JoeyZee

Do Spring Breakers go to Playa del Carmen?

We are looking for something classy and comfortable for under $4,000 including airfare from Newark, NJ.

La Perla looks great, but I see that its really far from the beach...we would like to have easy walking access to the beach.

AI isnt necessary if there are enough dining options near by and not so outrageous pricing.

Overall, We would like to ask your advice about anywhere in the Caribbean for a honeymoon this April.

Thanks in advance, Joe

colokid

Are you talking about Paradisus La Perla? The brand new AI? If so, it is on the beach. But at the very far north end of town. You will not find many spring breakers up there. I just rode past there on my bike last week. They were building the pedesrian walkway. If it's not that La Perla then whichever La Perla is not in town. Although we are not overrun with Spring Breakers but Easter week is crowded with families.

schmerl

There are some wonderful adults only all inclusive resorts in that area. Look into the Royal Hideaway, Royal Playa del Carmen, Iberostar Paraiso Grand, Secrets Maroma.

qwovadis

bookit.com packages Secrets Maroma good for me in past Capri is good too. More kids at the others. hotellaspalapas.com
for non AI.

zootsi

Playa is a great destination if you like beach, great dining and nightlife, but not the 'concrete jungle' feel of Cancun. For a big, luxurious AI with lots to do, It's hard to beat the Royal, which is right in the middle of the nicest part of downtown, and has a great beach. Other options would be to rent a condo, or stay in a small hotel on or near the beach. In general, the northern end of Playa (which has an Italian influence) has the nicest beaches and is a little more upscale. However, Playacar which is a classy gated community at the south end is also quite nice. Have you been to locogringo.com - great resource for this whole area.

emd3

Exactly when in April? Semana Santa, the week before and including Easter, is very very crowded in PDC. I know, I;ve been there then. And unless you want literally wall to wall people and lots of drinking and noise, you don't want to be anywhere near the northern town beaches, esp. Mamitas, that wk.

JoeyZee

Thanks all,

Yes, I was talking about Paradisus La Perla.

Will check out all your recommendations.

We are going the week after easter. arriving on 9 april

colokid

If you are going to Paradisus then that part of town is being developed now and will not be busy as there are no real restaurants or shops in that area yet. The resort is pretty isolated still but you can get to town by walking/riding/taking a cab from the resort. It took us a 10 min bike ride to get there and we went in that direction because I had heard about the construction and wanted to see it. It is a fairly large resort divided into two and is on the beach. You can also walk the beach to town or Mamitas during the day but I would not do it at night. The resort looks very beautiful from the outside and the pedestrian walkway they were building is gorgeous. We rode out bikes down it even though they were still building it and the local kids were having a ball playing catch on it as well. There is bench seating and lighting along it's length and I can see the local buildings that line 5th avenue there are positioned to become stores, restaurants and whatnot in the near future. But, it is no in town if that is what you are looking for and my friend emd3 is absolutely right, that week is crazy with people in Playa and all over the coast.
** E - I will be there March 23/ are you down then or are you going this summer? Ziggy is doing GREAT! Sorry to highjack your thread Joe. **
Anyway, the crowds will be there so you may want to be out and away from everyone. I just got back and the beaches were crowded for Christmas week and continued on because of the BPM festival. It will start to slow down a little now.
Let us know if you want any additional info. E and I both spend a lot of time there. : )

jpie

If you decide to not go AI, we loved staying in downtown Playa. The area we prefer is the neighborhood borderd on the west by the beach and the east by 10th Avenue Norte, and north of the street called Constituyentes and south of 34 Norte.

It is the section sometimes called "little Italy" of Playa due to lots of Italian restaurants and coffeshops. It is a much newer area than the old really touristy area down by the ferry boat terminal and a bit quieter since there aren't as many nightclubs. But there are plenty of shops and restaurants. We stayed at http://www.aventuramexicana.com/ which is small boutique hotel in that general area. It is not expensive/fancy but very nice. Other moderate hotels near there are Luna Blue, Posada Mariposa (but it is on 5th which is the busy main street so could be noisier.)

You also might consider a condo-there are pretty reasonable prices in the spring and some wonderful places

suze

You can usually avoid spring breakers by the type of place you choose to stay. Even if they are around they're going to be at the cheaper AI's or in a bar downtown, typically not staying at a nice resort like you're considering.

