What to do in Playa del Carmen

Playa del Carmen is widely known as the capital of the Mayan Riviera. Playa as it’s commonly known is a true Caribbean city with a helpful and cosmopolitan ambiance. Playa del Carmen is famous for having one of the most beautiful beaches in the Mayan Riviera with soft white sand and the impressive blue ocean.

The focus in Playa del Carmen aside from the beach it’s the famous Fifth Avenue. This eclectic street runs parallel to the sea and it’s filled with open air restaurants, fun bars and Mexican handcraft stores.

The Mayan Riviera has centered all its nightlife in the famous Fifth Avenue and around it. Ask at front desk for suggestions of some of it’s most fun places. People around the world come to enjoy the fantastic beaches and the friendly atmosphere of Playa del Carmen. Join the locals and tourists to the classic night stroll around the Fiffth Avenue, sit and enjoy a drink and get to know new friends or choose a restaurant for the night and watch people and street artists.

Playa del Carmen is filled with activities to keep you busy and excited. A few blocks away from the Campanario Hotel there are tennis and basketball courts, also an 18 hole golf course, skydiving for the daredevils only to mention a few of the available activities.

Playa del Carmen is one of the most visited destinations to practice snorkel and diving for people around the world. With its amazing coral reefs and exhuberant sea life that attracts millions of tourists to enjoy this wonderful sea landscape.

Playa del Carmen is perfectly located to go on an endless number of tours and visit some of the most amazing natural places in the world.

The sink holes (cenotes) are a natural wonder that are the signature of the region and are unique, some of them are at open air and others are covered by vaults filled with millenial stalactites.

You can also visit the multiple archeological zones of the ancient mayan culture such as:

• Tulum. The only coastal mayan city (beach).
• Coba. With the tallest pyramid in Yucatan.
• Muyil. An archeological site within the natural reserve of Sian Ka’an.
• Chichen Itza. Among the new seven wonders of the world with it’s beautiful pyramid, the warriors temple and the sacred sink hole it was a very important place for the mayan civilization.

To book any of these excursions just locate our reception service. They can give you all the advice you need to get the best rates.

Advice for travelers

Dressing. Bring light and casual clothing, use sandals or tennis shoes to walk on the archeological sites and on the other tours or natural parks. Don’t forget to bring a casual but at the same time chic piece of clothing. We suggest that you use sunglasses and sunscreen. Insect repellent can also be useful, you can buy all this easily at your arrival anywhere in Playa del Carmen.

Transportation. The main arrival point is the Cancun International Airport from where you can travel all along the Riviera Maya through the 307 coast highway which joins Cancun to the city of Tulum, Playa del Carmen is in the middle of these 2 towns. El Campanario Hotel is located 40 minutes away by road from Cancun’s International Airport. There are Ferrys that leave Playa del Carmen every half hour with Cozumel as a destination and the trip is about 35 minutes. El Campanario Hotel is 1 km away from local buses that offer different destinations from Playa del Carmen. The bus rides to Cancun leave every 10 minutes and you can take the bus only 200 meters away from El Campanario Hotel. There are many taxis and the rates are cheap. There is also the option of renting a car from any of the internationally known car rentals.

Communications. Playa del Carmen has all the modern communication services including Wi Fi. The post office in Juarez Avenue between 15th and 20th is open from Monday until Friday from 9 am to 5 pm and Saturdays from 9 am to 12 pm.

Weather. Subtropical summer rains. It’s very nice with an average temperature of 26 centrigrades. From November to February there are cool winds and isolated showers and the lower temperatures reach 17 centigrades. The brief and intense tropical rains are common in the summer leaving the atmosphere warm and humid.

Medical Attention. Playa del Carmen has all the medical facilites to cover any emergency. The pharmacies are open 24 hours and there are 3 located only 200 meters away from the hotel. There’s also local hospitals a short distance from the Hotel.

Money. The mexican peso is the official currency, since it’s touristic area most establishments take American dollars and credit cards. Only 200 meters away you can find banks, ATM’s and money exchange.

Voltage. In Mexico the voltage is 110 volts.

Language and Religion. Spanish is the oficial laguage in Mexico but in the mayan towns of the region the mayan language is still spoken. In most of the touristic zones of the country people speak English. The main religion is catholic and many churches in Playa del Carmen have daily masses. The closest catholic church is only 15 meters away from El Campanario Hotel.