I recently celebrated my 25th birthday in Mexico with a friend I met solo while traveling to Barcelona in 2016. Her birthday happens to be the day after mine, so we decided to celebrate our birthdays together. It was our first time in Mexico. We spent most of the time in Playa del Carmen (PDC) during our six-day trip.
Below, I am sharing a travel guide to PDC.
Where to stay
There are plenty of all-inclusive beachfront resorts to choose from, but we decided to book an Airbnb. The listing has a rooftop pool and lounge for tanning and is located away from the touristy part of 5th Avenue. But, it was still close enough for us to explore 5th out of curiosity.
Where to eat
PDC has so many delicious restaurants to choose from, we ate so good every day.
El Fogon
Known as the best taco place in PDC, El Fogon should be at the top of your list! El Fogon has a few locations in PDC and is the perfect place to satisfy your taco cravings.
- What I Ordered: Al pastor tacos (you’re served two) + margarita
- Cost:
- Tacos – MXN 14 | ~¢0.70
- Margarita – MXN 65 | ~$3.34
- Total: ~$4.04
The al pastor taco was so flavorful, there was a pineapple salsa included and the meat was tender. You also get complimentary chips and dips (guacamole and different salsas). We went to their main location (Avenida Constituyentes) and were seated almost immediately. The main El Fogon location is open-air, but they had curtains/drapes that helped block the sun. You can watch the food being prepared in their open kitchen, including the meat being sliced off the trompo (or shawarma).
La Cueva del Chango
A three-minute walk from our Airbnb, La Cueva del Chango provides beautiful scenery. The lush gardens, waterfalls, and turtle pond in the middle of the restaurant make eating breakfast, or any meal, tropical and relaxing.
- What I Ordered: Huevos motulenos + passion fruit juice
- Cost:
- Huevos motulenos – MXN 98 | ~$5.04
- Passion fruit drink – MXN 50 | $2.57
- Total: ~$7.61
Their fruit drinks are freshly squeezed and the food comes in large portions. The huevos motulenos included: a layer of crispy tortillas, beans, and two sunny side-up eggs topped with diced ham, shredded cheese, and surrounded by fried plantains. You also get complimentary chips and dips, and a bowl of warm tortillas. I HIGHLY recommend this place, especially for breakfast.
Kaxapa Factory
If you need a break from Mexican food, try this Venezuelan restaurant. The service is impeccable, the staff is so attentive and nice. Once seated, we were given samples of Venezuelan drinks they offer (the passion fruit one was my favorite).
- What I Ordered: Patacón mixto (a fried plantain sandwich filled with lettuce, tomatoes, shredded chicken, beef and cheese, topped with sauce)
- Cost: MXN 75 | ~$3.86
Alux
A more upscale dining option, Alux is located in a cave. Yes, you read that correctly. You must visit this place if you’re in the PDC area! It’s great for a romantic dinner, birthday celebration, or just looking for a fine dining option. Not only is the venue unique, but the food is great too. My friend got their steak and it was so juicy and tender 😩.
- What I Ordered: Brie Cheese with Figs + Alux Salad + Sangria (x2)
- Cost:
- Brie Cheese with Figs – MXN 220 | ~$11.32
- Alux Salad – MXN 240 | ~$12.35
- Sangria – MXN 150 for one| ~$7.72 for one
- Total: ~$39.11
The food and sangria I ordered were delicious, so much so that I ordered two sangria’s. I’d recommend making a reservation as Alux can get very crowded. We made a reservation for 7:30 pm on a Friday night. The restaurant started getting crowded around 8:30 pm, so we had a lot of time to walk around and take photos. There’s a wine cellar you can check out and free wifi. However, the wifi connection can get pretty slow once the restaurant gets crowded. Phone service can also be spotty once you get to a certain point, but that’s expected when you’re underground. Also, even though there are fans and ACs in the cave, it can still feel a bit warm.
La Perla Pixan
Perla Pixan serves a wide range of mezcal (a Mexican distilled spirit) drinks and authentic Mexican cuisine. Think fried grasshoppers in your tacos. I loved the overall feel of the restaurant. There’s a palapa rooftop and beautiful Mexican decorations. I ordered a drink and fried shrimp tacos which were bomb, and we also got complimentary chips and dips.
Los Tabernacos
This is a nice sports bar that sells poutine. I know poutine might be an odd choice when in Mexico, but my friend wanted to catch a World Cup game 😂. There are televisions and projectors all over for you to catch any football game. There’s also free wifi and free shots if your team wins!
- What I Ordered: Famous Montreal poutine (half poutine)
- Cost: MXN 110 | ~$5.66
Where to play
Relax on the beach
I think this one’s pretty obvious. You should dedicate a day, or two, to just relaxing on the beach in PDC. Grab a towel and some snacks. Or, rent a chair/bed/umbrella on the beach and order food/drinks through a hotel. Speaking of view, you might see some seaweed washed up on the beach. However, people are working to clean it up every day.
I rented a chair, with a palapa umbrella and towel, at Mahekal Beach Resort.
