Playa Del Carmen is a weird mix. It’s a melting pot of Cancun spring breakers, citizens of the world en route to Tolum, wearers of cargo shorts in every shade from light tan to dark olive going on cultural excursions to Mayan Ruins, the adventurous looking to scuba dive off the island of Cozumel (or snorkel, if you’re slightly less adventurous like me) and swim with whale sharks, and rich people that go on vacation to spend money shopping.
For a week at the beginning of August, Zouk dancers make up a small percentage of the compact but buzzing beach town in the Yucatan Peninsula. I went as a part of this tribe a few days before the Congress actually started. I worked during the day and went to socials at night. We stayed on the outside of the center of town, which didn’t seem like a big deal when we booked but we quickly realized that even a fifteen-minute walk in the all-encompassing and truly oppressive humidity of the jungle left us exhausted and drenched in sweat.
The only real touristy thing I did was go to Xenses, an offshoot of Xcaret, and I highly recommend it. These are the Mexican outdoor adventure park versions of Disneyland, and I was not disappointed. It’s about 70% to take photos and 30% for the experience. We went down waterslides, zip lines, and a tunnel where you had to feel your way through different “environments” in total darkness.
I mostly stayed in to enjoy the luxury of AC or went to coffee shops to try and trick myself into thinking I was taking advantage of being somewhere else and experience the local culture while in reality I was not interacting with my environment at all or doing anything but being surrounded by fellow tourist. My criteria for finding a spot to camp out during the day are as follows in order of importance: Wifi, bathroom, access to outlets, free water. I went to several but the only one I can really recommend is Choux Choux Cafe. It’s for hippies by hippies and has delicious coffee and a full food menu. It’s spacious and has good music, and most importantly I could hang out there all day without feeling like a bum.
25th avenue had everything I need this trip. There is a market with beautiful fresh cut fruit, empanadas, smoothies and liter bottles of juice ready to go. Really the perfect spot when you’ve been dancing all night and are forever running late to catch a dance class a few hours later. Also on 25th, we found an amazing chilaquiles restaurant and Columbian restaurant. Nativo, another staple for me, isn’t far. They’re quick, open all day and also have liter smoothies and juices for cheap.
La Quinta, one block from the beach, is really the main drag. This is where all the expensive bars and shops are, and I saw people stumbling around no matter what time of the morning I was walking home. Here you can find the Coco Bongo, which I personally find to be an enigma wrapped in a mystery. It is a chain of nightclubs featuring Michael Jackson and Marilyn Monroe impersonators. It’s apparently based on a fictional club in the Jim Carrey movie The Mask, and people dressed up as characters from the movie roam the streets giving out shots and harassing bystanders to encourage business. Also worth noting is that they have an open bar and don’t serve food. The entire concept seems so bizarre and unappealing that I really want to go see it for myself but haven’t felt brave or been bored enough yet to commit.
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