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Beaches
1.The most popular beach
(Letter G in your map) If you enjoy sitting under the shade of
a palapa (a big umbrella made of palm branches), walking on a sandy
white beach, playing in turquoise water, people watching, drinking
a margarita, and eating in a great restaurant, then we recommend
Mamitas Beach. This world-renowned beach is beautiful and attracts
tourists and locals alike. There is a volleyball court, music,
and a festive atmosphere. The best entrance is from 26th street.
2. To the left of Mamitas Beach Club is the more serene and relaxing
Coco Beach. (Letter H in your map). Walk as far as you like to
find the perfect quite spot.
3. The most authentic beach
(Letter E in your map) This public beach is the most authentic
Mexican beach in the area. It is about a 20 min walk from the Real
del Carmen. Here you can enjoy traditional fruit served with lime,
mexican candy, and browze through the market in the near by plaza.
This beach is located close to the ferry station to Cozumel.
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Restaurants
5th Avenue has a wide variety of great
restaurants. Most are found between 1st and 20th Street.
We have two favorite
Italian restaurants; one is The Glass Bar, which is on 5th Avenue
and 12th Street. The other is Café Mediterranean, which
is in a little alleyway off of 5th Avenue between 6th and 8th Street.
A great French Restaurant is Byblos. The address is 131, 14th Street
between 5th and 10th Avenue.
While there are many excellent Mexican restaurants, we recommend
Yaxche located on 8th Street between 5th and 10th Avenues. Yaxche
serves authentic Yucatanian food – the dishes are incredibly
rich and sophisticated. The atmosphere is magical and the service
superb.
Fogon,
is a small and quaint "taqueria" specializing in typical
mexican tacos. It is located on Avenida Constituyentes, between
25th St. and 30th St. Great prices. La
Cueva del Chango (authentic 100% natural mexican
food for breakfast, lunch and dinner) Calle 38 between
5th Avenue and Sea (close to Shangri-La Hotel).
La Guadalupana is
a typical "cantina" with authentic mexican food. It is only
open for lunch. It is located between 10th Avenue and 12th
St.
Pescatore is
a great place to have dinner. Located on 10th Avenue and
22nd St.
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Sight
Seeing
It is incredible how many beautiful sites are
close to Playa del Carmen. There are many tours available. Do not
miss seeing Tulum, Xcaret and Xel-Ha – each have their own
unique story and charm.
Tulum is a magical place, best known for the seaside Mayan ruins.
The history and views are well worth the trip.
Xcaret offers a fun theme park but is best known for it’s unique
aquatic activities like diving or snorkeling in creeks and lagoons,
exploration of natural wells and ancient caves fed by subterranean
rivers flowing to the beautiful Mexican Caribbean Sea of the Riviera
Maya.
Xel-Ha is an Eco Theme Park that is full of Mexican-Mayan culture.
There are different activities such as, archaeological tours, swimming
with the dolphins and many different water attractions.
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The
Riviera Maya
The
Riviera Maya is located in Mexico, specifically in the State of Quintana
Roo, the youngest in the country because it achieved statehood in
1974. Its surface area covers 50,212 square kilometers, represents
2.6% of the nation's territory. It borders on the East with the
Caribbean Sea, to the South with the Central American countries
of Belize and Guatemala, and to the West with the states of Campeche
and YucatanGeography.
The Playa del Carmen terrain is flat, covered by low tropical
jungle, and its coasts alongside the Caribbean provide many kilometers
of powdery white sand beaches, inlets, bays, and mangrove swamps.
Due to the limestone soil in this entire zone, there are no important
rivers with the exception of the Hondo, a navigable river on the
border with Guatemala. The most important lagoons are Coba, North
of Tulum, Bacalar to the Northeast of Chetumal, the State's capital,
and Chichancanab, between Santa Rosa and Polyuc. Sweetwater "cenotes" are
abundant in this Mexico region, giving rise to the ancient population
centers of the Maya culture.
Economy.
The main economic activity is the exploitation of the jungle, rich
in tropical woods from which mahogany, cedar and chicozapote -
the chicle tree - are obtained. Also important is fishing for lobster,
huachinango (red snapper) and pargo, among other species. To a
lesser extent, agriculture - fundamentally maize - and cattle raising
contribute to the local economy. In recent years, tourism has become
increasingly important to Quintana Roo's finances.
