jandee

Hello All,
We will be in PDC during the holiday week and this will be our first time to Mexico. We will be staying in a condo. We are a family of 4 - 2 adults, kids 20 and 16. Can anybody help me with the following:
1. Suggestions for attending Christmas Day or Christmas Eve Service. We do not speak Spanish and we would prefer an English Service and if possible a protestant church, though we do not mind going for a Catholic Service
2. Will everything be closed on Xmas Day?
3. Suggestions for traveling from Cancun airport to PDC. Our flight will be arriving at 8:30 AM and it looks like the buses run only after 10:30 AM
4. Do we bring Pesos with us or use a local ATM?
5. Suggestions for activities, tours, food!

Thanks!!!

jette

Hi Jandee, I can help with some of your questions.
Question 1 I'm afraid I don't know but for general info try this site:
http://www.playa.info/index.html

The forum is a treasure trove of Q/A Do some searches or register and ask away.

As for closings on Xmas day, most restaurants and shops will be open. That is a very busy time so you should be fine with any options.

Transfers for a whole family, I'd book ahead of time. Cancun Valet http://www.cancunvalet.com/ is one I have used and their rates are pretty good. Also Playa.info has a transfer service that is very good. I generally take the ADO but I think for a whole family, you're better off prebooking a transfer. Cabs from the AP are outrageously expensive.

Bring Pesos? I always use the local ATM's. I go often enough that I always have some pesos left over from the last trip to get me started but after that, ATM's. Just be sure you only use those machines in very public places. I most frequently use those in or associated with banks, the ADO station, Mega or Walmart.

Suggestions for activities? Phew, so many choices. What are you interested in doing? Ruins? Beaches? Treking? Snorkeling?
Again, I'm going to suggest you check out Playa.Info and narrow down your interests. At your kids ages I think for sure I'd recommend a day snorkeling at Akumal or the beaches south of Tulum. Not sure Xel Ha or Xceret would be worth the price for you, kind of cheesy IMO.

Food? 2 words, OFF 5th. There are hundreds of great restaurants in Playa, the further off 5th you venture, the cheaper the prices and the more authentic. The north end of 5th is also called "little Italy" for good reason. Lots if expat Italians and some of the best Italian food I've eaten anywhere!
Don't worry about venturing off 5th. Playa remains very safe. I generally travel as a solo woman and I have no issues walking and even staying several blocks away from the main tourist drag.

You will have so many choices of things to do and places to eat, you'll only get to scratch the surface of Playa!!

colokid

Hi jandee,

There is a small church just opposite the ADO station on the corner of Juarez and 5th Ave. There is also a beautiful church of 20th Ave and approx Calle 14. You can't miss it as it takes up a whole block.
Definitely venture off 5th. My new fav is Manigua on 40th street between 5th and 10th avenues on the north side of the street/has a big red plastic lobster outside. El Fogon is always a tourist favorite but it will be very busy during that time. No reservations, very local. Constituyentes between 25th and 30th avenues on the north side opposite Mega. Mi Abuelita is also a favorite for chicken enchiladas with green chili (to die for) and posole. I love this place and it is family owned. Very nice people. On 30th ave between 20th and 22nd streets. Big orange/yellow awning. On the east side of 30th. Piola for Italian as well as Il Bareto. Many beach restaurants are great such as Fusion, Wicky's (great for lunch;dinner can be pricey but beautiful restaurant and setting), Bad Boys live music on Thursday and Saturday late afternoon on the beach, a new beach bar is opening soon and should be going by then in the same area.
With that many people it's best to take a shuttle. There are also shuttles outside the airport door that you can arrange when you get there but at that time of year pricing is optimal.
I live in Playa part time and many times on my own. Use ATM's that are inside banks. There are many that are just located on the street which are not the best choice. Money exchanges are all over (cambios) or go to the bank to exchange. Some cambios and the banks have you produce your passport to exchange money.
Xmas is high season. Stores and restaurants will be open. It is crowded. Get to the beach early.
I always travel by colectivo between Playa/Akumal/Tulum and Puerto Morelos. Cheap/about $3 each depending on where you get off. ADO also travels there for a bit more stopping at Xcaret and the Tulum ruins and then puebla.
I don't go on tours so I don't know that part.

jandee

Thanks, lot of good information! Jette, I will check playa.info, thanks!

