nwflyboy
Contributor
Actually, I'm gonna have to offer a (partially) dissenting view. For context, my first trip to Yucatan was in the late 1980s. I drove there from Seattle. Spent 3 months all over Mexico. In all that time and all those miles, there was only one place where 1) I got badly sick from eating food, 2) I got seriously hassled by cops, 3) and I hated the place immediatedly. That place was Cancun. I'm sure the beaches there were utterly lovely before the government decided to build a giant, artificial, mega-resort on them. They're still nice enough, I'm sure, but I can't think of a single good reason to go there (other than the airport). Plenty of nice beaches elsewhere around the Yucatan.
I adored Playa del carmen in the 1980s. There was one paved street, one public telephone, a couple ATMs, some low-key hotels on the beach and a few little restaurants. I've been back there a half dozen times over the years, and the explosive growth has not been kind to the town - I've read that Playa del Carmen has been the fastest-developing municipality in all of North America over the past 20 years. I'm not so sure I'd believe that, but it has the ring of truth. The place has exploded, and has changed tremendously. Last time I was there a few years ago, I was saddened by the unchecked growth and runway development. That said, it's gotta still be better than Cancun - it feels less like a completely artificial city. Yes, it does still retain some charm, but like much of the coastal Yucatan, the advent of cruise ship traffic has transformed it and stripped most of its appeal for me.
The problem with Playa del Carmen is that there's better places not too far away, and I'd rather spend my extra (non-diving) days in those other places. The posts upthread have failed to address that.
IMHO, if you want to dive (and then relax afterwards), Cozumel is the place to be. If you are looking for something else on top of that, then you need to go grab a car in Playa del carmen, and head out into the Yucatan for better stuff: there are dozens of incredible (really world-class) ruins scattered about. The famous ones are worth seeing, even if they are overrun with crowds, and there are others just a bit further away that are just as good (some better) where you will find no crowds at all. There are still a few laid-back, quiet, authentic beach towns (getting harder to find every year, though). There are world-class wildlife reserves and critter encounters (not the "parks" you will see with giant billboards along the highway). Small towns with real people, little cafes with simple and yummy food...lots of stuff that the mass tourist crowds have not yet ruined.
If your trip is just 7 days, I'd probably do all of them on Cozumel (you probably won't get 6 days in a row with great dive conditions). If you really want to mix it up a bit, I'd peel off 2-3 days after diving (you need to offgas before flying anyway, so do non-dive activities after diving, not before; and you've got to head to the mainland anyway if your flight home goes through CUN). Grab a car in Playa del Carmen and spend a couple days at some ruins and wandering around the Yucatan (with your limited time, you will have to be careful not to try and do too many). But I would not spend a precious day on Cancun (and probably not Playa del Carmen either).
Hope some of that is useful. Good luck!
I adored Playa del carmen in the 1980s. There was one paved street, one public telephone, a couple ATMs, some low-key hotels on the beach and a few little restaurants. I've been back there a half dozen times over the years, and the explosive growth has not been kind to the town - I've read that Playa del Carmen has been the fastest-developing municipality in all of North America over the past 20 years. I'm not so sure I'd believe that, but it has the ring of truth. The place has exploded, and has changed tremendously. Last time I was there a few years ago, I was saddened by the unchecked growth and runway development. That said, it's gotta still be better than Cancun - it feels less like a completely artificial city. Yes, it does still retain some charm, but like much of the coastal Yucatan, the advent of cruise ship traffic has transformed it and stripped most of its appeal for me.
The problem with Playa del Carmen is that there's better places not too far away, and I'd rather spend my extra (non-diving) days in those other places. The posts upthread have failed to address that.
IMHO, if you want to dive (and then relax afterwards), Cozumel is the place to be. If you are looking for something else on top of that, then you need to go grab a car in Playa del carmen, and head out into the Yucatan for better stuff: there are dozens of incredible (really world-class) ruins scattered about. The famous ones are worth seeing, even if they are overrun with crowds, and there are others just a bit further away that are just as good (some better) where you will find no crowds at all. There are still a few laid-back, quiet, authentic beach towns (getting harder to find every year, though). There are world-class wildlife reserves and critter encounters (not the "parks" you will see with giant billboards along the highway). Small towns with real people, little cafes with simple and yummy food...lots of stuff that the mass tourist crowds have not yet ruined.
If your trip is just 7 days, I'd probably do all of them on Cozumel (you probably won't get 6 days in a row with great dive conditions). If you really want to mix it up a bit, I'd peel off 2-3 days after diving (you need to offgas before flying anyway, so do non-dive activities after diving, not before; and you've got to head to the mainland anyway if your flight home goes through CUN). Grab a car in Playa del Carmen and spend a couple days at some ruins and wandering around the Yucatan (with your limited time, you will have to be careful not to try and do too many). But I would not spend a precious day on Cancun (and probably not Playa del Carmen either).
Hope some of that is useful. Good luck!
