Playa Del Carmen

Stop #2: Playa del Carmen

45 minutes down the coastline from Cancun, you will reach the most beautiful destination, Playa Del Carmen. What once used to be a small fishing village is now a full resort town filled with lively resorts, bars and restaurants along the beach.

Into the Playa We Go

Once we reached the city, traffic started to pile up a bit. To our surprise, police officers flagged us down to pull over. Once they got to our car they informed us that they would be doing a random search with their K9 dogs looking for drugs or weapons. Of course,, everything went well, but that really put things into perspective that we were in a place where things like that happen regularly. The first thing we noticed once we were in the center of the city, were the squads of police cars roaming around the streets. I know they are there to protect the tourists and keep everything in order, but riding around with big guns becomes very intimidating.

Regardless of all the cops, the main street of Playa del Carmen was very alive and active. Music was bumping from every corner and people from all over the world were roaming around looking for the next spot. They have plenty of shops, restaurants, and bars for everyone. The smaller but famous Coco Bongo is located right at the center, and the beach is just a quick walk away.

Following my budget-friendly travel guide, we found this place through some friends who stayed at this location once. They recommended it since it was cheap accommodation and a great location. It was only a block away from the main square, and a short walk to the beach. They even offered a free 15-minute massage during your stay! So it was definitely worth the stay.

Delicious Foods to Try

We took a stroll down the beach one night, just enjoying the ocean breeze and the moon shining when we started to hear some live music a little ways down. Once we found the source of the music we realized it was a restaurant that had the most wicked seating right on the sand. The restaurant was called Fusion Beach Bar Cuisine. The place was busy with people enjoying the live music, food, and drinks so of course we decided to stay. It was so nice to take you shoes off in the sand and just admire the view while enjoying a delicious meal. I absolutely recommend ordering the fajitas, we got chicken and shrimp which were amazing.

When we were trying to find our hotel, we passed by a street that had food trucks serving different types of foods. My eyes jumped out of my head when I saw “Birria Tacos” being advertised. I’ve been dreaming of these tacos for the longest time and it was finally coming true!!! Taco Garibaldi was the name of the truck and they were bustling with customers. We ordered 4 soft tacos and 4 crunchy tacos with the birria broth and floated into heaven with each bite. They were also selling fresh fruit juices, you already know I had to get the passion fruit juice. 10/10.

Airbnb Experiences in Playa del Carmen

If there is one thing you will learn about my trip to Mexico, it is that Airbnb Experiences has everything you could ever think of! One evening we decided to book a food walking tour around the city. We ended up being the only ones so it was like a private tour. Our tour guide was a local who has lived in playa del carmen all his life. He took us to all of his favorite spots to grab different types of tacos. We visited a local fresh fruit shop where I had passion fruit juice that has become my next obsession.

For dessert, he brought us to a marquesita cart. These carts can be found all over Yucatan! The best way to describe a marquestia would be a crunchy crepe. They pour a batter onto waffle iron, once it’s cooked you can choose any filling! The most common ones are Nutella or caramel, but they have jam, fresh fruits, and more. In addition to delicious fillings, the main staple of a marquesita is the Edam cheese. They sprinkle some inside the treat as well as on the outside to add a little savory taste. The tour was wonderful and I absolutely recommend it to anyone who comes into the Playa Del Carmen area.

Snorkeling with Sergio in Akumal

We drove 30 minutes to a nearby town named Akumal for a snorkeling session. On Airbnb, this town came up many times as a great place for a day trip. Our tour had less than 10 people from different parts of the world, with a local tour guide. During this tour, to not disturb the ecosystem of fish and plant life, we were advised not to wear sunscreen. He explained to us the importance of keeping our distance and being respectful in the ocean and then we were off! This time I invested in one of those waterproof pouches for your phone and I was able to take some pictures and videos of the turtles swimming by. I was in absolute awe.

Bike Riding Tour in Akumal

The second visit to Akumal was for a bike tour around the town visiting different cenotes. It was a mission to visit at least one cenote a day. On this day we made it to 4!

Cenotes are natural pits that have formed over time after a collapse of limestone. Natural ground and rain waters fill these pits. We are allowed to swim in them, but we must be careful not to contaminate the waters. For many communities around the Yucatan, they are the main drinking source. Before jumping in, many cenotes want you to shower off any lotions or oils on your skin and hair. Each cenote we visited got more and more beautiful! The last one we visited was in a half-enclosed cave. Our tour guide explained to us how many Mayan rituals happen in cenotes like these, as well as many jaguars and panthers come there at night to drink the waters. Just such fascinating stories.

Puerto Morelos

Halfway between Cancun and Playa Del Carmen, is a charming town named Puerto Morelos. Also located right by the water, it’s a less crowded spot perfect for a relaxing afternoon. As you go more inland, you will find many adventure activities to take part in.

We found a great half-day activity package where we got to zip-line through a forest, drive an ATV through the woods and swim in an underground cenote. There are plenty of different companies that do the same activities within the area with competitive prices. If you are staying at a resort your hotel might even have a deal with one of them. The workers guided us around the grounds cracked a lot of jokes and kept the group light. They were very experienced and friendly, while of course following COVID protocols. If you find yourself in the Puerto Morelos area or just a short ride away, I highly recommend you try out one of these adventures.

Cozumel

We missed our 11am ferry to the island but made it to 12 pm. Before getting on the ferry there were people trying to get you to rent motos for the island so we decided to get one for the day. Once we got to the island and picked up our bike, we drove to the chocolate-making factory. We found an Airbnb experience advertising to learn how to make chocolate the natural way. We were again the only ones to be doing the experience which was fine with us. The guide walked us through the process of chocolate-making, teaching us its history and how it was made. Once she finished, we started to make some chocolate using different types of tools from the past and present. It was overall a really fascinating experience!

When we picked up our scooter, the company gave us two tickets to a free tequila tour on the island. We were greeted with a nice cold margarita as we entered. The tour guide took us around the grounds and explained how tequila is made! At the end of the tour, he gave us tasters of tequila they’ve made on this farm and of course showed us which ones were available for purchase. (it’s always about the money). After the tour, we just rode our bike around the island enjoying the wind blowing and the incredible views. We stopped at a beach, but unfortunately, the weather wasn’t the best to really enjoy sitting in the sand. On the ferry ride back, they hired a singer to perform some music for the passengers.

One last thing we did in Playa, was go to an outdoor movie night. My boyfriend found this organization that holds movies in the park for anybody to join. We decided to go to it because why not. The movie was an indie film from Brazil with spanish subtitles. They handed out popcorn and drinks and had a discussion about the movie afterwards.

Let’s continue to our next stop… Tulum!