Travel Guide: Playa Del Carmen, Mexico
In December of 2021 I was able to spend 10 days in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico for the most beautiful beach vacation at a resort with the jungle on one side, and the beach on the other. Here is my travel guide to Playa Del Carmen with things to do:
History of The Yucatán and Playa Del Carmen
Playa Del Carmen is located on the Yucatán Peninsula — once a giant reef, and as sea-levels rose millions of years ago, it reveled the area we know today as the Yucatán Peninsula; An area filled with jungle, hundreds of cenotes, Mayan ruins and an ocean surrounding with the worlds second largest reef (that is also still in production!) The Yucatán Peninsula holds loads of history, especially in Mayan Civilization and Culture. One trip to Mexico is never enough to be able to immerse in the culture and fully understand it's history. One of the most advanced indigenous cultures of the ancient Americas, the Mayans began as hunter gatherers and migrated into the Yucatán around 2500 B.C. During the pre-classic period (500 B.C.-250 A.D.) they appeared in Quintana Roo, where they established ceremonial centers at Coba, Dzibanche and Kohunlich. Quintana Roo was considered to be the gateway to the Mayan world. Between 300 and 900, the Mayans built several cities in the Yucatán region, two of the most spectacular being Chichén Itzá and Uxmal. Some of the well-known archeological sites for people to visit to get an understanding of ancient Mayan Civilization are Chichen Itza, Coba, Tulum (which we had a chance to visit) and Uxmal.
Until the mid-1900s, Yucatán’s only contact with the outside world was by sea. As a result, Yucatán’s trade with the United States, Europe and Caribbean islands was far more lucrative than that of all other Mexican states. Yucatán was linked to the rest of Mexico by railway in the 1950s and by highway a decade later. Today, Yucatán’s culture remains unique from that of other Mexican states. In the 1960s, the first commercial jet airplanes arrived in Mérida. International airports were built in Cozumel and Cancún in the 1980s, bringing significant tourist income to the region. The Yucatán peninsula, which supports one of the largest indigenous populations in Mexico, also accommodates the state’s largest tourist volume.
Playa del Carmen traces its roots to back to the pre-Columbian Mayan civilization. In fact, it was called “Xaman-Ha”, which in Mayan means “waters of the north.” Xaman-Ha was an important stop along the Mayan pilgrimage to Cozumel, considered a sacred island. Xaman-Ha and the surrounding areas served not only as a religious center but also as a major trade route. This was during the post-Classical period (A.D. 1000 – 1500), about the time when the Mayan culture rose to its full height. During this time, the Mayan civilization flourished and produced great architectural and cultural splendors. However, at the end of the period, storms and wars served to drastically decrease the population and diminish the power and influence of the Mayan empire.
In 1967, Mexico developed Cancun as a tourism destination (along with Los Cabos, Huatulco and Ixtapa). The mega-development project involved bridges, hotels and electric lines. A ferry service to Cozumel was established in Playa del Carmen and a wooden boat dock was put up in the central beach of Playa del Carmen. In 1974, the Cancun International Airport opened. Tourism also grew in Cozumel. At that time, Playa del Carmen was only thought to be the ferry dock on the way to Cozumel. However, in the early 1980s, this quaint fishermen's village experienced a slow but sure development. Population in the city grew as people gradually recognized Playa del Carmen as a tourist spot in its own right. Its central spot in the Riviera Maya further strengthened this position.
Where we stayed in Playa Del Carmen - Sandos Caracol Eco Resort
Getting There
We booked our trip to Sandos Caracol Eco Resort, which is about an hour south of the Cancun International Airport, through WestJet Vacations on RedTag.ca. Travelling during COVID raised tons of uncertainties — which made me refuse to believe it was ACTUALLY happening until we landed in Cancun — but from the time we landed, to the time we boarded our airport transfer bus, it only took about an hour. Off-boarding and customs was a breeze. I pre-printed and filled out the Mexico Immigration form at home, which you can get by clicking here, but they also hand them out on the plane. Don’t forget a pen! I made sure to pre-print all other documents and download all the apps I needed to make the process smoother all around.
