---

Welcome to Playa Del Carmen, the gem of the Caribbean, and home to turquoise blue waters like nowhere else on earth. Every year beach lover’s and adventure seekers come from all over the world to bask in all the glory that is Playa Del Carmen. Within a short drive there are countless cenotes, Mayan ruins, eco parks, and a whole lot more.

---

Country: Mexico
State: Quintana Roo
Population (2010): 149,923
Founded: 1937
Major Airport: Cancun International Airport

---

Playa del Carmen is the meca for adventure as there is an array of all sorts of sights to see or excursions to immerse yourself in, either in Playa or nearby. From a sundown horseback riding session down the shoreline, snorkeling & scuba diving the second largest coral reef in the world to deep sea fishing for the fishing fanatics. Parasailing, kiteboarding, sailboarding, flyboarding, or an ATV trip through the jungle for the adventurists, there is something to entice people of all ages. With a number of eco parks like Xel Ha, Xcaret, and Xplor all of which are very kid friendly, so if you have a family there are all inclusive day trips that will leave you breathless. There is a variety of amazing sink holes or underground and underwater caverns called cenotes around the area that will be some of the most awe inspiring beauty and adventure you will ever experience so try to make a stop at least at one even if it’s a lagoon style.

All this and we still haven’t even touched on the subject of Mayan ruins that are scattered throughout the Riviera Maya and Guatemala. The most popular ones within a short drive are the Tulum Ruins which are right next to the town of Tulum about 45 minutes away which overlook the Caribbean Sea, a most beautiful view. After that another hour or so drive west of Tulum to Coba which is one of the last sights that will let you climb the temples so hurry up and experience looking out over the jungle canopy on top of Nohoch Mul to experience what the Mayans saw at the top. Last, but not least, is Chichen Itza which is on a larger scale area as the city was much bigger, so more to explore there but unfortunately no climbing the temples sorry! Needless to say you won’t be bored here, the only issue is trying to decide which tours you want to see and experience, so choose wisely.

Playa de Carmen didn’t always used to be such an attractive tourist destination. It was an off the beaten path destination and port town to get to Cozumel until a few years back when the word got out just how amazing this place is and how much it has to offer. From that point on it’s been growing ever since at a considerable rate every year. So yes, there are definitely many more people here then there used to be and with people come more hotels and restaurants to house and feed these people but fortunately it kept its small town feel without building the hotels to the point of the big monstrosities that they are in Cancun. It is organized, very safe for all and yes 5th avenue does stretch much longer then it used to and the shops are a little more high class but they have a nice variety of Mexican, Italian, and European touches that work together in a beautiful way to make this city still a very lovable city even though its not the small town it used to be.

Playa del Carmen kept a pretty low profile through the colonial days and even into the 1800’s with the exception of some pirate raids and the Spaniards bringing smallpox to the Mayan civilization that dwindled their population. A trade route was eventually developed there because of the good location and finally became part of Mexico in the early 1900’s. Nothing significant happened here through the 19th century until the 1960’s when Jacques Cousteau discovered the great Mayan reefs stretching to Cozumel. After that the Mexican tourism commission announced its plans to make nearby Cancun a new top tourist destination. Next came the ferry dock in Playa del Carmen for ferries to Cozumel and then came the cruise ships. The rest is history, so to speak, and has made what Playa it is today.