Climate.
The average annual temperature ranges from 77°F (25C) to 86°F
(30C).Cenote water temperature for snorkeling or diving is around
76°F (24°C) year-round. Offshore water temperatures range
from 78°F (26°C) in January to 84°F (29°C) in August.
May through November is the rainy season. For trips into the jungle,
you should wear pants, long-sleeved shirts and shoes or zapatillas
and use insect repellent for mosquitoes. The temperature drops
at night and a light sweater or bush jacket is suggested. Take
a look at the current
Money.
Our official currency is the Mexican Peso (MXP), although the U.S.
dollar is accepted almost everywhere. Exchange rate is approximately
11 pesos to 1 USD, depending on the fluctuations of the foreign
exchange rate. Credit cards are widely accepted except in smaller
establishments, so it is best to travel with travelers' checks
and some cash.
Transportation.
The main point of arrival is Cancun International Airport, a two-hour
flight from Mexico City. From here, the Riviera Maya can by covered
via the coastal highway which links the city of Cancun with Tulum
and continues Southwest, and another which links the cities of
Tulum and Cob'a. Available transportation from the airport includes
buses, rental cars or taxis which depart from the terminal. Playa
del Carmen has a small airport with planes which make short hops
to the more distant places. Ferries also depart from Playa del
Carmen and Calica, linking the continent with the islands. There
are also local bus lines which service different locations along
the highway.
Communications/Telephones.
The area code for Playa del Carmen, Riviera Maya is 984. All local
numbers have seven digits, and all numbers begin with 8. If a number
is written (984) 873-1234, when in Riviera Maya you must dial 873-1234.
International code while calling from the US dial 011 + 52 . While
calling home from Mexico dial 001 before the area code and US phone
number.
Internet Access
There are plenty internet café’s in town, In Playa
del Carmen you can mainly find them along 5th. And 10th. Avenue. All
the large hotels offer internet service, different rates apply.
Newspapers
Most hotel gift shops and newsstands carry English-language magazines,
and Mexican newspapers in English.
Post Office
The main post office is located in Playa del Carmen on Juarez between
20th and 15th. Open Monday through Friday from 8 am to 5pm and
Saturday from 9 am to 12 pm.
Language.
Spanish is the official language and Mayan is the local language,
but English, French, Italian and German are also widely spoken.
Measurements.
Speed limits are posted in kilometers. Dive operators generally
use both feet/psi and meters/bars when communicating dive data
Taxes & Service Charges.
A 10% value-added tax called IVA is added to all goods and services
within the State, including hotel rooms and rental cars. Be sure
to ask if the tax is included in the quoted price on the menu in
restaurants.
Tips.
It’s customary to leave 10 to 20% in tips, depending on service
Taxis and Distance (rates are approximate)
In Playa del Carmen any destination in the Playa del Carmen
vicinity is between $3-$4.
From Playa Del Carmen:
• To Xcaret: 7 kms / 4 miles / 7 minutes / Taxi $6 US
• To Puerto Aventuras: 19 kms / 11 miles / 18 minutes / Taxi $11 US
• To Akumal: 32 kms / 20 miles / 28 minutes / Taxi $17 US
• To Xel Há: 49 kms / 30 miles / 43 minutes / Taxi $21 US
• To Tulúm: 62 kms / 39 miles / 55 minutes / Taxi $27 US
• To Valladolid: 160 kms (Playa-Tulúm-Cobá-Chemax) / 99 miles
/ 2 hours
• To Puerto Morelos: 32 kms / 20 miles / 28 minutes / Taxi $17 US
• To Cancún: 67 kms / 42 miles / 1 hour / Taxi $30 - 35 US
• To Paamul: 17 kms / 10.5 miles / 15 minutes / Taxi $10 US
• To Coba: Taxi $50 US
The travel times are those which it normally takes, based on an average speed
of 80 to 110 kilometers per hour, the maximum limit authorized, and on the current
conditions of the highways. If you want to convert from kilometers ( kms ) to
miles, multiply the kilometers by 0.6214. If you want to convert from miles to
kilometers, multiply the miles by 1.6093
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