Playa Del Carmen

[angels_among_us]

Me and Dh are thinking of a trip for just me and him in May ( or sometime this summer) ok not thinking we are DOING and it will just be us 2 we always have someone with us when we travel and this time it will be just us 2. Anyways we was thinking of Playa Del Carmen and staying at the palace resort there. How does Playa Del Carmen compair to Cancun?

Can we take a bus into Cancun to spend the day? How much are the buses and what time do they run? I love Cancun but would like to see some new things and do something new on this trip. Actully not sure if we will even do tours ( except the ones that come with the palace passport)

My concern is the last time I was in Cancun two years ago there basically was no beach at Cancun Palace and not sure if there is one in Playa Del Carmen as well. Our other choice is Bahamas however we would be doing no tours at all there( again would only do tours in cancun or Playa Del Carmen as it comes with the palace passports) anyways I am so confused on what to do!! so HELP!! lol

[coby]

There is bus service multiple times every hour from 9 am to 9 pm (and 1 per hour until midnight?? Can't remember) from the bus station in Playa to downtown Cancun. The trip takes about an hour and 10 minutes and cost 38 pesos each way.

From Cancun international airport to Playa is a little under an hour on the bus system and costs 90 pesos each way.

Playa and Cancun are similar yet quite different places in my opinion. Cancun is larger, the tourist zone is quite segregated from the actual city, and it's more lively/energetic during the night. Playa is much smaller and the city is built right onto the beach, so it has a different feel. 5th avenue is very touristy and there is lots to see, and while there is nightlife, I think it pales to the HZ in Cancun. If you are really into the nightlife, I think Cancun is where you'd want to stay to enjoy your trip the most.

I'm not sure which palace resort you'll stay at, but the Hotel Reef Palace and RIU Palace are both in Playacar, which is a private section of the city on the South end. It's very nice, with good walking trails, some very small ruins to see, and a bird park (which is expensive IMO but enjoyable.)

There are lots of different beaches here and unfortunately, I can't tell you what they are like exactly in Playacar right now (and they vary greatly even there.) The main beach in downtown Playa is very nice atm and Playa Mamitas is also very nice lately. I've noticed in the last few months that there have actually been significant changes to the beach landscape for the better and worse -- it's a cycle, and predicting how they'll be in May isn't reliable IMO. The ocean is pretty much the same at Playa and Cancun: warm, clear, azure waters.

In Cancun you have option to ferry to Isla Mujeres; in Playa you have the option to ferry to Cozumel. Hmmm... think that about covers it.

Enjoy your trip wherever you choose!

[angels_among_us]

thanks We have did sla Mujeres three times and did most of the tours in cancun. It is really a hard choice for me bc i love Cancun so much but wonder if I am missing out on other parts of Mexico! still not sure what to do but i'll let everyone know!

[lambert13]

Playa is a very cool place to hang out. I have never stayed in Playa, but have taken many a day trip there while staying further south in Tulum.

My advice............if you go to Playa, don't bother with day trips to Cancun. There is more than enough to see, do, eat and drink in Playa. And, quite a bit of it is similar or the same as Cancun.

[angels_among_us]

Thanks. I think I maybe leaning to playa and staying at the palace resort there.

[T.J.]

Try Playa. They have a great beach called Playa Mamitas where you can rent lounge chairs and a palapa for $30 per item (like $2.50 US) and you have waiters bringing you food and drinks.

I would try a boutique hotel unless you are all about all inclusive. Just make sure you can have air conditioning.

If you take the buses that Coby mentions, once you are in downtown Cancun, you walk about a block and can catch buses that run 24/7 to and from the Hotel Zone. His suggestions, plus this one, are the best and cheapest way to get back and forth between PDC and Cancun.

Hey Coby, do you know about the taxi service to and from Molino. $!80 pesos each way for the whole cab and you can share it among up to 4 ppl, including perfect strangers. They will pretty much drop you off near the bus terminal in Cancun. The departure point in Cancun is in front a a bulding with letters reading MOLINO, a block or two north on Tulum from the bus terminal, on the same side of the street. They used to have a canvas awning where the cabs would park but last time I checked the awning was gone. Still, it is easy to find.

