Trip report - Playa Del Carmen
Jul 12th, 2004, 12:10 PM
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Trip report - Playa Del Carmen
I wanted to thank everyone on this site?your insight was invaluable in helping me plan our trip to Playa Del Carmen. I had never traveled out of the U.S. and really wanted to pick the perfect place for my husband and I to go for our belated honeymoon, and Playa Del Carmen was it! Thank you ? I never would have found out about this place if it weren?t for this forum!
We spent 7 days ? 6 nights?and we LOVED everything about Playa Del Carmen ? the only thing we weren?t too thrilled with is the hotel we chose. We stayed at the Viva Wyndham Maya (AI) and probably wouldn?t go there again. The food was horrible and the service was painfully SLOW. When we go back to PDC (and we will be back) we will go with a non-AI. There are too many good (and cheap) restaurants not too! The Viva Maya did have a beautiful beach though, and it was nice to take out the free sea kayaks, boogie boards, etc. We were definitely a minority being English speaking Americans ? a lot of Europeans (French, Italian, German, Dutch, Canadian, etc.) but we kind of liked that. There were also a lot of topless women laying out, walking up and down the beach, and even playing paddleball! But once you get used to it you don?t even really notice.
We went into town every single night we were there. Our resort was in Playacar, which was gorgeous, and only a $4.00 US cab ride away from PDC. I was blown away by Playa Del Carmen ? seriously some of the most beautiful bars and restaurants I have ever seen in my life (and we live in the Chicago area, so that?s saying quite a bit). I really liked the Frida bar and Deseo ? both beautiful and relaxing ? it was fun to sit in Deseo and watch the old movies on the side of the building, and you have a great view of 5th avenue. We also really enjoyed the Blue Parrot, and would probably consider this our favorite (went there 4 nights). We loved the swings around the bar, the sand floor, the speakers attached to palm trees on the dance floor ? GREAT location, right on the beach?at night you can see the lights of Cozumel in the distance. Every night we were there we met great people. One of the nights they had a fire-show on the dance floor ? some people came out with flaming torches and danced around for everyone. It was a lot of fun and it drew quite a crowd of people passing by on the beach. The manager, Hugo, was great too (from Philly). There was another bar we liked a lot ? we went there twice, and every time we walked by they had a great band playing?I can?t remember the name, but it is on 5th in front of the Siesta Fiesta Hotel.
But I must say, that the most remarkable place is ALUX ? HANDS DOWN THE MOST AMAZING PLACE I WILL EVER VISIT IN MY LIFE. I?m telling you, this place will be hard to beat. It is a bar/restaurant in a cave. I swear the first 10 minutes I was there I had goose bumps because this place is so gorgeous and weird at the same time. They open at 7:00pm, and every night at 10:00pm they have a belly dancer. We were there on a Wednesday night and got there right when the belly dancer was starting ? and that was really cool. It is pretty slow during the week, but I guess there is quite a dance crowd on Saturdays. Our waiter was really nice and gave us a tour of the place, along with a little history?this place is HUGE! It is really hard to describe it to someone, because photos and words can?t describe the aura; the vibe of this place?it?s truly amazing. Stalactites, stalagmites, pools of water, hidden lighting, nooks and crannies with couches tucked away. So many spots with privacy, gorgeous ?VIP? areas surrounded with sheer white drapes, palm trees?even the bathroom is cool! There is a path running through the whole place and around every corner is something that will take your breath away. You really have to check it out for yourself. I would recommend this place to anyone ? it is well worth it.
We had a great dinner one night at Yaxche. Order one of the flambé desserts ? quite a production. I had the fruit one and it was excellent. My husband wasn?t feeling well that day and ordered the soup (the one with tortilla chips in it) and swears it is the best soup he has ever had in his life. Also really good food at La Parilla ? I ordered the Carmen shrimp which they flambé at your table with a three-cheese sauce?very good. Viva Café also had great food ? the steak is excellent and very tender.
As far as tours, we really enjoyed the 4X4 Jeep/Snorkel tour to Cozumel. It was great for first-timers to the island, but now that we?ve been there we would go on our own, rent our own Jeep and go from there. This tour was around $90pp and we took the ferry to Cozumel, the groups got into the Jeeps and we drove to the snorkeling destination. The snorkeling was a lot of fun, but seemed to go by quickly! We saw Barracuda?s, starfish, coral and other tropical fish. We then got back into the Jeeps and drove through a Mayan village, then onto a beach for swimming/lunch. The beach we went to was GORGEOUS!!! Seriously the clearest water I have ever seen in my life! It was like swimming in a pool. I think the name of the place was the Palancar Beach Club. After that, we drove over to the Atlantic side to take pictures (very beautiful, but sadly not well kept ? a lot of trash on the shoreline). We then got to spend about an hour downtown then headed back to PDC. It was a really fun day.
