Is a Day Trip into Playa Del Carmen Worth It?
If you are staying in the Riviera Maya at a resort or hotel, you might be thinking about a day trip into Playa Del Carmen. It might just be for some shopping or an entertaining stroll on 5th Avenue. Is it worth leaving your resort? Is the shopping better than at your hotel? What can you see and do in Playa Del Carmen in one day? We are here to answer all your questions.
The short answer is that a trip is totally worth it to visit Playa Del Carmen. Resorts offer paradisaic surroundings, some entertainment, lots of food, and some shopping also. So, what more could you want? Well, after 15 years year in the Riviera Maya we can assure you that even the best hotel will not have as much to offer as a stroll on 5th Avenue in Playa Del Carmen. You can enjoy more options, better food, and just an overall nice enjoyable vibe that contrasts the resorts.
Is Shopping Better at the Resorts or in Playa Del Carmen?
All of the big resorts have stores for necessities, souvenirs and things you might enjoy while on vacation. Most of these stores offer things like sunscreen, aqua socks, snacks, and inflatable toys at inflated prices. They know that you are pretty much trapped at the resort and shopping is limited. Most of the all-inclusive resorts in the Riviera Maya are along a 4-lane highway where you cannot even walk out to the highway and look for something. Even in the Cancun Hotel Zone you might be more than a mile from the next restaurant or shop.
Some all-inclusive hotels do have some nice shops that can give you an opportunity to buy a special dress for a night out or replace something you forgot. But often you are looking to buy some things for a variety of people, and you want more options.
Some resorts even have “local” craftspeople set up at night to sell. These mostly only offer mass produced cheap trinkets made locally and sold all over the peninsula. You will see the same things in Playa and a million more things for souvenirs.
A day trip into Playa will give you more than 22 blocks of shops to look at. You can even find several shopping plazas on 5th Avenue. There is everything from cheap magnets to Mexican designer shops.
Tips for Shopping in Playa Del Carmen
Here are some tips that will save you some confusion or have you paying too much for things.
- Store do not bargain. Prices are fixed. The only time you might negotiate is on the street. Although, Mexican law says that all items must be labeled with the peso price, and often street sellers do not have prices on items.
- What are some good things to buy in Playa Del Carmen? We are glad you asked, we have a guide here: What to buy in Playa Del Carmen- the guide to the best things
- Paying in Pesos or Dollars? Pesos are best because often the merchant (if they accept Dollars) will set a worse exchange rate than an ATM. See our article Should you use dollars or pesos in Mexico? Exchanging money in Mexico
- If someone comes up to you and says they are the waiter at your hotel, then asks you to visit their shop, you know this is not ture. See our article Common Scams in Playa Del Carmen to Avoid
Is it Worth Eating Out at a Restaurant?
We have very harsh comments about most all-inclusive food options. A good 90% of them offer worse food than going out to a restaurant in Playa. All-inclusive resorts have two goals, get you to stay there and make as much money off of you. Often in the food and beverage sector quality is cut to save on costs. Restaurants have two goals also, get clients and make money. This usually goes hand in hand with the quality of the food and experience. Now restaurants on 5th Avenue might not be the best representation of quality restaurants to value and some are downright tourist traps. But you can find some good places to eat on 5th Avenue or just off it. See our guide Dinner restaurants for the “special night out in Playa Del Carmen”
What is There to See in Playa Del Carmen?
Playa Del Carmen is a fun seaside town with a concentrated downtown area where most touristic attractions are. Most people that come into town are looking to hit up some beach bars, walk 5th Avenue or do a little shopping. 5th Avenue is the main pedestrian street that parallels the ocean. It runs from about the Cozumel Ferry Pier to 42nd Street.
Starting at the south end you have Park Fundadores. Here you can see the iconic statue and often dancers and performers throughout the day. In the evening hours you can find many street performers all along 5th Avenue. These performers work just for tips and can be very entertaining. Constituyentes Avenue is about the middle point. The north end is newer than the south end and has somewhat more of the upscale shops.
Besides the restaurants, bars, shops, and sights you just never know what you will see and experience on 5th Avenue. It is a lively area that makes getting off the resort property worth it. In fact, some 10,000 people walk on 5th Avenue each day.
What if You Are Staying in Cancun?
Even if you are staying in Cancun, we would recommend this day trip to Playa. Playa Del Carmen is a fairly different vibe than Cancun. Even though there are two shopping malls in the Hotel Zone, they are pretty standard malls that could be anywhere in the world.
Playa has a different feel to it than Cancun. You can walk most places in the downtown and the pedestrian street of 5th Avenue is entertaining and gives you a lot of options.
Below you can see a shopping tour to Playa Del Carmen from Cancun for about $45 USD a person. A good tip is by booking your own transportation. Many of the transfer companies that service the airport also do point to point transfers. Not only do you set your times you can get a discount by booking a round trip plus save over the fees the resorts charge. We have the full details here in our article How to Get from the Cancun Hotel Zone to Playa Del Carmen
What Time of Day is Best for a Trip to Playa?
Playa is not an early morning town. People gradually get up and start opening businesses. A general guide for 5th Avenue (the main pedestrian street where most of the tourist stores are) hours tend to be from 10am-10pm. During the early morning you might have some fresher air, but there will be a lot less energy on 5th Avenue. The middle of the day you will find everything open and even some good lunch spots, but it will be the hotter part of the day. We find the best time to be on 5th Avenue is from 5:00pm-9:30pm.
During these later hours there is more action on 5th Avenue. People go out to eat; there are street performers and is a good time to see performers at the Portal Maya stature.
Are Clubs and Bars Better in Playa Del Carmen?
Some all inclusives only have light entertainment in the evenings while some of the larger resorts actually have clubs on the property. Is it worth it to go into Playa if you want to be entertained a little more professionally.
- If you want live music and drinks, check out our guide: Where to Find the Best Live Music Venues in Playa Del Carmen
- If you want a bar or club for a little nightlife, check out our guide: Nightlife in Playa Del Carmen – what you can expect for clubs, bars
- For a show and club like atmosphere, the famous Coco Bongo is on a whole other level of show compared to resorts.
Tips for going out in Playa
- Most clubs do not start until 11pm.
- Plan your transportation in advance. Colectivos stop running at night. Taxis from the taxi stands will have marked prices for the resort.
- Most of the resorts that sell tickets to Coco Bongo offer bus transportation.
Is It Safe to Visit Playa Del Carmen?
Yes, visiting for the day or a shopping trip is a very safe activity to do. Playa Del Carmen is generally a safe place to visit a, we have a detailed article here: Is Playa Del Carmen a safe place to visit? Sometimes people at resorts will comment about it can be dangerous, this is nothing but fear mongering to keep people at the resorts. Use common sense and enjoy a lively day in Playa from your resort the next time you are here in the Riviera Maya. See a little more of Mexico than just the resort.
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