Off the beaten path Playa Del Carmen
 

Hi there guys;

Traveling to Playa del Carmen and as always, looking for some authentic local spots to eat. Not hesitant to go out of town, although please keep in mind we will not have access to a car. We are hoping to get out of the area for a day as a couple as we will be travelling with a group. Want to experience real mexican cuisine! Any suggestions in terms of restaurants or towns in the nearby area that would be easy to get to via public transit (bus, taxi etc). Bar suggestions are also welcome!

Any help would be appreciated!

N

EL FOGON on the corner of Avenida 30 and Constituyentes where there are often line ups. Also LA MISION on 10th ave, near Benito Juarez where seafood is the best and their courtyard is simply amazing. EL JARDIN, on 20th has one of the most beautiful courtyards plus some singers, their wine is very good and inexpensive... I believe they are only open for diner on week ends.That said there are hundreds of restaurants throughout the city that fit that bill. Of course the ones on LA QUINTA are very overpriced because of their location in the tourist section. I f you wish to go out of the city for a bit, you might consider Tulum.

If you get off 5th just a few blocks, you can find the local shopping area, usually with no tourists, but with lots of shops and eating places.

http://paamul.com/
Definitely off the beaten track, you'll need a taxi to get there, there is a small pool next to the restaurant which you can use if eating or drinking there. Have only been for lunch a few times.

Paamul is a great idea, it is about 10 minutes south of Playa. Yes you can take a taxi and yes, you can take a collective if you dont mind walking from the highway down. The restaurant (the only one) is very appealing and has good food, the pool is great and so is the beach. You might consider putting a towel under the few palapas available in front of the restaurant.

Thanks guys.... Rogelio what is a collective? Definitely going to write these spots down.

Sorry, I misspelled the word, it is actually a collectivo (my computer auto-corrects).
Basically, a collective taxi that anyone and everyone gets to use. The cost is normally 25 pesos depending on where you go and get off. In your case you can walk to the main collectivo stand situated on calle 2 and avenida 20 in Playa. From the sidewalk they will ask you where you are going which in your case will be in the Tulum direction. Tell them you want to get off at the Paamul intersection if that is what you wish. It should take about 5 minutes before the van is fully loaded before departing.Once there he will call out PAAMUL and park on the side of the highway, you give him the money in his hands and get out (he will give you change if need be) you open the sliding door yourself and close it yourself. To get to Paamul you then walk the side road towards the ocean. On your way back, stand on the side of the road, and when another collectivo comes by, he will flash his lights at you... he is asking you if you want to get on, at this point you wave so as to have him stop. You repeat the same procedure, open the door and close the sliding door, take a seat and you pay only when you get off at the main stand once again. These units are safe and reliable and a very cheap and efficient way to get around from Cancun right down to Tulum.

In Spanish, it is really colectivo, there is only one l. (If there were two ll's it would be pronounced differently.)

It's like those group vans at an airport for transfers, and a form of public transportation that privately run (it's not a public service like buses can be). So you have to wait for a van to fill up. It's usually a van, not a car.

This website gives good explanations and tell syou where to get one in PDC.

https://travelyucatan.com/collectivo/

Try and avoid using the colectivo during when shifts change as they are primarily meant to provide cheap transport to locals to get to and from work. Use pesos, they will take USD but usually your change will be in pesos and the rate of exchange can be low, like 10-1 and right now the Forex rate is about 19.25-1 USD-MXN.

Funny Christina your link shows collectivo with 2 l. Maybe they pronounce coyetivo ?
And so they an keep the Latin spelling.
Any they are indeed cheap buses. Not sure they drop you at exact location. I would take a can but that is me.

Funny if you open the link it actually says colectivo in th content.

That's what they are calle3d thoughout Latin Ame4icaa and no they don't pronounce it coyectivo.

Thank you so much all! WE have compiled a list and are very eager to try all of your suggestions! Thank you for all your replies like always.

Nate