We knew after reading reviews online (ALWAYS do this before booking! Trip Advisor is my fav!) that check-in was a long process, so we wanted to be first inline to check-in because there was a HUGE family on the bus with us. along with a few other smaller families. Thankfully we were able to be the first to check-in, making us not have to wait 1hr+ to get into our rooms at 10:00pm after a long day of travelling. The unfortunate downside to travelling all day and arriving at night, is that usually the A La Carte’s aren’t open and you’re stuck with what is remaining at the buffet after a busy dinner service. If your airport transfer has a lot of stops, I suggest getting something to snack on from the airport because you may get back so late that the buffet is closed, and the late night snack bar may not be open yet (if the resort even has one!). The Cancun Airport has a little bar and convenience store right outside the bus transfer area.
Our room & gastronomy of Sandos Caracol Eco Resort
We had decided to book just a Standard Room at the resort. We aren’t hard to please, and for the amount of time we spend in the room, we don’t need anything extravagant. We were pleasantly surprised when we walked into our room with a massive 2 person jacuzzi, a large walk-in shower, double sinks, balcony, California King bed, as well as Wi-Fi access — which were all things we were told we weren’t getting in a standard room. The only downside to booking standard was there was no room service, and there were a few pools/restaurants “restricted” to those without the higher end bracelets but we were able to enjoy them anyways.
The wildlife at this resort blew us away. From Monkeys, to Lemus, to Peacocks, it was unbelievable the vast amount of beautiful animals there were. Our rooms were situated in the 7600 block, backing onto where all the monkeys enjoyed to hangout in the afternoon swinging through the trees, and right near the suspension bridge which was lovely for photos. I’ll list below the specific spots to check out at the resort below.
As for food, we were able to find food we enjoyed at every restaurant. We knew that travelling not only during the holiday season, but also during a pandemic, food supply would be hit and miss. We knew what to expect and didn’t hold our expectations to of a 5-star resort. After reading tons of reviews, it seemed peoples expectations were held too high for the state of the world and its unfortunate when that happens. If you’re an easy person to please, you’ll fair just fine at this resort. We thoroughly enjoyed the food at the Brazilian rodizio Fogo de Brazil, as well as the views at the seafood Riviera Restaurant.
The beach & pools at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort
If you’re looking for white sand, crystal blue water beaches, this resort may not be for you. It is rocky, but still absolutely beautiful nonetheless. As long as you’re ok with bringing water shoes, when the water is calm, the beach is absolutely beautiful. You can choose to walk 5 minutes south down the beach and you will find your white sand beaches!
There is an abundance of pools to make up for the lacking beach — including a large waterpark with slides and fun for the whole family! Between the 3 pools, and multiple swimmable cenotes, you will have no trouble finding a spot for you to relax and cool off from the warm Mexican sun!
Cool spots to check out at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort
The suspension bridge:
On-site Mayan Ruins & Cenotes
Night-time Shows
I cannot say enough good things about the entertainment team at this resort — although the entertainment ended at 12 which was a bit of a bummer — I had a heck of a time our entire trip! This entertainment team went above and beyond to make sure everyone was having fun, involved and forgot about all worries at home!
Overall, we are incredibly happy with this resort and were blown away by the service and entertainment. As for the length of trip, 10 days was perfect! I always find 7 days being too short… maybe my next vacation will be 14 days?
Things to do in Playa Del Carmen
Visit Fifth Ave Shops
This was one of the first things we did during our stay in Mexico. We explored the downtown streets of Playa Del Carmen, checking out the local shops, restaurants and the beach. If you’re travelling during the winter months, plan for a 10-15 minute period of rain during the day. When we were exploring 5th ave, it began to rain so we just took cover under some trees — don’t worry, it’ll pass. On 5th Avenue you can also check out Coco Bongo & Senior Frogs!
