The best of Playa del Carmen
In surprising travel facts about me: despite having grown up in California, this was my very first trip to Mexico! After four days of enjoying the beaches, tacos and tequila, I can confidently say that it won’t be the last.We stayed in Playa Del Carmen, a touristy and Americanized strip about 45 minutes from the Cancun airport.Although I usually try to get a little farther off the beaten path, I have to admit: being based in Playa Del Carmen made for a remarkably easy vacation. American dollars were accepted, English was often spoken, free wifi was everywhere, the streets were busy and felt safe, and there were so many activities to choose from.
On that note: I just started using the Circle app on this trip, and it made it SO easy to pay back my share of things when us kids went out for tacos or margs–it’s instant and free, and it works everywhere in the world! It’s basically just like sending a text message, but it’s actually sending money (complete with taco emojis!)–honestly, the world these days! I can’t even imagine how much this would have simplified my life when I was backpacking and constantly going out to dinner/drinks/activities with new friends.
Alas, back to present-day Mexico! I was there with my boyfriend, his parents, and his sister and her fiancé (the same crew from the lake house in the Berkshires): we did plenty of activities together–like swimming through cenotes and making fajitas and margaritas–but Playa Del Carmen is so central and easy to explore that we were also able to do a lot on our own.
Bonus: we left the day before the polar vortex hit New York City and flew home once the temperatures hit the 50’s again. I think we all enjoyed the sunshine extra intensely because of how lucky we felt to be missing the coldest weekend this winter.
The only disappointment about Playa del Carmen was that the beach–while very pretty!–wasn’t that great for swimming. The section closest to where we stayed had a ton of fishing boats lined up, and further down was where the ferries to Cozumel docked. It just seemed like a lot of activity and pollution in the water: if we went back, I think we’d try to stay on a quieter piece of coastline. 
What did NOT disappoint were the ruins of Tulum! I’d never visited Mayan ruins before, and I don’t think you can get much better than this: not only are the ruins themselves very intricate and interesting, but the whole site is located on the most gorgeous public beach. It’s like if you went to the Colosseum and you were able to take a dip in the gorgeous waters of Capri halfway through! It is definitely a very popular site and thus very crowded, so the earlier you can go, the better. 
Another can’t-miss experience is swimming through the underground cenotes. We went snorkeling through the Dos Ojos cenotes with a guide, but I think it’d be fun to go back and just explore as many as you could on your own. There are thousands in the area! My only recommendation is to go for the wetsuit: it gets chilly when you’re not in direct sunlight. 
We also took the ferry over to Cozumel, and then went on a glass-bottomed boat to go snorkeling off the island. Although I really think that having my first snorkeling experience in Maui has ruined me for life (it is just SO good there), we did see a bunch of starfish, sea turtles and stingrays. And honestly: there’s nothing bad about spending a sunny day on the water! However, full confession: Dramamine was my best friend all day.
One of our favorite discoveries was Tacotenedor: such good fish tacos. I also found out that there is an official name for pouring rum into your fresh coconut: coco loco! While more expensive than our usual bottle of duty-free rum being poured into the coconuts we buy on the roadside, we kids did have a lot of fun going out and drinking coco loco’s beachside. And since I never remembered any pesos, I used the Circle Pay app to pay back my share. 
We stayed in the Maya Villa condo hotels, which was a perfect set-up. It had all the perks of a condo: three bedrooms and bathrooms, a full kitchen set-up, a private rooftop. BUT it also had the security, housecleaner, concierge staff of a hotel. The stay also included complimentary breakfast on the beach and a membership to The Gym down the street. Best of all the worlds! I started every morning with a sunrise walk along the beach and a workout at the gym, before coming back to wake up my boyfriend to go to breakfast: such a nice routine. 
What would you most like to explore near Playa Del Carmen?
Most importantly: mucho gracias to the Merrills for having me along!