Ciao,

[cindyinmpls]

Hi Angels:
We are members of the Palace chain. We know the Playacar Palace. While we have not "stayed" we visit each time we go. We are(were) avid Cancun Palace lovers. Have stayed there almost every year since 1996. I understand the beach conditions; we are sad. Since the restoration we always hoped and prayed for the beach to return pre-Wilma at the Cancun Palace. Directly after beach restoration and the completion of the "new" Cancun Palace the beach was ok.
Since then we have been every year. (2006-2009) Sorry to say but I don't know if that stretch will ever be the same. I am not sure that the restoration will ever be long term. Possibly, nature is taking it's course and despite all efforts willl be forgotten..I am not sure.
As you, we although being avid fans of our home the Cancun Palace are going to Playa in March.
However, I (only personally) do not prefer the Cancun Palace Playacar. Why? They have less beach than the other Palace resorts in Cancun. I think it may be because of how the resort is situated. We know the lifeguard who once upon a time was the lifeguard at the CP. While on our visit to the Palace Playacar last year we asked him why no beach here?
He stated that this "previous Continental Plaza" has never really had much of a beach. It is just in a wierd section next to Carlos and Charlies and the Pier that it does not have the opportuinty to afford a beach.
The Playacar Palace is sub-par to the Palace resort chain in my opinon. Staff was excellent, but the pool, grounds and building are in desperate need of a facelift. Again, just my opinion.
We are going out of our membership this year, with regrets and have booked at the RIU Yucatan. It was a hard decision but, we LOVE the beach. Although, beaches in Playacar are somewhat affected, nothing compared to Cancun...and Playacar Palace. I hope this changes as we still send monthly payments for our Palace membership.
Sorry so long. Hope it helps.

[Vegas]

Plenty of buses from the downtown bus terminal-I want to say every 15 minutes.

They are cheap, but I don't recall the exact amount(15 bucks each way?)

FYI-The beaches in Playa were worse off than Cancun when I was there about 10 months ago, and there are really no waves near town-it's dead water.

[CancunWithMe.com]

Hello there. You have received some great info, but there is a bit more to add. There are toooooooooooo many resorts in the area for me to know where they are all located, meaning I am not sure where the Palace resorts in PDC are located.

IMHO the best way to enjoy PDC is staying at a resort close enough to 5th Aveue in PDC (walking distance). If you stay at a resort that is not walking distance from 5th avenue, you might find yourself "trapped" at the resort, as Taxis from the resorts are very expensive, even if it is a 10 min ride. (Local taxi fare in Cancun outside the hotel zone is 20 pesos, so 100 pesos for us is considered VERY expensive)

Cancun and PDC are indeed very different. Cancun is known more for its night life, young party crowd, where as PDC has more of a laid back atmosphere, like an european vibe. There is plenty of night life in PDC but it is not in your face like in Cancun. 5th avenue is full of bars, restaurants and shops. Around 11pm this street dies out as most places close, however there are sections where there is another road closer to the beach (I think around 12 street). Here is where you can find the clubs that party all night long.

You mentioned buses to/from Cancun. The ADO which is the first class stops running around midnight, however the Mayab, their 2nd class bus, runs 24/7. However the best way to go to/from Cancun would be via Colectivo which run 24/7. You can catch the Colectivo to Cancun around 5th Avenue and Juarez (where the port to Cozumel is), and in Cancun you can catch the colectivos on the parking lot next to Mega which is infront of the ADO station in Cancun. They charge 30 pesos per person.

For the most part, the resorts in PDC do have more beach (sand) than the ones in Cancun, but this does change from day to day. If you do stay in PDC and the beach at your resort is not "happening" you can always catch a taxi to Mammitas and have a blast there with locals and tourists.

The neat thing about PDC is that you actually get to rub elbows with locals. In Cancun you mostly interact with locals when you ask for a drink, or for your food, but when you go to a bar/club most of the people there are tourists. In PDC you actually get to mingle with both locals enjoying their time off, and tourists.