Colokid, why do we have to get to the beach early? My kids love to sleep in during vacations - they will probably only wake up at noon everyday. Do the beaches get awfully crowded? We are staying close to Coco beach. Is that a good beach? What are the other beaches we should check out?

colokid

Yes, that time of year, if you are going to a beach club, is crowded early. By early I mean around 8:30. Up by Coco beach there are three clubs, Canibal Royale, Mamitas, and Kool in descending order. Mamitas and Kool are directly next to each other, Canibal is further north right next to the resort. North of that there is only public beaches without services. South of Kool are two AI's where you cross over Constituyentes and, then further south, are more beach clubs. Mamitas has a beach club also as do Zenzi and a few others. If you kids get to the beach at noon they may be looking for chairs. Also, that time of year is the BPM festival which begins on Dec 30 and runs until Jan 8th at various beach clubs around Playa. That makes for larger crowds in the afternoon during those days at those clubs.

colokid

Here's a link to the webcam at Kool
http://www.nasplaya.com/playa_del_carmen_web_cam.html

jette

Coco beach and the beach north of the pier are beautiful and you don't necessarily have to stay at one of the 3 mentioned. All beaches are public so if you want and have access in your condo to beach chairs and coolers, you can stake out your little bit a paradise apart from the private for fee clubs.

Personally I don't care for any of the beach clubs up on that stretch anymore especially during BPM but then I'm old and not of the beautiful body club anymore. They can also be quite expensive IMO for a full day of drinks and food. Not to worry though, you can go early and stake out some chairs and if it gets too loud or crowded, move south.
I do agree, unless you are there early, you may not find chairs or shade.

Where are you staying? There are a couple condo's on that end that do have their own beach clubs.

colokid

I don't like the beach clubs either and rarely use them. But, with teenagers, that may be what they are looking for.

MicheleinPlaya

1. "Suggestions for attending Christmas Day or Christmas Eve Service. We do not speak Spanish and we would prefer an English Service and if possible a protestant church, though we do not mind going for a Catholic Service" - To my knowledge there are no English speaking services in Playa del Carmen. There is an English speaking Christian Church group that gathers in Paamul. I don't have any contact for them but you can ask on playa.info. If you are looking for a more traditional church experience the masses at the RC church on Ave. 15 at calle 12 are lovely. I think you will enjoy it. Mass dates and times are always on signage out front.

2." Will everything be closed on Xmas Day?" - Nope. It's high season when everyone will need to make a bulk of their income for the year.

3. "Suggestions for traveling from Cancun airport to PDC. Our flight will be arriving at 8:30 AM and it looks like the buses run only after 10:30 AM." I would recommend booking transfer through playa.info. That way you don't have to worry about it and you can be brought straight to your condo.

4. "Do we bring Pesos with us or use a local ATM?" Using the ATMs is just fine and they are everywhere.

5. "Suggestions for activities, tours, food!" - Oh, wow. Too many to mention. If you like dig around on my blog, http://www.lifesabeachblog.com . I have lived here for seven years!

Have a great time!

jandee

I don't think we are beach club kind of people either. But both the kids are water babies and I think all we want is be next to the water. We are staying a block from the beach, so hopefully we can find a public beach.

I will go ahead and book round trip transport from playa.info as you have all suggested.

We mostly want to chill around the beach but would like to set aside 2 or 3 days for going to the ruins, cenotes etc. That is why I asked suggestions on tours. Snorkeling at Akumal also sounds lovely.

MicheleinPlaya, thanks for your blog url. I will look into it.

Would love more suggestions on tours, day trips. Is it worth going to Cancun for a day?

jette

Day trips I have done and loved:

Akumal for snorkeling and lunch. You could do both the beach and the lagoon in a day or spend the whole day at just one of the 2 locations. Very easy to do on your own.

Tulum and beyond tour thru this tour operator:
www.yucatreks. You can do essentially the same on your own but Mitch will take all the fuss out of a very full day.
Any of their tours are great fun and very professionally run.

FatCat catamaran tour, can book thru the Playa.info site. Loads of fun but as relaxing as you want.

Xpu Ha beach club. Very private small beach club on some of the nicest beaches in the area and that's saying something!
http://playazone.wordpress.com/2008/...lose-to-playa/
Here's a bit of a review from some locals. This one is not a tour but can be done easily enough by collectivo or cab, as I have done. I try and do La Playa at Xpu Ha every trip, it's so gorgeous and more like old Playa.

Those are 3 I'd suggest that I have actual first hand experience with and given your kids ages and time of year. My DD and her BF did the Alltournative and had a blast so maybe that's something to consider as well.

There is SO much to see and do in that area, you'll have to make a second trip!

jandee

jette, love the suggestions. I will go head and book the yucatreks - it looks great. La Playa looks great too . Just one question: how does the collectivo work?

hopefulist

We visited the area twice in 2010. In June my husband and I took the ADO bus from the airport to Playa del Carmen and switched to a bus heading south to Tulum; we stayed about a week, spent a few days each in Valladolid and San Felipe (gulf coast), then headed to Isla Mujeres until it was time to head out. We rented a car while we were in Tulum so my husband could head out flyfishing every day but otherwise took public buses and the occasional taxi.