We also went to the ruins at Tulum. We did this tour on our own. We went downtown and took the public bus ? that only cost $2.00US pp. The bus was air conditioned and really clean ? a lot nicer than the public buses in Chicago! I think the admission to the ruins was like $9 US. It was very beautiful and I think well worth the trip. There?s nothing like swimming in that turquoise water and looking up at those ruins on the top of the cliff?
The last tour we did was snorkeling in the cenotes. That is definitely something I will never forget (I wouldn?t suggest this if you are Closter phobic, especially for the second cenote called Hilarios Well). We booked through Amazing Caves. It was only $40 US pp for a 2 1/2 hour tour, visiting two cenotes. They drive you through the jungle on a beat-up truck, and when you arrive at the entrance to the cenotes it is a little intimidating ? it?s basically a hole in the ground that you have to climb down into. Once you get down there it is so beautiful and eerie. It is a cave system filled with fresh water (VERY clear), and they have it lit under water so you can see everything. When you are snorkeling there it is almost like you are flying because the water is so clear. You have to maneuver around the stalactites and stalagmites, and you can see down crevices 60? deep! It is really amazing and well worth the money.
All in all, we thought that Playa Del Carmen was a beautiful, exciting, relaxing town and would go back in a heartbeat. I don?t think we could have picked a more perfect spot for our vacation.
Thanks Fodorites! I must say that all of the recommendations you gave were right on.
If you have any questions, I would be more than happy to answer them.
We spent 7 days ? 6 nights?and we LOVED everything about Playa Del Carmen ? the only thing we weren?t too thrilled with is the hotel we chose. We stayed at the Viva Wyndham Maya (AI) and probably wouldn?t go there again. The food was horrible and the service was painfully SLOW. When we go back to PDC (and we will be back) we will go with a non-AI. There are too many good (and cheap) restaurants not too! The Viva Maya did have a beautiful beach though, and it was nice to take out the free sea kayaks, boogie boards, etc. We were definitely a minority being English speaking Americans ? a lot of Europeans (French, Italian, German, Dutch, Canadian, etc.) but we kind of liked that. There were also a lot of topless women laying out, walking up and down the beach, and even playing paddleball! But once you get used to it you don?t even really notice.
We went into town every single night we were there. Our resort was in Playacar, which was gorgeous, and only a $4.00 US cab ride away from PDC. I was blown away by Playa Del Carmen ? seriously some of the most beautiful bars and restaurants I have ever seen in my life (and we live in the Chicago area, so that?s saying quite a bit). I really liked the Frida bar and Deseo ? both beautiful and relaxing ? it was fun to sit in Deseo and watch the old movies on the side of the building, and you have a great view of 5th avenue. We also really enjoyed the Blue Parrot, and would probably consider this our favorite (went there 4 nights). We loved the swings around the bar, the sand floor, the speakers attached to palm trees on the dance floor ? GREAT location, right on the beach?at night you can see the lights of Cozumel in the distance. Every night we were there we met great people. One of the nights they had a fire-show on the dance floor ? some people came out with flaming torches and danced around for everyone. It was a lot of fun and it drew quite a crowd of people passing by on the beach. The manager, Hugo, was great too (from Philly). There was another bar we liked a lot ? we went there twice, and every time we walked by they had a great band playing?I can?t remember the name, but it is on 5th in front of the Siesta Fiesta Hotel.
But I must say, that the most remarkable place is ALUX ? HANDS DOWN THE MOST AMAZING PLACE I WILL EVER VISIT IN MY LIFE. I?m telling you, this place will be hard to beat. It is a bar/restaurant in a cave. I swear the first 10 minutes I was there I had goose bumps because this place is so gorgeous and weird at the same time. They open at 7:00pm, and every night at 10:00pm they have a belly dancer. We were there on a Wednesday night and got there right when the belly dancer was starting ? and that was really cool. It is pretty slow during the week, but I guess there is quite a dance crowd on Saturdays. Our waiter was really nice and gave us a tour of the place, along with a little history?this place is HUGE! It is really hard to describe it to someone, because photos and words can?t describe the aura; the vibe of this place?it?s truly amazing. Stalactites, stalagmites, pools of water, hidden lighting, nooks and crannies with couches tucked away. So many spots with privacy, gorgeous ?VIP? areas surrounded with sheer white drapes, palm trees?even the bathroom is cool! There is a path running through the whole place and around every corner is something that will take your breath away. You really have to check it out for yourself. I would recommend this place to anyone ? it is well worth it.
