyone tell me a true review of this hotel please. We are stopping here soon and we booked it because it was five star and a TUI platinum hotel but such mixed reviews!! Some of which are awful yet it still holds this ‘platinum’ status. I’m really hoping it’s not as bad as what I’m reading!?

The catering sounds shocking but I’m confused as to why it’s not been sorted if there’s so many complaints

I’m trying to plan a Riviera Maya trip and I’m stuck between overplanning it and just keeping it simple, so I figured I’d ask people who’ve actually been there.

Flying into Cancun, but I’m leaning toward just staying in Playa del Carmen the whole time instead of moving around to places like Tulum. I’m not really trying to do the resort thing or constantly switch hotels. I’d rather just have a solid base where I can walk to food, chill, and do day trips when it makes sense.

Main things I want out of the trip:
cenotes (especially ones where you can jump in a bit, nothing crazy extreme though)
snorkeling (Cozumel seems like the main one)
beach days mixed in with exploring
good cheap food / tacos / walkable town vibe
maybe one or two “bigger” day trips but not something every day.

I don’t want it to turn into one of those trips where I’m exhausted from logistics or constantly packing and moving around. At the same time I don’t want it to feel boring or repetitive just staying in one place.

Any recommendations or advice?

Thanks!

I'm seeing conflicting posts on Insta regarding sargassum. Some showing it worse than it's ever been and another one saying the beach is clear. What is the true state of the beaches?

Couple questions for anyone (permanent resident) who's recently opened a bank account in Mexico, actually.

1. Which one bank would be the most recommended, if any? BBVA, Santander, other?
2. Is a Mexican phone number absolutely required to open up a bank account? Would using a disposable/prepaid number work?
3. Were you put in a "virtual queue" when scheduling an appt to obtain RFC via SAT (https://citas.sat.gob.mx)? If so, any idea how long is the wait?

Anything else I may be missing, feel free to point out!

I'm visiting the area and would like to spend one day out on the water on jet skis. Would it better to rent them in PDC or Cozumel? I'd plan to rent two. One for me and my 7 year old daughter and one for my wife. I'm not sure if the sights or water is better in one location vs the other.

I think it's a pretty known issue that foreign residents who try to register their phone numbers with their passport are getting incorrect curps generated in the automated process. Since there's no way to edit this on our side, I'm wondering if anyone else has actually gone to the telcel service center in Centro maya or plaza las americas to fix this issue? I'm hoping to avoid going all the way there and waiting if they can't help.

I haven't seen any recent posts, or I've missed them somehow. Anyway, we are in Playa del Carmen, and I have Bank of America credit and debit cards. I'm looking for a place to withdraw pesos. I searched and found out that Scotiabank is the best option because it has a contract with BofA, but Google Maps reviews are scary! Could anyone let me know which locations work and won't swallow my card? Is it better to use my debit card or credit card to withdraw money? Any other words of wisdom?!!

I’m looking for less man-made, jungle vegetation back drop instead of buildings and beach bars. For example, when I’m in Lanzarote, I stay in Playa Blanca, but I walk for 45 minutes along the shore to the really beautiful remote beaches of Papagayo area. They are not deserted, but they haven’t been colonised by beach chairs and more than one single little bar. 

I’m trying to find out if there are beaches like that so it’s worth staying in Playa del Carmen (Otherwise, the town has really good connections i feel for Day trips to Cozumel Tulum etc)

Thank you anyone that is knowledgeable

Has anyone done rio secreto while pregnant? How strenuous/dangerous is it actually? We have a trip upcoming to PDC and I’ll be about 18-19 weeks. Their website says “not recommended for pregnant travelers” but does not necessarily forbid it. It’s been an uncomplicated pregnancy and I’m pretty fit/active at baseline and my OB seems unconcerned

I’m travelling to PDC next week from 🇨🇦and I’m trying to get the Indrive app to work but it doesn’t recognize my +1 number. I tried speaking to support but they keep giving me the runaround

Is there any other alternatives, how much are taxis to travel within PDC? Will I even need a taxi? My hotel is close to 5th Ave

I want something very typical, off the beaten path, not the places you will find along 5th Av, but don't want to stray too long since we're coming from Cozumel and have to be back on the ship by 5pm, and we want to have some time to explore Playa del Carmen.

Good morning!

In a couple of months I will be moving to Playa del Carmen, where I will be living with my boyfriend at his apartment in Mayakoba. I plan on staying there for at least 3/4 months(longer if things go well🤞) and would rather not have to constantly depend on my him to drive me around places, specially because he will be busy working and I don’t want him to feel like he has to arrange his schedule around me/my needs.
I did some research and saw that there are both colectivos and an express bus available, but I can’t pinpoint exactly where in Mayakoba I would take it, whereabouts in the city centre it would leave me, as well as the schedule in which it runs. If anyone could (literally) point me in the right direction I would be so grateful!!

Spanish is my native language, if that makes any difference! muchas gracias!!!

It’s my first time going and I’m beyond shocked at the transportation prices I’m heading from Cancun airport to Riviera Maya and all prices i’ve received are $125 and up.
Is this normal? Are there no prices under $100??