Exploring Abroad: Is Playa del Carmen "The One"?

Cynthia:  Playa del Carmen was certainly a different experience from Tulum, wasn’t it?

Edd:  I’ll say. To begin with, the “hotel zone” of Tulum is totally separate from the actual town. The design of Cancun is similar. In Playa it’s all one big happy family.😀

C:  Generally speaking there’s the beach area. Running parallel a couple of blocks from the coastline is the famous pedestrian 5th Avenue. Beyond that thoroughfare, the town becomes more residential with businesses to support daily life.

E:  Gotta mention the beach itself. Our review of Tulum was kind of gloomy, so we didn’t even bring up the tons of stinky seaweed there and again at Playa.

C:  It was disappointing to see our second expat destination in the Riviera Maya having the same problem. You’re quite the ocean lover and you never got close to the water.

E:  No way I was going to walk on that disgusting greenish-brown carpet. Seaweed notwithstanding, overall we found a lot to like about Playa, right?

C:  Yes, starting with the Airbnb we luckily chose. It was only a couple of blocks from 5th Avenue but on the “quieter” end.

E:  Plus there was an 11 p.m. curfew because of COVID so we were told the area wasn’t nearly as rowdy as usual with the late-night partying.

C:  I thought 5th Avenue was a lot of fun. It reminded me of a Mexican Bourbon Street with all the shops, restaurants, and live music.

E:  Me too. The pushiness of vendors can be annoying, but when you understand they’re just trying to make a living you simply avoid eye contact and tune them out.

C:  We had so much wonderful food. Beautiful quiches and pastries...

Excellent pizza at an Italian restaurant right next door to our building.

And—who knew—outstanding barbeque. So good we ate there twice!

E:  Even though we had already consumed our share of tacos, guacamole, and margaritas, I enjoyed the Mexican food there very much. We were out and about a lot, and I liked how walkable we found Playa to be “inside the highway.”

C:  For readers not familiar with the area, one major highway runs north/south along the coast from Cancun past Tulum. “Inside the highway” means east from there to the Caribbean.

I agree, it was so easy to get around on foot in this resort town. We visited well-stocked supermarkets nearby and several malls. And the number of restaurants of all price ranges was staggering!

E:  The taxi mafia we described in Tulum also rules public transportation in Playa. No Uber. There are tons of taxis around, so if you don’t want to walk in the heat, it’s easy to flag one. Just be clear on the fare up front because they aren’t metered.

C:  Our real estate tour with Damien Marechal, a local agent, was very enlightening. I was surprised by the number of beautiful new residential buildings.

E:  Yeah, the area is booming. And not just housing. Although we didn’t visit them, we saw Office Depot, Walmart, and Sam’s Club.

C:  As expected, the prices increased with proximity to the beach. But overall I thought they were reasonable. Also, the quality of construction was good. All of them included lovely pools and lounge areas on the roof. Nice amenity.

E:  We sure enjoyed the one where we were staying. An increasing number of locals and expats are choosing to live “outside the highway” in new gated communities. Of course, you need a car for that option. Some of the residences we saw were stunning.

C:  I would have been happy to live in several of them. Except we don’t want to own a vehicle. And we aren’t fans of hot, humid weather.

E:  But that’s just us. Playa del Carmen is mainly a vacation mecca, but as an expat destination it has a lot going for it if you love a balmy tropical climate.

C:  Depending on your lifestyle the two biggest expenses, housing and food, aren’t budget busters. If you choose to live near the beach, it’s very walkable. Everyone we spoke with raved about the health care. And if you’re a foodie like we are, it’s heaven!

E:  Time to head north to the "big kahuna" of tourism in this part of Mexico—Cancun. It’s been a travel icon for almost 50 years. I can’t imagine what it’s going to be like to experience daily life as an expat resident there.

C:  Let’s go find out. Like every other place we’ve explored so far, I’m sure there will be surprises.