Playa de Carmen..HELP!!
 

Staying outside of Playa de Carmen mid April. Looking for suggestions on reasonably priced authentic mexican resturants for lunch. Any recommendations for reputable, resonably priced jewelry stores and stores that sell perfume ...and/or any places where we can get quality items/souveniors at a good price.....THANKS!

Just walk down 5th Av or any place within a couple of blocks. Make your own choices from the huge selection

I was hoping for some recomendations!!

In PDC, try La Parilla (5th Ave) for lunch. Don't know if it serves lunch, but Yaxche (a block or so off 5th Ave - on 6th St, I think) is an excellent restaurant specializing in updated regional Yucatecan cuisine.

The Yucatan isn't the best region of Mexico for shopping for handicrafts (which is what I guess you mean by "souvenirs"), but don't let this stop you - there is some good stuff to be found if you look beyond the innumerable shops along 5th Ave in PDC which sell tourist schlock. There is one fairly good shop on the second floor above a restaurant on 5th, not too far from the bus terminal (sorry, can't remember the name). Best place on 5th is Selva y Mar (between 4th and 6th Sts) - very high quality stuff including Huichol yarn paintings and bead work, exquisite alebrijes, Zapotec weavings, etc..., however, the prices will not be cheap. Also, several shops along 5th specialize in silver everything including jewelry.

Actually, the shopping for Mexican handicrafts is better in Cozumel than in PDC (easy to go over on the ferry). There will be triple the cheap schlock shops in Cozumel but also: Los Cinco Soles (at 8th and Ave Melgar), Unicornio,Terramaya, as well as one large shop facing the main square (sorry, another forgotten name) which carry better quality stuff. Plus about fifty million jewelry stores specializing in gold and tanzanite. Shopping in Cozumel is geared toward the cruise ship traffic - don't go on Sunday - no cruise ships so half the stores are closed.

Can't help you with perfume. I've bought a lot of different items in Mexico, but perfume isn't one of them.

Oh, yes, there's a lot more shopping for "regular" stuff in the malls in Cancun.

Just returned from Playa del Carmen. Had absolutely wonderful shrimp tacos at El Oasis, half a block off 5th Avenue, sorry can't recall the exact street, but turn left at the corner past the 'Tequilla Barrel' bar (if you're heading north on 5th).

Also had great tacos arebe at a small taco place on I think 15th Avenue and about Calle 6 or 8. It's on the corner, and seems to have a couple of names, one is Taco Isreal, can't recall the other. Just as an aside, no one who works there speaks any English, but they're friendly and helpful.

We also had a good lunch at a place on Juarez, probably about Avenida 30 or so. Wish I was better with names. We had Laura the 'MapChicks' map of PDC, and it was called 'El Poblano' on there, but has changed names. My husband had pork chop tacos and I had excellent chicken.

We ate at La Parilla one night for dinner. Good food, but not the same type as the above three. Much more marketed to the tourist crowd. Nothing wrong with that, but food is closer to what you would get in the US.

I would also recommend La Parilla.

thank you for responses. I can't wait to go!!!

As far as jewelry is concerned, the Diamond Factory (a stand alone building) is great - it's just a bit south of PDC. This is definitely more upscale jewelry - but I found a beautiful diamond/sapphire ring: their price $4600 USD. We were not prepared for this place but by the time we were prepared to walk away, the price dropped to $1800. Sorry, just realized you said "reasonably priced" but you may check it out anyway.

Try lunch at Yaxche in PDC. Good Mayan food. I think the address is in the Fodors restaurant guide.

try El chino, not sure of the street address. Its good.

Yaxche is good as well, but expensive.

La Parilla of 5th Street is a large tourist place with decent mexican food, but not great. I second Oasis on 12th street between 5th and 10th for great seafood tacos. (sat Hi to Jaime, the owner). The best real food is off 5th on 30th street by Constitution. My favorite is El Pastorcito on 30th, one block from Constitution. No English, but great grilled meats and tacos. This is real Mexico.