The day after Christmas we visited again with our daughter and her husband; they arranged in advance for a rental car which we used throughout the week for visits away from the resort just north of PDC where we stayed. The blog from that trip (linked on the main page of the Riviera Maya collection below) could provide suggestions for your visit - we loved the ruins and snorkeling spots we visited and the Jungle Place spider monkey sanctuary was a highlight. Happy trails!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/staceyholeman/collections/

colokid

The colectivos run up and down the highway from Cancun to Tulum. To get on at the highway, look for a white van which will flash it's lights at you. Put up your hand and they will stop. Get in, pay when you get out. They also sit outside of the ruins at Tulum. The locals use them to get to work so they can be crowded depending on the time of day. They, for the most part, have a/c. I use them a lot and have always gotten a seat.

jandee

Thanks colokid.

Would it be ok to book transport from here:
http://www.cancun-airport.com/index.htm
This seems to be the official airport page and it is cheaper than playa.info.

hpefulist, I had looked at your photos earlier and it helped me decide on PDC as the destination. Thanks!

hopefulist

colokid

I would book directly through the transfer site. That is not really an official page.

emd3

Hello jandee. we have had a condo on the north end of Playa for the last 6 months. I have taken both of my kids, age 20 and 18, and their best friends down there. Some of the best activities we have done are following:

1) the Jungle Place. This is a spider monkey sanctuary. It is a fun place to visit. You get to interact personally w/some of the spider monkeys that have been rescued. Also, the donation you pay to get in helps to keep this important sanctuary going. It is a moving experience, and your money is important to the work this couple is doing. You need reservations to get in. They book up early when the Riviera Maya is busy, like when you are going.
See here: http://www.thejungleplace.com/about.html

2) Snorkeling Dos Ojos
On our last trip over Labor Day weekend we hired a guide from Edventures and went snorkeling in a cenote that is attached to an underground cave system, called Dos Ojos. It was amazing. Stalagmites and stalagcites, it is hard to describe, see the pictures. I highly recommend Edventures, our guide was very good and the price is fairly low, IMO.
Here is the Dos Ojos info from Edventures website: http://www.edventuretours.com.mx/

3) If you have a bit more $ to spend, I have taken my 20 yr old son to Hidden Worlds. He says it is one of his favorite days of travel in his life, and he has been many, many places all over the world. We did the underground snorkeling (similar to Dos Ojos) and my son did all the other activities they offer, like zip lines that splash into the cenote, a one of a kind zipline roller coaster called the Avatar (which he talks about all the time), rapelling into the cenote, etc. I did the snorkeling part of the Hidden Worlds tour, and I thought it was better than the Dos Ojos snorkel tour, and that is saying a lot.
See here: http://www.hiddenworlds.com/attractions/

4) As others have said, we also have enjoyed snorkeling w/sea turles at Akumal, and also snorkeling to see fish at the reefs offshore there. We have purchsed our own snorkel equipment online at the site given below. Their equipment is very good and discounted. Alternatively, you can rent snorkel equipment at Akumal Dive Shop, right on the beach as you enter Akumal Bay.
See here: http://www.snorkel-mart.com/

5) We have yet to get to Coba, the Mayan archeological site about a mile inland from Tulum, but it is on our list.

6) If you desire to see Chichen Itza, it is a 3 hr drive, or same time by tour, from PDC.

7) The ruins at Tulum are awesome, but less so for me as I saw it 35 yrs. ago, way before it was on the tour bus circuit. However, it is the only set of Mayan ruins right on the Mexican Caribbean coast, and is awesome in that regard.

My husband took the kids to Xplor, and his recommendation is to skip that and go to Hidden Worlds. HW has a lot more variety; Xplor has too many ziplines.

emd3

As for eating, I am still not clear on where exactly you are staying. But if you are walking down 5th Ave., try Carboncitas (with your family. Really good and inexpensive menu. Very good tacos al pastor. A true bargain if you can get there during happy hr. when the tacos al carbon are half price. Their jumbo margaritas at 55 pesos are yummy.

Carboncitas, 4th St., btwn 5th ave and 10th Ave, menu here: http://www.playa.info/playa-del-carm...rboncitos.html

Your kids would probably like the live reggae or rock in the evenings at Fusions, right on the beach. Pretty good food and good drinks, and service is good, and your feet are in the sand.
6th St. at the beach.


http://fusionhotelmexico.com/2010/10...ach-bar-grill/

emd3

Also, this place was highly recommended by several friends of mine who live in PDC. It is an unusual place for Mexico, advertised as "Not Your Average Taco Stand, an outdoor, covered restaurant with upscale but inexpensive seafood tacos and great sauces. I tried it on my last trip and I recommend it. There are reviews and pics of the food on tripadvisor and other places. It is popular w/the locals for lunch. Yum.

Los Aguachiles
Calle 34 and Avenida 25