One Perfect Week in Playa del Carmen, Mexico

Excuse me while I settle back in my rocking chair, cross my legs demurely at the ankle and take a sip of tea.

"Mexico, you say? I know a thing or two about Mexico..." I reply, eyes sightlessly scanning the horizon.

So, why did I put myself in the position of Rose from the last 15 minutes of the Titanic? Because omg I've been to Mexico like a bajillion times, guys.

Whenever anyone asks me advice for a beachy/tropical type destination, my answer is ALWAYS Playa del Carmen. Why?

• Economical
• Convenient (multiple direct flights)
• Safe*
• Well located

*I'm not an international security expert so I can't really speak to the "actual" safety level, but this is what I can tell you: no matter what, by traveling to a foreign country you're putting yourself at some sort of risk. The State Department posts travel warnings and if it makes you feel more comfortable (or not), you can check there. This is what I will tell you. I have been to PDC maybe 6-8 times and Jorge has been there probably 8 - 10. I have NEVER felt uncomfortable, unsafe or in danger. There are a ton of tourists, there is obvious police presence (not in a scary way) and the resorts do a great job ensuring their guests safety. People are scared of going to Mexico because they hear about all the crime there, but in my opinion not going to the Riviera Maya area because there is crime in Juarez is like avoiding South Beach because Baltimore has a high murder rate.

So...here is what I would do if I had a week in Playa del Carmen. This is an itinerary WITHOUT a rental car. We've done both but especially if its your first time, I would suggest skipping one. You can get by easily with public transportation. As a note there are like 1000 OTHER things you can do here. I am just listing out a couple things that I have done many times and I think they would work well especially if its your first trip to the area. But, I don't know your life, man. If there's something else that appeals to you - go for it. 

Day 1: This is the day you will land in Cancun. Just make it to your hotel any way you want. There are tons of options, some cheaper than others, but all will get you where you need to go. I'll list them here from priciest (quickest) to cheapest (longest):

• Private taxi: This is the quickest, most expensive way
• Hotel/Shared shuttle: Most hotels will offer this option when you book. It is usually routed through another service provider. This is also usually the same option when you book any sort of shared van/shuttle service. 
• ADO bus: There is a large ADO terminal in Playa del Carmen. The bus will take you from the airport to the ADO terminal in the city center and THEN, depending on where your hotel is in relation to the terminal you will either walk/taxi to your hotel. This definitely takes the longest unless you are staying in the middle of PDC.

This list certainly isn't exhaustive, but its a good overview and really, it's relatively simple to get from the airport to your hotel. 

Here is a quick note. It can be overwhelming when you first walk out of the terminal but think about it this way, all the transportation people are trying to HELP you. The tourism infrastructure is so well handled here, that if you're unsure, someone will help you and get you settled where you need to go. You can negotiate with private operators on price, but to be perfectly honest there are SO many customers coming that supply/demand, ya know? Also nearly everyone will speak some amount of English - certainly the people who coordinate the transportation will.

Where you stay is largely up to you - we prefer to stay in Playacar because its safe, gated and a short (15 min) walk to the center of PDC.

There are also several very large, fancy resorts that line the highway between Cancun Airport and Playa del Carmen, but we prefer the proximity to the city center.

Once you get to your hotel, do whatever you want!

Day 2: Remember when I said Mexico is for relaxing? It totally is. Here is a sample itinerary:

• sleep in
• read a book
• get a drink
• people watch
• get 3 more drinks
• eat some nachos
• get a drink
• take a nap
• eat dinner
• watch an after dinner show (many if not all resorts have them)
• walk into PDC, get some churros
• go to bed and stay away from the liquor cabinet, because you have things to do tomorrow

Day 3: Ok, wakey wakey eggs and bakey - time to move. There are 3 things I think you should do while you're in PDC, and I would sort of schedule it around the weather: snorkeling in Cozumel, cave exploring in Rio Secreto and a day trip to either Tulum, Chichen Itza or Akumel. You really need good weather for the snorkeling, so when you land, check the weather report. You can usually book a snorkeling excursion as late as the night before, so I would do that the night before a beautiful day.

Let's assume Day 3 is your beautiful day. I have used this tour operator many times with success, but there are a ton to choose from. Regardless of which provider you choose, I would recommend the Cozumel catamaran snorkeling excursion. Do NOT book transportation from PDC to Cozumel. You got this on your own, I promise.

