Really could use some advice on what to do/see near Playa del Carmen.

[XxMerlinxX]

Hey guys, I really need a favor. My wife and I have a trip lined up for the beginning of May, it'll be our 1 year anniversary and we'll be staying at the Valentin Imperial Maya Resort, but I'm kind of clueless as to what to go do or see. She's Open Water certified and I'm Rescue certified, she doesn't want to do any cenotes (scared of overhead environments or anything resembling a cave), and I'm open to anything. Normally I would go through all of the threads in this section myself, but we've also just moved and I simply don't have the time. Could you guys make some recommendations on good dive sites/ops to look into? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Ron Lee]

Dive in Cozumel. One option: aldora.com

Xplor.travel

Tulum

Coba

Hiddenworlds.com

selvatica.com.mx

 

[Sideways]

I've been to Playa about 15 times or so. For dive op, It depends on what you prefer, big or small. I like small, so Fantasea dive is by far my choice, Jason is awesome. As far as other activities, besides what Ron mentioned... When you dive Playa, make sure you hit Punta Venado, it's hands down for me the best dive in Playa. The Mama Vina is a great wreck dive right nearby too. A lot of the big ops wont go down south that far, but by panga it's only about 20 mins and well worth it, Jason will take you there if you set it up.

Puerto Moreles - Nice relaxing uncrowded beaches, great ATV/Cenote (non-diving tours)

Akumal - Half moon bay snorkeling, Yal-Ku lagoon (cheaper version of Xel-ha, go early at 7/8 when they open Lots of turtles in Akumal and half moon bay. Also, if you enjoy snorkeling, grab a panga out of Playa and tell them you want to go to the Punta Venado beach area . Great snacks and view at Buena Vida in Half moon bay.

Xel-Ha - Massive snorkeling park...Pricey and can get real crowded, do Half Moon Bay and Yal-Ku

Tulum - El Pariaso - Great beaches and beach club, for us WAY better, and less crowded than Playa. Make a day of it, Ruins first thing in the AM before all the buses arrive, then the beaches till 2pm. From there on the way back to playa stop by Casa Cenote. Great cenote and restaurant right on the beach.

To add to Ron's Coba - Be there right at 8am when they open, rent a bike, and off you go. You'll be done before the mobs in the buses arrive On the way back hit Grand Cenote . Last time I did Coba, I was there at 8, up the pyramid and had the area to myself for about 1/2 an hour... it was an awesome experience.

Playa - Stuff on 5th worth checking out...

Tacos - Carboncito's - best taco's in Playa IMHO
Drinks - Tequila Barrel - Great for people watching
Dessert - Playasia - 2 words.. tempura cheesecake...

I'll add some more later as I have more time, at work now.

Greg

 

[diverrex]

I'd do a day trip on the ferry over to Coz, to get in some better diving.

I'd convince the wife to try a cenote, they are totally cool and really not scary. My wife did it and she's not particularly brave about that kind of stuff.

Tulum.

 

[TSandM]

I love the food at Ajua in PDC. They also have great margaritas and free wi-fi.

If you have a car, there are a ton of things to do. The ruins in Tulum are worth visiting. You can snorkel at several cenotes, including Cenote Eden and Grand Cenote, both of which are beautiful and might entice your wife into considering diving them.

There are some lovely places to visit and eat, including Casa Cenote and Turtle Bay in Akumal. I found the ocean snorkeling in the bay at Puerto Aventuras to be fun -- the coral isn't in superb condition, but depending on the day, you can see a pretty wide variety of reef fish, and the water is warm.

 

[DSR-3]

1. Shrimp tacos and killer sauces at Paco Taco. Located at the entrance to Puerto Aventuras
2. My family enjoyed Aktun Chen (but it was before it was "Indiana Joes"?)
3. Paco Taco, again...

 

[Green Octopus]

You can still go to some of the cenotes for snorkeling, swimming and a nice picnic lunch. it's a fun outing even if you don't dive - you can also talk with some of the divers when they come out from the dive. i'd go for dos ojos, gran cenote to name a couple.

 

[carlitosway]

hello IM living in the area...and at soon you arrive in the area you travel rep well make a welcome briefing about the area and the activities you can do...check with they and ask for...congratulation for your anniversary

 

[robint]

YOU should first buy these MAP/TRAVEL guides. They are the best money you can spend on your trip. REALLY.
I do not make any money on them, I just buy them and recommend them to everyone. They will answer all your questions on where and how much for every activity!
cancunmap.com-Maps and travel guides.Your information source to Cancun,Cozumel,Isla Mujeres & Riviera Maya

Get the PDC map/guide
and
Get the Mayan Adventure map/guide

I highly recommend you rent a car one day and drive to Chichen Itza. Go early early early ... beat all the hoards of tour buses. It opens at 9am... get a guide (around $30 for your party) and you will be done by noon. Then drive to Vallodolid for lunch... see map for recommendations, we did Cenote Zaci cafe, awesome! Then go to one of the other ruins in that area, and drive home to PDC for dinner.

Coba and Tulum are places you can visit in an afternoon.

robin

 

[Ms. Ann Thrope]

I agree with robint on the restaurant at Cenote Zaci if you end up going for lunch in Valladolid (plus it's a neat old colonial city with a different feel than all the beachy resort towns). We thought the food was really, really good (better than most of the Cozumel meals we had that trip), plus the cenote throws up some nice, natural AC. And if you have your bathing suits, you can go for a swim. We were the only American-looking tourists there when we went in the middle of summer.

I concur on thinking Tulum's beaches are excellent.

And you'll notice in Greg Sideways' post a recurring theme as to the ruins and snorkel spots--show up before the tour buses. (Or go after.) There can be a lot of buses, and it can really make some of those places seem overcrowded. Ek Balam is nearby as well, and it seems to get a lot fewer visitors. I thought Yal Ku lagoon looked pretty beat up when I last saw it 10 years ago, compared to what it had been five years or so before that. But I think it's still a better alternative than Xel Ha and the big parks.