We had a great dinner one night at Yaxche. Order one of the flambé desserts ? quite a production. I had the fruit one and it was excellent. My husband wasn?t feeling well that day and ordered the soup (the one with tortilla chips in it) and swears it is the best soup he has ever had in his life. Also really good food at La Parilla ? I ordered the Carmen shrimp which they flambé at your table with a three-cheese sauce?very good. Viva Café also had great food ? the steak is excellent and very tender.
As far as tours, we really enjoyed the 4X4 Jeep/Snorkel tour to Cozumel. It was great for first-timers to the island, but now that we?ve been there we would go on our own, rent our own Jeep and go from there. This tour was around $90pp and we took the ferry to Cozumel, the groups got into the Jeeps and we drove to the snorkeling destination. The snorkeling was a lot of fun, but seemed to go by quickly! We saw Barracuda?s, starfish, coral and other tropical fish. We then got back into the Jeeps and drove through a Mayan village, then onto a beach for swimming/lunch. The beach we went to was GORGEOUS!!! Seriously the clearest water I have ever seen in my life! It was like swimming in a pool. I think the name of the place was the Palancar Beach Club. After that, we drove over to the Atlantic side to take pictures (very beautiful, but sadly not well kept ? a lot of trash on the shoreline). We then got to spend about an hour downtown then headed back to PDC. It was a really fun day.
We also went to the ruins at Tulum. We did this tour on our own. We went downtown and took the public bus ? that only cost $2.00US pp. The bus was air conditioned and really clean ? a lot nicer than the public buses in Chicago! I think the admission to the ruins was like $9 US. It was very beautiful and I think well worth the trip. There?s nothing like swimming in that turquoise water and looking up at those ruins on the top of the cliff?
The last tour we did was snorkeling in the cenotes. That is definitely something I will never forget (I wouldn?t suggest this if you are Closter phobic, especially for the second cenote called Hilarios Well). We booked through Amazing Caves. It was only $40 US pp for a 2 1/2 hour tour, visiting two cenotes. They drive you through the jungle on a beat-up truck, and when you arrive at the entrance to the cenotes it is a little intimidating ? it?s basically a hole in the ground that you have to climb down into. Once you get down there it is so beautiful and eerie. It is a cave system filled with fresh water (VERY clear), and they have it lit under water so you can see everything. When you are snorkeling there it is almost like you are flying because the water is so clear. You have to maneuver around the stalactites and stalagmites, and you can see down crevices 60? deep! It is really amazing and well worth the money.
All in all, we thought that Playa Del Carmen was a beautiful, exciting, relaxing town and would go back in a heartbeat. I don?t think we could have picked a more perfect spot for our vacation.
Thanks Fodorites! I must say that all of the recommendations you gave were right on.
If you have any questions, I would be more than happy to answer them.
Jul 12th, 2004, 01:39 PM
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I just LOVE it when someone goes someplace I really enjoy for the first time and comes back all excited and with a glowing trip report 
It brought back so many years of memories to read your great report and think about the first time I experienced the things you've mentioned.
You really did pack a lot of "stuff" into your trip there, and it sounds like you had the time of your lives - I am so glad!
I couldn't help but think of the first time I walked down the steps at Alux. You did such a good job of describing it. We were lucky enough to have a waiter who gave us an entire tour of the place with history, and then showed us to one of the private enclaves with the couch and the sheer curtains. He brought us a bottle of wine and we spent hours there just talking and enjoying the amazing sights.
Bravo to you for being so intrepid on your first trip out of the US. (I bet you can't wait to go back!)
It brought back so many years of memories to read your great report and think about the first time I experienced the things you've mentioned.
You really did pack a lot of "stuff" into your trip there, and it sounds like you had the time of your lives - I am so glad!
I couldn't help but think of the first time I walked down the steps at Alux. You did such a good job of describing it. We were lucky enough to have a waiter who gave us an entire tour of the place with history, and then showed us to one of the private enclaves with the couch and the sheer curtains. He brought us a bottle of wine and we spent hours there just talking and enjoying the amazing sights.
Bravo to you for being so intrepid on your first trip out of the US. (I bet you can't wait to go back!)
Jul 13th, 2004, 10:22 AM
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Has anyone stayed at the Blue Parrot hotel? We really enjoyed that bar, and next time we visit we would like to be in town at a non-ai. I saw pictures of it online (blueparrot.com), but didn't actually see it when we were there.
Jul 13th, 2004, 10:41 AM
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I have not been to the hotel but have been to the bar many times 
I have head that it can be noisy, but it looked to me like there are rooms off to the right that would be far enough away from the bar so that would not be a problem.
Look at the reviews on tripadvisor.com
(Already planning your next trip?)
I have head that it can be noisy, but it looked to me like there are rooms off to the right that would be far enough away from the bar so that would not be a problem.
Look at the reviews on tripadvisor.com
(Already planning your next trip?)