Negril Jamaica is another place I'd suggest for a honeymoon.

JoeyZee

THANK YOU!!!!!

What are your thoughts on Royal hideaway?

Also, anything we need to know about safety/security outside the norm when traveling abroad?

Now the problem I am having is finding a flight from Newark NJ to Cancun.

I tried on Expedia and other sites for a combined package (air and hotel) but most of the flights require an overnight layover in Dallas or Charlotte, with a total travel time + 20 hours.

Where a good place to find decently priced airfare, prefer direct or short layover.

schmerl

Royal Hideaway is a wonderful adults only all inclusive resort. It is more quiet than a lot of other resorts so if you are looking for night life you may want to look elsewhere.

colokid

Royal Hideaway is beautiful. It is in Playacar with gorgeous beaches and Playacar is a gated community which adjoins Playa del Carmen on the south end. You can easily walk to town or take a taxi (70 pesos each way). Your resort will also have bikes to use. There is a golf course/spa across the street. As far as safety/security - Not a issue for tourists especially in that area. If you choose to go in to Playa, there are a ton of great restaurants and shops. There is an art show on 5th avenue every Thursday and Saturday evening. Plenty of places to people watch.
1. Don't carry lots of cash or flash cash around.Do not carry your passport around with you; lock it up.
2. If you choose to use an ATM, use one that is inside a bank if possible. Do not use the newer ones on 5th avenue that are spaced about every block.
3. Stay off the beach in town late at night.
4. Check your bill if you eat in a restaurant to make sure the tip has not been included already. This happens at beach clubs also.

Don't be afraid of venturing outside of the resort. Playa is a great town with a wide variety of ex-pats. Try the north end for Italian food, French pastry, Cuban food and dancing, Argentenian steak houses and, of course, amazing Mexican food.

emd3

Hey colokid, I don't think we will be there at end of March, but we will probably be there this summer when you are there. We are going down for the HOA meeting in mid-Feb., lol, I am sure you will rofl about that. Very glad to hear abut Ziggy!!! Congrats on that resucue and rcovery and integration of a PDC recue dog!

suze

<Where a good place to find decently priced airfare>

Everyone has their favorites. I usually start on expedia dot com to see the available flights. Then go onto the airlines own websites to purchase directly. I book my hotel with the hotel itself. But I never do 'packages' have only ever booked my own air and hotel independently so maybe there's better advice around...

Ozarksbill

See my report at "Playa del Carmen - Gran Porto Real or Playacar." Our family of ten had a great time recently in a roomy rented house at Villa Mimac with pool, beach access.
See www.playabeachrentals.com and also www.homeexchange.com
Day trips incl. zip lines, bird sacntuary, Chichen Itza ruins, catamarin trip, dining in Riviera Maya, etc.
Some came from Boston, some from Kansas City.

lregula

Have stayed at Royal Hideaway at it's a wonderful honeymoon destination. Continental/United generally has many direct flights to Cancun from Newark; try their website. I got a great deal on a package from Continental Vacations that included RT direct airfare from EWR-CUN, transfers, and 7 nights at Royal Hideaway for under $4K. Good luck and congratulations!

solecito

Depend what your are looking for. If you are looking for a small luxury boutique hotel. We recommend you Be Playa and Be Tulum. We stayed there and they are the most beautiful hotels I have been stayed. The Junior and Master are the best in Playa and the Arena in Tulum. www.behoteles.com
They included the breakfast in the rate. We really loved these amazing properties.
If you are looking for an all inclusive I think that Royal Hideaways is one of the best. Best Regards !!!!

Little_Man

Paradisus La Perla looks gorgeous. How's the beach, colokid?

colokid

The beach is very nice and pretty secluded. I walked up there frequently before they built this resort on the beach. It is near the local beach but far enough away from town to still be quiet. Town is really starting to stretch northward.
Like I said though, it would be a bit of a walk to the north part of town and I wouldn't do it at night as it is pretty dark. Once the pedestrian walkway is finished it looks like it will eventually connect all the way down to the rest of 5th. I rode my bike up there and it took about 15 minutes from my house but I'm up by 34th. This is not an area where you're going to see a bunch of high end shops for awhile but there is so much at the north end of Playa itself now that it's great to be so close.
As far as the beach, nice and I'm sure they're raking it now that they've built the resort. The water is very nice up there as well. You can walk south on the beach all the way to Playa in the daytime.