Snorkeling in the world’s second largest reef
We did a private excursion for this, and it was truly amazing. While we were exploring 5th Avenue, we were on the beach and found a little tour company offering private snorkeling tours — these ones are usually the best! It was just Evan and I, plus our 2 guides on this amazing excursion. They took us snorkeling in the world’s second largest reef — the Yucatan Reef — and they took us to a private cenote that we had all to ourselves!
Swimming in sacred Cenotes at Kantun-Chi Ecopark
We visited Kantun-Chi Ecopark and it hands down was one of the highlights of our trip! We hired a cab driver for the day from our hotel and it was perfect because he was waiting for us when we were finished and we felt safe keeping our belongings in the car with him! I suggest arriving right when they open so you are able to have the cenotes to yourself! We chose to go to the farthest cenote away first so we could enjoy moments by ourselves. It was truly magical being able to experience such a spiritual place just the two of us. We felt so much energy and peace while exploring the cenotes of Kantun-Chi. You are able to explore yourself, or pay for a guided tour that takes you to areas you aren’t able to do just by yourself. Next time we agreed to take one of the tours!
There are 5 cenotes, plus an underground river that you can explore at Kantun-Chi, with some of them being only accessible through tour groups. While we where there, we learnt all about Cenotes: What is a cenote?
• Cenotes are a deep, natural sinkhole in caves or underground chambers filled with permanent, fresh water. Cenotes can be fully caved, semi open, or fully open. The origin of the cenotes originates from the geomorphological process called karst, which consists of the combination of the mechanisms of dissolution, collapse and limestone construction. The Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico was once a gigantic reef. Once sea level dropped, it revealed all these caves, or as we now know it — Cenotes. Cenotes have large underground cave systems and in the Riviera Maya, there is the worlds longest cave system measuring 350kms long with over 226 Cenotes throughout the system.
The Mayan Culture & Significance of Cenotes:
• While Cenotes were their main water source, they were also considered it to be the entrance to the Xibalba, translated to the underworld, and a place where the Mayan gods would visit, especially Chaac, the Mayan god of rain, lightning, and thunder. Some cenotes became sacred sites where offerings and rituals were performed to please the gods. A study was performed on some of the human remains found at the Sagrado Cenote (meaning Sacred Cenote) at the site of Chichen Itza which proved that they had wounds consistent with human sacrifice. Cenotes were so important that most temples and villages were built close by or as recent discoveries prove that the Mayans built on top of cenotes, such as Chichen Itza.
Fun Fact:
• Over 66 million years ago, an asteroid (10-15km in diameter) crashed into Earth, more specifically a place now called Chicxulub on the Yucatan Peninsula, located in the Gulf of Mexico. There are thousands of cenotes dotted all over the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico. However, there is an actual cenote ring on the edge of the impact crater which was caused by the asteroid that has been linked to the extinction of the dinosaurs.
Explore Tulum Beach on a Day Trip
Tulum is truly a place that you can never do in a day, and I can’t wait to be back, but if a day is all you have — make the most of it! We explored the streets of Tulum Beach but did not have nearly enough time to explore as much as I would have liked to. There are the Tulum Ruins which you are able to check out and really get a grasp of the history of the Mayan people. I suggest hitting these early in the day when they first open as the Mexican sun can be harsh and lead to dehydration — pack lots of water! You can walk the streets of Tulum for hours, and I don’t think I would ever get bored. From the beautiful boutiques, to delicious Ice Cream shops, the abundance of entertainment is never ending. I can’t wait to go back and explore more. We stopped in at the Mr. Shmokey’s Smoke House for Brisket and Aldo’s Ice Cream for a bite to eat before making the 1h+ drive back to our resort. Here are some photos from Tulum:
We are so grateful this trip was able to happen, given the state of the world. I am also grateful for the fact that science has allowed me to be able to continue to travel and experience all the great wonders of the world. I cannot wait to return to Mexico to be able to explore so many beautiful spots like Isla Mujeres, Cozumel, Tulum (longer!), Chichen Itza and so much more.
Where should I travel to next? Send me a message with your favorite destination — who knows, maybe i’ll end up there next!