I was in Playa del Carmen in April last year when I did a tour of Mexico. On the coast I only had 4 days, 1 day in Isla Mujeres, another in Playa de Carmen and 2 days in Tulum.
After spending the day on the beach in Isla Mujeres, I returned to Cancun and on the same day I went to the city of Playa del Carmen, 60km away on the Riviera Maya.
>> See all my posts from Mexico.
I went by bus from the ADO company, but in front of the Cancun terminal there are vans that do the journey for practically half the price. I chose the bus for comfort and luggage. The trip took a little over an hour and it was enough to sleep.
The ADO bus terminal in Playa del Carmen is right in the center on Fifth Avenue, the main one in the city, and when I arrived at around 8pm it was very busy. I immediately liked what I saw, it had a nice, laid-back atmosphere.
I went to the hostel and it took longer than I should have, because when I came back just over 2 hours later the people had disappeared and most things were already closed. I don’t know if it’s always like this or if it was because it was a weekday.
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| Access to Punta Esmeralda beach. If you don’t go by car, you will need to walk 500m. |
What to do in Playa del Carmen
Due to its location and proximity to Cancun and Tulum (and the best cost), Playa del Carmen is chosen by many people as a base for exploring the region.
And it is from the center of Playa del Carmen that Cozumel boats leave, an island very popular for diving and which is just over half an hour away.
In Playa del Carmen you can enjoy not only the beaches, museums, cenotes, parks of the Xcaret group with natural, ecological and cultural attractions where you spend the day.
It must be great to spend a few days there, but I only had 1 day, I preferred to enjoy the beaches of the Caribbean Sea. I chose beaches outside the center.
Playa Punta Esmeralda
Early in the morning I went to the Punta Esmeralda Beach. I went by minibus paying 5 pesos. I told the driver where I was going and he dropped me off nearby. To get to the beach it was necessary to walk about 500m along a footpath.
>> See all my posts from Mexico.
It is on the north side of Playa, about 5km from the center, you can walk along Quinta Avenida to Calle 112 and then turn right.
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| Punta Esmeralda is an inclusive beach. |
Punta Esmeralda is a good and quiet beach. And better, it’s public. Many beaches in the region are private with access restricted to hotel guests or users of bars and clubs on that beach. And there are others where there is a charge for access.
It is also an inclusive beach with facilities to accommodate wheelchair users, and has the certificate Blue Flaga symbol of quality attributed to beaches that meet a set of criteria.
I went on a weekday and it was just with a few people, more families. It is most frequented by local residents. I imagine the weekend will be very crowded.
The beach is beautiful, with vegetation and no buildings that differentiate it from the beaches in the center. Upon arrival there were some coconut trees whose shades were already full, the sun was strong. With a bar and restaurant structure, there is the Cocoa Beach Club.
Punta Esmeralda has, in addition to the wonderful sea, an open cenote that makes the place more interesting. I would have stayed there for a long time if it weren’t for the sargassum. I even took a few showers, but it bothers me and it smells really bad.
I wanted to visit other beaches so I returned to the center walking along the beach. On the way, I passed beaches 88 and Marmitas, two very popular beaches. The first is also public and the second, the club that gives the place its name occupies almost the entire stretch of sand with its sun loungers.
The color of the sea made the landscape beautiful. What hindered the view and bathing was the sargassum, it accumulates in the water at the edge of the beach. Where possible, I went further into the sea and took advantage of it.
As I got closer to the center there was more sargassum and the bad smell became stronger, I soon realized that my days at the beach would not be good.
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| Sargasso. |
But despite the sargassum, on the beaches in the center there were a lot of people enjoying themselves in the middle of it all. I found it very strange.
>> Sargasso It is a type of seaweed with a bad and strong smell that is carried by the current to the beach. Sargassum is common in the Cancun and Riviera Maya region, but when I went in April/2019 there was an invasion. It is an action of nature and can occur at any time. You can follow the situation here.
Xpu-ha Beach
You couldn’t stay on the beaches in the center. So, after eating I went to try my luck at a more distant beach. I went to visit another recommended beach, Xpu-ha. It is 26km south towards Tulum.
I went by van, they leave the center, run all the time and are cheap. They are mainly used by residents. Vans help a lot for those who are on foot and want to save money, but of course with a car you make better use of your time.
The van drops you off on the highway, you have to remind the driver where you are going so he can drop you off nearby. From the highway to the beach it is a 600m walk. You can reach it by car.
I got out of the van and was going through the access in front when two girls who got out together called me to go the route they were going to take. Access to the beach is paid and on the way there the price was cheaper (50 pesos) and leave the beach clubs.
Xpu-ha has the beach clubs, but it also has an empty area with no structure. In other words, anyone who wants to pay for a sun lounger and stay cool goes to the clubs, but you can also take a cooler and spend the day.
I didn’t have a cooler, but I had already had lunch. So I went to the opposite side of the clubs, it was practically empty, I looked for some shade (there is little) and spent the rest of the afternoon there. Xpu-ha is a beautiful beach with lots of vegetation and extensive.
There was also sargassum there, but not as much as on the beaches in the center and it didn’t bother it. We could enjoy swimming in the sea. When I left, I passed by the clubs and it was infested with sargassum.
I returned to the hostel and then continued on the bus to Tulum. If you had a car, you wouldn’t need to go back to Playa del Carmen because it was practically halfway there.
>> Find out what it’s like to travel by bus through Mexico.
Where to stay
I stayed at Enjoy Playa Hostel, and would not stay again. The facilities were bad, the coffee was nice and the best part is the location two blocks from Fifth Avenue. But Playa del Carmen has many accommodation options that you can book here.
>> See all my posts about Mexico.
