Two teen grandsons with grandparents to Playa del Carmen late July
 

We. Are staying at Hotel Fives all inclusive. Can we walk to town. Info about the property and beach? We've been to Cancun several times and plan to take them to Xcaret but not Xelha . Other ideas would be appreciated. Thanks

No, you can not walk from the resort into PDC. It is a 10-15 min. cab ride into Playa del Carmen. Have you been to the Riviera Maya in July/August? It is very very hot and humid, freaking hot as heck; you likely won't want to walk around during the day much. Beach and pool during the day. Although I believe the beach water is pretty rocky there, check the reviews on tripadvisor for that info.

Thanks, we know about the heat but have to travel when the boys aare out of school. Read Trip Adviser info. Just looking for a wider audience here.

We traveled for a few weeks around the Yucatán in June 2010 and visited again for a week after Christmas that year, based at a resort north of Playa del Carmen. You see our photos and read about our trips at the link below - lots of great ideas for snorkeling with turtles, a monkey sanctuary, ruins, etc. Have a great trip!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/staceyholeman/collections

Chichen Itza trip truly amazing.

Chichen is amazing but would be hotter than Hades in July. I'd suggest Tulum instead. Much smaller of course but it's on a beautiful location overlooking the ocean and much closer than Chichen. Spend an hour or so looking at the ruins and then move to one of the spectacular beaches south of Tulum for lunch and an afternoon on broad stretches of almost empty white sand and turquoise waters.

Thanks for the ideas! Definitely plan on Tulum and monkey sanctuary. Keep the ideas coming. hopefulist - will be reading your report..

I'd visit Coba ruins instead, you can climb the pyramid there which the boys might enjoy and can also rent bicycles (they also have bicycle taxis as well). Not as far as Chichen but nice set of ruins. Get there early (they open at 8am) to beat the crowds.

Coba is awesome. If you go 1st thing in the morning you'll beat the crowds and the heat. Rent bikes to get from temple to temple and catch a local cenote to cool off when you leave. I haven't used either of these but researched them before our 1st visit and they both get great reviews. In the end we decided to go where we wanted on our own but might have done otherwise if we'd had teenagers in tow. Happy trails!
http://www.edventuretours.com.mx/
http://www.alltournative.com/

Take the grandkids to snorkel with sea turtles at Akumal Bay.
Take them snorkeling in an underground cenote, like Dos Ojos. Edventures has good guides for that. It is amazing.

Contact Edventure Tours http://www.edventuretours.com.mx/
They will plan your day around what you want. You can visit Coba, snorkel in a cenote, snorkel with turtles, zip line, etc. They will provide a driver/guide and do all the planning.

Fabulous! Snorkeling with turtles sounds perfect. Will definitely check out your links. Thanks.

See my report elsewhere on Playa del Carmen. Our family members stayed in a rented house near town which was roomy enough for ten with a pool. Indeed in June we found Chichen Itza HOT. Bothered the teens mostly. Yet is a must. But we cooled off at the beach or pool. Plenty to do...and I'd recommend the catamaran trip which includes time for snorkeling.

Bill couldn't find your report. when did you go?