- Cost for chair + umbrella + towel: MXN 500 for the day | ~$25
- What was included: Access to infinity pool + MXN 400 food/beverage credit
We put a $400 MNX refundable deposit down and gave them my I.D. to ensure we’d come back with the towels they provided. I speculate the MXN 400 credit might’ve been given because it was my birthday. Only because the front desk clerk, who took our payment and deposit, didn’t mention any credit for renting a chair 🤷🏽. We were told about the credit, and access to the infinity pool, after talking with our waiter. I thought it was a bargain to pay $25 for a chair, towel, access to the infinity pool and facilities, and MXN 400 food/beverage credit.
Museo Frida Kahlo
Walk down 5th Avenue and you’ll stumble upon the Frida Kahlo museum. While we didn’t go into the museum, we did stop in the gift shop and bought a few things. There’s also a restaurant on the upper level and a mural of Frida outside of the building.
Go to a Bar/Lounge
If you’re looking to go out for drinks and listen to music, 5th Avenue has a lot of options. I normally wouldn’t suggest going into touristy areas for nightlife, but it wasn’t bad. We went to Abolengo and the music was good, the service was great and the drinks were moderately priced. I loved the decor, they had celebrities dressed in Victorian-era outfits.
Go Shopping
Again, although I usually avoid touristy areas, we couldn’t resist checking out 5th Avenue. Especially when it has all your shopping needs (e.g. souvenirs, clothing – just be ready to bargain!
Playa del Carmen Travel Tips
Don’t lose your departure card
Similar to the departure card I had to hold onto in Thailand, you’ll receive a departure card when entering Mexico. It’s attached at the bottom of their customs form. The agent told me that losing the departure card would result in having to pay $50 for a new one. So, make sure to not lose it! I didn’t need to show my card anywhere while in Mexico until I was boarding my flight to leave.
You don’t need an organized tour for most attractions
Looking to swim in a cenote? Or maybe you want to check out Chichen Itza. From my trip, I realized that it isn’t necessary to book an organized tour. There are a lot of cenotes, including the one I visited, that don’t provide a guide. You can get to, and from, most cenotes by taking a colectivo or taxi. It’s also possible to head to Chichen Itza or the Tulum and Coba ruin independently using public transportation, taxis, or driving.
Take a colectivo
Not renting a car, hiring a driver, or taking a taxi? Or, perhaps you’re looking to go to certain places without a tour? Then taking a colectivo is a great, and cheap, option! A colectivo is a white, air-conditioned, mini-van often used by locals. It can fill up quickly, but they run every 10-15 minutes in PDC and Tulum. I took the colectivo three/four times at different times to, and from, Tulum and had no issues. The people working for the colectivo will say the final destination for the van (e.g. Tulum). Or, you can tell them your final destination. The latter is helpful as the driver will notify you when they’re getting close to your stop. You pay the driver in pesos once you’ve arrived at your destination (the driver can provide change if needed).
Take an ADO bus
ADO (pronounced ah-day-o) is a great, and cheap, option to get you to PDC or Tulum once you’ve landed in Cancun. There’s air conditioning, televisions, a bathroom, and space to store your luggage underneath. You can purchase a ticket as soon as you land in Cancun, the ADO runs every 30 minutes. There are also ADO buses from PDC that’ll take you to Tulum and further. Just be sure to look at the schedule as ADO runs less frequently to PDC from Tulum, and vice versa, in the evening. We didn’t realize this one evening, so our options were to wait 30 minutes for the next bus or take a colectivo. We opted for the colectivo, which was cheaper anyway.
Bring sunscreen
Seriously, pack sunscreen. This isn’t optional. The sun in Mexico is no joke, the last thing you want is to get a sunburn. I got a nice tan, but I made sure to apply sunscreen everywhere and apply it at least twice a day. Even if it’s cloudy outside, I’d still suggest applying sunscreen.
Be ready to bargain
If you’re not an expert bargainer, you’ll get some experience in Mexico. From taxis to souvenir stores, there will be instances where you’ll need to use your negotiating skills. A lot of the places I saw in PDC and Tulum sold the same things. I’d usually get prices from different places close by and either go back to the cheaper place to buy or begin negotiating with the current vendor.
With taxis, it’d be best to familiarize yourself with the typical fares in the area you’ll be staying. Since I was staying in PDC, I was able to find a zone chart for taxi fares to get an idea of how much we should be paying for a taxi. Taxis are supposed to have this chart, but I can’t remember seeing one. Make sure to negotiate the price before getting in the taxi if you feel like the price could be lower.
Other tips
Getting from PDC from Cancun airport
Rent a car, hire a private taxi, or take the ADO bus. Below, I’m sharing insight into the cost of an ADO bus and the duration of the ride:
- Duration: ~One hour and 15 minutes
- Cost: MXN 190 | ~$9.77
Negotiate taxi rides
If you’re taking a taxi around PDC, make sure to negotiate the price before getting in. There’s a zone chart for PDC you can Google that gives estimates for rides.
