Has anyone been to Playa del Carmen recently? Wondering how the beaches are this year. I have been there several times but not in the last year or so and am wondering if the large "sand bag" type things are still very visible. I'm specifically interested in the area on the south edge of Playa from the Viva Maya area in to Playa del Carmen.

I'm bumping this one to the top as I have the same question...

How are the beaches in Playa del Carmen, Cancun, and/or Cozumel? I'm especially wondering about their condition after the somewhat recent hurricanes/storms.

Thanks!

The answer really depends on what beach you are talking about. First of all there haven't been any recent storms or hurricanes in Playa Del Carmen. The last hurricane to hit this area was Wilma in 2005. There were no hurricanes or tropical storms to hit this area in 2007. The nearest storm in the last year was Hurricane Dean which hit approximately 200 miles south of Playa and did no damage.

The beaches of the town of Playa Del Carmen are pretty much the same as always. Our favorite beach is Playa Norte (between Constituyentes and Calle 28). It is wide white sand with a gentle slope into the water perfect for swimming. The Central playa beach (between Constituyentes and Juarez) is also in great shape. No sand bags no heavy erosion. The same is true for the beaches in Xpu-ha and Tulum.

However we have heard that some of the larger resorts in Playacar and along the coast outside of the city have severe beach erosion and have used sandbags. If you are staying at such a resort the best thing to do would be to call the resort directly and ask about the condition of their particular beach.

Tony and Cheri
Luna Blue Hotel
Playa Del Carmen

I was in Playa del Carmen in late November '07 and the beaches were beautiful. We stayed on the north end Calle 32(Shangri-La Caribe) and walked the beach from there to Ave Constituyuentes, no problems and loads of sand.

Thanks for your help! I've already booked my trip so at this point it doesn't really matter what the beaches are like. Just curious if anyone had feedback from the last few months or so.