Playa del Carmen questions?
 

Is April (after Easter) or May a good time to go?

Any feedback on the Adventura Spa Resort? How is the food? Do I need to
worry about the food safety and ecoli?

Should I make a day trip to Cozumel? What ruins?

Thanks for your help!

This year, we went to Cancun, PDC, Isla Mujeres and Cozumel for the three weeks after Easter into early May.
We did not have ONE single rainy day in all that time. The weather was perfect.
If you do ruins, I would suggest Chichen Itza first and Tulum second. (They are totally different from one another.)
I've been all over the Yucatan many times and never had any problems with getting sick, and I regularly get salads and drinks with ice. (Drink bottled water at the resort.)A day trip to Coz ia easy and a whole bunch of fun.
I would suggest Royal Hideaway instead of Aventura.
I believe AS may also be quite a good little distance away from everything down 307 if I'm not mistaken.
imho, I'd not suggest an AI for someone going to the area - too many great restaurants to sample! :>

Thanks for the advice.

PCD is really nice. I agree with Diana that ASP is very far out and you might think about getting somewhere closer to the main resort area. Royal Hideaway is very nice!

If you're worried about food safety, you might look into gettting Hepatitis C vaccination before you leave. I always take some Pepto chewables with me "just in case" but I've never had a problem.

Just returned from Royal Hideaway. Loved it! It's also close to Playa del Carmen and there is a lot to do. As far as ruins, I've been to Tulum in the past which was beautiful and just recently went to Chichen Itza which was absolutely outstanding. The best thing we did on our trip! I'd highly recommend it!

We are locked into the Adventura as it is an incentive trip though my husband's work. We have until July of next year to book. I am just trying to figure out the best time to go, sites etc.

Do not go to Xcaret. It was a terrible and a big waste of money. I also heard that Xel-ha is terrible now. (Ten years ago it was great). I did enjoy Chichen Itza though.

In recent years, I have also been very disappointed in Xcaret and Xel-ha. As for a trip to the ruins, I would recommend a trip to Tulum and then to Coba , which is just a bit inland from Tulum. Go early to try to beat all the tour buses from Cancun and the cruise ships!

Dear Buckeyemom,
PDC is a great place, I have been there before, and I am going back this Nov. My wife and I just love it. There is alot to do, and close enough to other attractions to suit your interest.
First of all, PDC is a growing tourist area, however, because it is so close to Cancun, about one hour away, the chamber of commerce in PDC has imposed a building moratorium, because they do not want it to become another Cancun, which has about 32 kilometers of hotels, and is way to crowded.
PDC has a main street called "La Quinta" which translates to "5th ave."
It is actually a pedestrian mall, about 10 city blocks long, lined with hotels, restaurants, shops, artisans and craft shops.
It is also a block away from the ocean. Its pleasant to just stroll up and down the street.
At one end of the ave. you can find the ferrys that take you to Cozumel. I recommend taking one. Its about a 45 minute trip, and worth it. Cozumel has an even more laid back atmosphere. Its a rather small island, but it even has a Hard Rock Cafe. Plenty of shopping there, and just relaxing. Just be sure to keep an eye on the schedule of the ferrys, because they do not run 24 hours.
As far as ruins go, Tulum is a rather small archealogical site, but plenty to see. It is also the only Mayan ruin site located on water, all the other ones are inland. At Tulum, you could even take a swim at the ruins, just watch the surf and tide.
There are other ruins worth exploring, such as Chichen Itza the most popular and largest in the area. They also have a light and sound show. At night, you pay and extra price, and you can get a headset, while they light up the ruins in various colors, and highlighting certain parts of the ruins, so as to show engravings like the serpents. Then they will eventually light up all the ruins, at the same time they tell a tale of the rival tribes and kings and princesses.
Chichen Itza is probably about 3 hours away, and you could get a tour bus from any nearby hotel at PDC.
There is another ruin site called Uxmal, which is about 4 hours away, and also rather large, and very impressive, and also has a light and sound show.
Xel-ha and Xcaret are both very nice parks, with very nice snorkeling and relaxing beaches.
If you are interested in any other info of the area, let me know, there is a large city, Merida, about 4 hours away, very nice, very full of history and worth the visit. If you are interested, let me know, and I will give you information on that city too.
I hope you enjoy yourself.
PS: May through Sept. is very warm.

Wow, thanks Rabano! We are probably going the week after Easter. Is there shuttle service to the ruins or do we need a car?

You can book tours to the ruins through your hotel. There will be many vendors and tours to choose from. There are also snorkeling day tours that are a lot of fun!

There are plenty of tour buses, and I would recommend doing the tour bus.
Especially if you are going a lengthy distance, and in the night.
If you are going to drive, do it during the day, and be sure to have enough water, and stay on the major highways.
There is a major highway from Cancun to Merida called the "Qota" which is a four lane highway with a grass median, two lanes in each direction. This particular highway is very good, day or night. It even has some restaurant stops along the way.
There are some other highways, full of pot holes, and the two lane highway, at times seems to be a 1 & 1/2 lane highway.
If you leave the longer drives to the tour buses, they are air conditioned, have bathrooms, and you can take a nap. The only downside is that if the windows are tinted, then during the daytime, you will probably miss some of the scenery.
good luck.
anything else I can help you with, just ask.