08rookie

im sure the weather is adequate. maybe cool at night and warm enough to take advantage of the beach during the day....ive been to an iberostar all inclusive in playa for a wedding two years ago but it was not in the town of playa, we never left the resort so im not even sure how far from the "town" we were....in any event....5th avenue looks kinda neat. rustic and inviting and a block from the beach....

i would be interested in playa for december arrival but wondering if i should book a hotel on the outskirts of town or a botique hote close to 5th ave based on location to shops/restaurants/bars/beach.....ideally id love a luxury botique thats one block from a gorgeous beach and one block from cobblestone mexico! is this possible??

KVR

Yes. We go to that area every December and have already booked our trip for this December. We have always done the AI thing, but decided this time to do a boutique hotel within walking distance to 5th Avenue. The ocean temps are fine, but we've found the pools to be too cold that time of year to enjoy.

Here's a list of boutique hotels to check out: Playa Maya, Petit Lafitte, Mahekal Beach Resort, Aqualuna Hotel, Hotel La Tortuga, Playa Palms, Las Palapas, and Le Reve Hotel Spa.

If you still want AI and in the same catagory as the Iberostar, look at the Royal Playa del Carmen.

We have stayed at the Royal and loved it, but wanted something less crowded. This time we chose the Mahekal Beach Resort.

MFNYC

We've (family of 4) rented condos a few blocks from 5th avenue. With all the available restaurant choices in town, there's really no need for an AI unless you're traveling with young kids or a large group. Also, it's very easy and inexpensive to get to some of the nearby tourist sights (ruins, eco-parks, etc)

Ronga

Do spend a day in the town of playa. We took a cab from the resort because driver are crazy there. We didn't want to risk an accident. The cab the resort called for us dropped us off in town (15 minute drive). We set a time 5 hours later to be picked up. He was there on time. Cost about $30.00 U.S. Dollars roundtrip. It was worth it. 5 hours was plenty of time to see everything, eat, and drink a beer.

VimexVacationRentals

We recommend renting a condo downtown Playa. All our condos are close to the beach & 5th Avenue. Take a look: http://www.vimexvacationrentals.com/...tals-homes.asp

HammerDown

We like staying at Pueblito Escondido condos or Luna Blue Hotel on the north end of 5th. It's a perfect location for the beach and you're at the end of 5th so zero noise but perfect for walking! Staying right on 5th is way too LOUD til 3am!

docdan

Just returned from a week at the Royal Hacienda, which is a non-AI resort about 2 miles north of P de C, but we did walk past Aqualuna Hotel, Hotel La Tortuga and noticed they were actually on 10th ave, which appeared attractive to me as you'll get much less noise on 10th than you will on 5tgh, but still within walking distance of everything. - Note, P de C seems to have more tacky shops along 5th Ave than we remember from before. Restaurants are still nice, however . . .

chrism125

We stayed at La Tortuga a couple of years ago... just plain dreamy! A little slice of heaven smack dab in the middle of it all.