Anyone been to Playa Del Carmen?

So I refied my wife's car loan with a local Credit Union, and apparently they were running a promotion during the time. I was completely unaware until I received a phone call a couple weeks ago saying we had won an all-expense-paid trip to Playa Del Carmen. I was caught off guard, and it took a while for them to convince me it wasn't a scam, but it's totally legitimate!

So does anyone have experience in Playa Del Carmen? Here's a link to the place we're staying: http://www.realresorts.com/The-Royal-Playa-Carmen/

I'm still a little in shock!

I went to Playa del Carmen about a decade ago... it was nice. Really pretty beaches, white sand, crystal clear water. The water was very calm, as in almost zero waves (being a kid at the time, this was very disappointing to me). Very touristy, but upscale, predominantly catering to Europeans. If you're looking for a relaxing beach resort getaway, it's great, but if you're looking to experience Mexico, then it's definitely the wrong place.

Wow, the Royal is supposed to be super nice & the location is perfect. I've been to Playa many times, love it. Below is a link to a trip report I did in 2010. It may give you some ideas of things to do outside of the resort (which I HIGHLY recommend).

http://www.playa.info/playa-del-carmen-forum/55311-matt-tara-playa-cozumel-feb2010.html

Also, hit up Club de la Cerveza on the north end of 5th ave for some craft beer. The bartenders are great & they usually have a solid selection:

https://www.facebook.com/clubdelacerveza.mx

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaura...rveza-Playa_del_Carmen_Yucatan_Peninsula.html

My wife and I have been travelling to that area as well as all of the Caribbean islands about twice a year for the past 13 years.

Try if possible to avoid being there in the SUMMER months. Georgia may have some warm Summers (been there-done that) but nothing like you will experience in that area. Granted there are Ocean or Gulf breezes but they can feel like a hair dryer on high at times. LOL

Hats, sunscreen and tons of bottled drinks and you will be fine. If and when you go, HAVE A BALL!

bosco

ps. "Sol" beer is not bad. I've had a few hundred of them if not more.. To me, it's a lot more like a beer than Corona (ugh).

I stayed at a Royal resort just up the road in Cancun a year ago. It was awesome - beautiful views of the Gulf, beautiful weather, and the resort had incredible food. Congrats!

Edit: And the staff was really great too - one word of caution, however. When you arrive, Real will probably set you up with your concierge contact for the week, who is the person who will make your dinner reservations for you, book scuba trips, trips to the ruins, etc. for you, which is awesome and extremely helpful. If he/she asks you to come for a little presentation in exchange for a couple hundred pesos, politely decline. If you agree, they'll usher you off to a boiler room where they try to get you to buy some vacation package and it sucks. If you decline, there's no hard feelings and they don't bug you about it ever again.

Thanks guys!! That's a lot of great info. We'll be going next May, so we still have some time to decide. Honestly, I bet we end up drunk on the beach for the week, but I do want to have some options available. I would like to see the Ruins, but I don't know how much my wife will be interested. Either way, it's going to be a great trip!

TheZymurgist said:

I would like to see the Ruins, but I don't know how much my wife will be interested. Either way, it's going to be a great trip!

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Bug repellant, sunscreen, hat and bottled water a must for visiting ruins.
(Bring a pocket pack or Kleenex or the like??? Some facilities lack paper, if you know what I mean..
Amazing sights for sure.

ENJOY!

bosco

TheZymurgist said:

Honestly, I bet we end up drunk on the beach for the week

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That's pretty much how our trip went and it was the best vacation ever.

TheZymurgist said:

Thanks guys!! That's a lot of great info. We'll be going next May, so we still have some time to decide. Honestly, I bet we end up drunk on the beach for the week, but I do want to have some options available. I would like to see the Ruins, but I don't know how much my wife will be interested. Either way, it's going to be a great trip!

Click to expand...

I LOVE Playa Del Carmen! If you wanna check out some killer ruins, do the tour to ek-balam. It's much less touristy than chichen itza, and you still get to climb the pyramid, which is amazing. The tour we did was all day. They took us to an underground cenote (giant sinkhole, crystal blue water) to swim in, an old colonial Mexico town, and a traditional Mayan village for lunch which was delicious. They feed you and pump you full of beer the whole time. It's an amazing tour.