Some of the tours offered by the Palace resorts are great, while others hummmmm are not as good, for example, don't bother going to their zip line tour, as they will take you to Holkam kingdom, and once you are done with your zip lines you will have to kill time until it is time to go back, or you will have to purchase additional activities there.

I also agree with the other poster that mentioned not to bother with a day trip to Cancun. If anything I would do a night trip to Cancun Also Cozumel is much different than Isla Mujeres, and if you don't plan to go diving or snorkeling I would suggest you skip going to Cozumel.

[GCPSgirl]

We were and are Cancun addicts, but have stayed at Playa a couple times and a third in a week. We love it. Better diving and snorkeling, the beachs have been incredible. We stay at Playacar which is walking distance to 5th avenue, or just a $5 cab ride. All the Riu's are in Playacar, Sandos, etc.....The night life does not compare to Cancun in our opinion, but is still good.

More of a jungle setting of course. Give it a try, we did, and we are very glad!

[Louis_Cyphre]

Originally Posted by angels_among_us

Me and Dh are thinking of a trip for just me and him in May ( or sometime this summer) ok not thinking we are DOING and it will just be us 2 we always have someone with us when we travel and this time it will be just us 2. Anyways we was thinking of Playa Del Carmen and staying at the palace resort there. How does Playa Del Carmen compair to Cancun?

Can we take a bus into Cancun to spend the day? How much are the buses and what time do they run? I love Cancun but would like to see some new things and do something new on this trip. Actually not sure if we will even do tours ( except the ones that come with the palace passport)

My concern is the last time I was in Cancun two years ago there basically was no beach at Cancun Palace and not sure if there is one in Playa Del Carmen as well. Our other choice is Bahamas however we would be doing no tours at all there( again would only do tours in cancun or Playa Del Carmen as it comes with the palace passports) anyways I am so confused on what to do!! so HELP!! lol

Warning: if you go to Playa Del Carmen you will fall in love with the place and become addicted - you've been warned..

To compare the two, I would say Cancun is the America and PDC is the Canada. Both great places but just that one is "busier" than the other. PDC is more laid back. The place rolls up around 1am except a couple of clubs and all night eateries.

The beaches are amazing, don't let anyone tell you different. And there are some great beach bars/clubs to hang out at during the day. Restaurants are fabulous! Lots to choose from.

I would recommend you try to get one of the 4-5 RIU properties that are very close to PDC. They are all 5* and 3mins away from town. AND, you can go to all the RIU properties and they are all close together. I did that a few years ago and loved it! But mostly I jump on a flight and scoop a motel room when I get there. Yes it's that easy, trust me.

The buses are around 90 (i think) pesos to Cancun and the same back. The bus station in directly on 5th Ave (main drag)

I sure hope you go..you will absolutely love it. If you hit the "Bucket" say hi t Big Al for me.

Cheers and good luck on your vacation!

[rodman4085]

Try Playa for sure....it was a real fishing village before Cancun was even a thought......Rember that when they started "building" Cancun 30+ years ago, it only had 7-10 people living there.....check out these forums for more information
http://intheroo.com/

or
http://www.playa.info/index.html

and definitely buy a map from this wonderful couple.....

http://www.cancunmap.com/

Have a great trip!

[Turquoise water]

The Playa del Carmen area offers a different side of Cancun. The resorts are much larger and there seems to much more shopping IMO, there is also more to do in the area as far as diving, snorkeling and places to visit. The one thing I like about Cancun vs Playa is the water, the water in Cancun is so much nicer as well as the beach sand. Cancun also has better public transportation and better night clubs, but I think that in the next few years that will all change. I did hear rumors that they are building a new airport in Rivera Maya area, I was told this by one of our tour guides last year and if this is the case there is going to be a new building boom in that area.

I prefer myself to stay in the Playa Del Carmen area because I stayed at a few resorts in the Puerto Morels area and you had to take a cab to get out for the day and it was like $22 each way to playa and something like $40 or $50 to Cancun. It is so much nicer to just be able to walk down town.