So you've booked your Cozumel snorkel tour, you know where you need to meet them. Now you need to get from PDC to Cozumel. Simple. Take the ferry. If you walk into PDC on Day 2, you can check out the ferry timetables directly at the pier then, or you can check their websites. Just plan for a little extra time and ONLY buy a one way ticket. Do not buy a roundtrip or return ticket on your way out. Once you land in Cozumel, there will be tour operators, taxi drivers, etc. there. If you haven't booked an excursion ahead of time you can easily do it here. Then, before you know it you will be on the open ocean.

oof. this picture is really old and all i can think of when i see it is skin cancerrrrrrrrrrr (as whispered by a gypsy in the tone of "thinnerrrrrrrr")

I did NOT use the snorkel floaty and I have sworn a vow of silence about it. But, if you're nervous about snorkeling this is an option!

Once you get BACK from your trip, go to the ferry terminal and book the next trip back that you want to take. Unless you're exhausted I would give yourself an hour or so in Cozumel so you can grab lunch and do a little walking around. Try Wet Wendy's. We would go to Cozumel just to eat there.

Day 4: See day 2.

Day 5: This is a good day to do an excursion out of PDC. There are 3 places that we've been and I recommend, listed from furthest away to closest: Chichen Itza, Tulum, Akumal. I will give a brief synopsis of each and you can choose your own adventure.

Chichen Itza: This place, to put it mildly, is amazing. It is a UNESCO world heritage site and the scope of the grounds really can't be appreciated through pictures. It's incredibly well maintained and even though you can't climb the pyramids anymore it is certainly worth the trek out there. That's the thing though. It's a trek. They did open a new road between PDC and Chichen Itza, which makes it easier to get there, but at over 2 hours one way (not including stops) it is still an all day event.

If you go: Book your bus ticket through ADO and if you want souvenirs, this is the place to get them. They are more competitively priced than PDC, just make sure to haggle especially if you are buying multiple items from the same vendor.

Tulum: This is like Chichen Itza's baby sister. At just under an hour away from PDC, the distance is definitely more palatable than Chichen Itza and the ruins right next to the water make for some fantastic photos. I liked Tulum, but it felt more touristy to me than Chichen Itza (believe it or not).

This was taken at a beach near Tulum but you definitely need a rental car to get here.

If you go: You can definitely take the ADO bus here as well, however, if we don't have a rental car, we take the colectivo. This is basically a van driven by a local operator that stops at various places along the highway to pick you up and drop you off. It's the cheapest way to travel in the area and often the most convenient because they usually run every 10 - 15 minutes. You will need to pay cash on pickup and it's best to have Mexican pesos. In my experience this is most often used by locals and the adventurous tourist. Don't worry, you can do it.

Also: If you are interested in yoga and don't mind being outside the city there are a lot of fantastic boutique resorts here. It might be a better place to stay if you want a very scenic, quiet retreat.

Akumal: Named the "land of turtles", Akumal is known as a great place to see sea turtles and snorkel along its small reef. Akumal is only about 30 minutes away from PDC, and we have been making this a day trip from PDC for almost 10 years. It was originally very secluded and we often felt like we were the only American tourists around. Lately, this doesn't seem to be the case as there is a lot of new construction and many more tourists than in the past. It is still a beautiful beach and would also be a fantastic place to stay for your week in Mexico if you are looking for something sort of in between PDC and Tulum.

If you go: If you take the bus or colectivo, you will have to walk across a highway overpass. There's a pedestrian walkway there so it should be very clear. 

Day 6: See day 2

Day 7: Let's assume the weather is gray and drizzly. That means its Rio Secreto time! Ok, I will go ahead and say this. Rio Secreto is pricey and touristy but it is actually really cool. It was discovered by the local landowner when he was hunting on his property. His shot hit a rock and pinged down into the caverns. We actually went the first year it was open to the public and they were still exploring and opening up different routes, so it was kind of neat to see how they were making it into a public attraction.

If you go: This just works out really well if you have a rainy day so it doesn't feel like it goes to waste. Bad weather in Mexico can make you stir crazy since nearly everything fun is outside. You can take a bus, colectivo or taxi here. 

Day 8: Go home and try not to get sucked into the tequila tastings in the airport otherwise your home will resemble an agave factory. I've made it a habit to purchase a couple musical instruments from the airport shops (maracas, bells, whistles) because I'm the greatest auntie there ever was and there's nothing like handing a toddler a tambourine. There's actually quite a bit of souvenir shopping you can do in the airport. You won't come close to the pricing that you would find in Chichen Itza, but it's actually not bad compared to downtown PDC. Then you should (hopefully) only have a 3 or so hour flight. Less time that it would probably take you to drive to the beach, huh? I told you Mexico is worth it.