New and Changed Things in Playa Del Carmen
We like to update our readers on new and changed things here in Playa Del Carmen. Here are 15 things that we have noticed for November 2024.
Goodby Senor Frogs
A long-time beach club/restaurant next to the Cozumel Ferry Pier has closed. Senor Frogs is iconic in Mexico because it is located in many tourist destinations. There are still two Senor Frogs Restaurants on 5th Avenue and two official stores as well. It will be interesting to see what becomes of this space.
Hotel Aventura Mexicana is Gone
The Hotel Aventura Mexicana was a popular hotel for many of our readers. It was just off 5th Avenue, had a family side and adult side and offered a homey feel to it. For a while there was a weekly artisan market in the palapa in the back and who can forget the Mayan Bisto and the restaurants that followed in the restaurant part of the hotel. Many people were asking what was going on with this hotel. Demolition has begun on this property, and it sure has changed how the area looks. No doubt this will be replaced by something shinny and taller. Already on the same block other older properties have been changed into condo buildings. See photo above at the top of the article.
Mamitas Beach Returns
It was just a short while ago the currents had changed, and severe erosion was occurring at Mamitas Beach. It was some of the worst erosion that many had seen in that area. The water came up to the building and was hitting the foundation of the iconic beach club there. As it does occur, the beach has come back and is wide again. This is good news since this is one of the most popular beaches in Playa Del Carmen.
Mamitas Condo Building to be Replaced
At the top of Calle 28 there has been an older condo building. It has been town down and no doubt a larger and taller building will replace it. Mamitas area is seeing some big changes lately. There is a huge proposed new condo building that will replace Mamitas Beach Club, but the club will still exist on the lower level of the new building.
Yum Yum Closes One of Their Locations
Many people have discovered Yum Yum and Oh La La Restaurants brought to you by the same chef. These restaurants have a high bar for quality and bring authentic taste to the menu. The latest of the series of restaurants was 10th Avenue below the Fiesta Inn Hotel offered an Indian inspired menu. It has been announced that this location is closed but their other restaurant of Yum Yum on 10th Avenue and 6th Street will remain open. If you have not been to Yum Yum Restaurant do yourself a favor and go. All three meals a day are a guaranteed good meal.
Turkish Ice Cream Show Opens in Playa Del Carmen
You might have seen the tricky Turkish ice cream sellers on Tik Tok or another video platform. The stick is the trick to get people to think they are handing you an ice cream cone and then it is just a cone or a trick to make you grab for it. The first person to offer this entertaining way to get an ice cream is set up on 5th Avenue in front of the Quinta Alegria Mall. From the looks of it, not many people were going for it, but this might be something kids will like.
100% Natural Restaurant Closes
100% Natural was one of the first healthy restaurants in Playa Del Carmen. It was located on 5th Avenue between 10th and 12th Streets. In the past 10 years in Playa the range of healthy options has grown. Many of the newer places made the 100%Natural menu look dated. Many of the people that stay in Playa for a week or so that would go out for breakfast are now further north in the downtown and have access to other options. The part of 5th where the 100% Natural Restaurant was, is more for tourists visiting Playa for the night and looking for more diner options and not a healthy restaurant.
Train Service Going to South to Tulum Opens
The Tren Maya has continued to work on the last remaining parts of the loop in the peninsula. Train service from Playa Del Carmen going south to Tulum and onward to Fellipe Carrillo Puerto is open now. This does connect the Tulum Airport to Playa Del Carmen and Cancun Airport. However, the way the Tulum train stations are set up make it inefficient to use. There is one station at the airport and one station in Tulum. The station in Tulum town is along the Tulum Coba road. It takes about 12 minutes to drive from the train station to the ADO Bus Station in the center of Tulum. It takes 37 minutes on the train between the airport and the downtown station. ADO buses take about 40 minutes between the airport and the ADO station in downtown Tulum. It is faster to take the bus over the connections associated with the train.
The Tren Maya Station in Tulum does have connecting electric busses that go through the new Jaguar Park and on to the Tulum Ruins. We have a full article and video of the Tren Maya Station in Tulum here.
Train Service Between Playa Del Carmen and the Cancun Airport is Reduced
Back in March 2024 the train service between Playa Del Carmen, Puerto Morelos and Cancun Airport opened. At the time there were three trains a day in each direction. We wrote about how it was working and made a video for you in our article here. Because of the location of the stations and the connections needed to be made by buses, the time takes longer than taking the ADO bus. As might expect, even with three trains a day, there were a lot of customers that were not willing to wait a few hours to take the train. ADO continues to be the best public transport. Private transfers are a good option for door-to-door airport transportation.
Bar Ranita is Closed
A popular bar for locals, expats, divers and many more has closed on 10th Street between 5th and 10th Avenues. The iconic yellow bar has been around as long as most people have lived in Playa Del Carmen. Recently authorities came and closed the property and changed the locks. A legal battel looks like is starting over control of the property. There are more details on their Facebook page.
Low Season Reaches New Lows
We recently wrote an article about how this low season is lower than normal. Since much of the Rivera Maya is tied to tourism, it has been noticeable across the board. Most people attribute this to rising cost and the strong Peso. For about a year the Mexican pesos was stronger than normal. It has settled back to a comfortable rate now.
Xavage Park Closes Until Next Year
Xavage Park is one of the adventure parks of Xcaret. Of all the parks, it is one of the lesser attended parks. It is also expensive to operate because of the power jet boats and manmade river for rafting. This park also is in the same place as Xoximilco Park, which will remain open. Xcaret commented on the lower tourism numbers as part of the reason to close the park and take time to reorganize it to fit the wants of visitors. If you have not been to this park yet, we just made a video about visiting here and we even braved filming while doing the white-water rafting.
Xenses at Night Closes Until Next Year
A second park, or rather the evening part of an Xcaret park is closing until next year. Xenses Park is a 1/2-day park that is geared at younger kids. This park fools your senses and makes for a fun day for both adults and kids. They recently added the insomniac night version of visiting this park. The night portion will be on hold until next year. the good news is the daytime park will remain open. You can see what this park is like in our video below which we made for you recently. If you are interested in visiting Xenses Park during the day, here is what it is like and our recommendations.
Buen Fin kicks off and City Hall get in on the sale
Buen Fin is the Black Friday of Mexico. It is a “good weekend” literally translated from Spanish in which many stores offer discounts. This is always in November and kicks off the Christmas season. Sometimes these sales are just stores clearing out older models and other times it is a legitimate sale. The city government of Playa Del Carmen has gotten in on Buen Fin this year. They are offering lots of discounts on building permits and payments to the city. You can check out the official city website here to see the discounts.
Ambarte Store Closes
One of the few good places to buy quality art and jewelry from around Mexico has closed. This store was on Constituyentes Avenue next to the Ah Cacao by 5th Avenue. Then entire store is gone and has been turned into an entrance for the hotel that was above the space. There is not further information on their Facebook page.
Did you miss our last update on things that have changed in Playa Del Carmen? Here is a link to the last update we published in September.
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