Local beach in Playa Del Carmen
Locals in Playa Del Carmen have been going to this beach for a long time. It is quiet, removed from the tourist area, beautiful and is a great place for children to play. This public beach access is located between two multimillion dollar projects. One being the Paradisus Hotel complex and the Marazul development.
What makes this beach so interesting is the cenote water that flows into the ocean. This cenote acts like a spring bubbling up and creating a small river. The pool of fresh water is large enough for many kids and adults to wade around in. It is no deeper then a meter and provides a great place for kids to swim around in.
Local families come to relax here in the evenings and especially weekend. Some bring a picnic others bring drinks and a hammock to enjoy a lazy day at the beach. There usually is one guy with a tricycle cart selling chips and drinks to those who did not bring anything. This is a great area to mix with the locals and enjoy yourself.
If you go to this beach, there is limited shade under a few trees. If you have kids, bringing some water toys would be awesome here. Make sure you bring what you need for the day in regard to drinks, towels, food and sunscreen because there are no stores near by. There are no bathrooms here. So plan on that.
When to go to this beach
If you want to go to this beach without the crowds, timing is important. Most local families have time off on the weekend especially Sundays. The busiest time is Sunday from 11am-6pm when families come for a day at the beach. Saturdays are the second busiest day at the beach and it is best to avoid these two days.
Public holidays will also see a spike in visitors to the beach. During the biggest holiday in Mexico, Semana Santa, the road will be closed off to this beach because so many people will try to park there and it becomes overcrowded.
If your schedule allows, it is beast to visit during the week and before 4pm. This time is more quiet. After 4pm some of the locals that live nearby will come to the beach.
Directions on how to get to this local beach
Technically you can walk up the beach from the center of Playa. It may take you about 30-40 minuets to get there. You will pass the point where Canibal Royal is and the boats are parked in the water. Then there is a long stretch of fairly empty beach. You will pass the Paradisus Hotels with it’s beach beds lined up on the beach. Just after that you will come to this secret beach.
You can take a taxi. You can ask for the Paradisus Hotel entrance and then walk north on the road about 300 meters or ask for the public beach access just past the hotel. Taxis will usually not drive you down the road to the beach because it is a dead end and can get crowded with people trying to park and turn around. It is about a 5 minute walk down the road and will be on your right when you come to the end of the road.
Walking on the streets you can walk on the new extension of 5th Avenue. From CTM Avenue to the beach will take you about 25 minutes. Walk until you pass the Paradisus Hotel and the entrance road will be on your right. Follow the road to the beach and the secret beach will be on your right side.
Tip: If you drive, the road for the beach access is narrow and is a dead end. There is one turn around spot at the very end. If you go on a busy day it might get congested with cars going in and coming out. If you arrive early go down the road and turn around to park facing going out. That way when it is more crowded you do not have to turn around and you can drive out easier.
Tip: It is better to park near the beach kind of within sight. Not that it is that dangerous but it is remote and sometimes cars get broken into. Don’t leave valuable items in view. The police regularly drive down and sometimes park at the end of the road. It might just be the case in the past where some people get drunk at the beach on their day off and some mischief happens. Like we said, it is not a major issue just something to consider.
We hope you enjoy your day at the beach and don’t forget, shhhh, don’t tell anyone else about this secret beach. If you also want to know about the secret beach on the south end of Playa Del Carmen, check out our article here about it.
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Found that place by accident one time walking north from Reef Coco Beach. Had no idea that it was “Secret Beach” !!!
Secret in the sense that most tourist don’t know about it and even some locals that have moved to Playa. It is a nice place to observe local Playense culture.
We were staying on the north end of Playa del Carmen so we decided to go check this place out. This is a really beautiful place with all the local families. The only bad thing is there are no bathrooms. We got some good pictures at this beach and will be going back early when there are less people we hope.
This beach looks great for kids. I want to go visit here and see this. Looks like a nice local spot in Playa Del Carmen.
I’m going to be dropped off by a colectivos at Playa, how far (walking) is this secret spot from the colectivos drop off? Thank you
This beach is not walkable from the colectivos. You would need to take a taxi here and it would cost about 100 pesos.
Wow this beach looks beautiful!
We stayed at the Paradisus hotel so it was a short walk north on the beach to discover this beach. It was nice to see all the families there on the weekend. The Cenote water is so clear and makes for a great place to people watch and see the kids playing in the water.
Very nice swimming and jumping hole where fresh water cenote meets the ocean. No deep drops from the beach and can walk out far. Plenty of parking spaces, with local vendors selling fresh fruits and others. Easily walking distance from PDC on a paved path. As tourists visiting PDC, we do feel a little bad that we are intruding upon the locals, which is probably around 90 percent occupying this beach.
Our hotel concierge recommended several cenotes over this one when we said we wanted to snorkel, such as Casa Cenote and Yal Ku Lagoon. I loved Yal Ku, but I can’t fathom why he didn’t think this one was great for snorkeling or not a must-see. WE LOVED IT! Go early. And there is a guard at a closed iron gate where you pay. He didn’t get up from his seat inside his station and we saw no one (no cars, no people), so we thought it was closed. I”m glad my friend got out of the car to see. Once you pay, he opens the gate and you drive inside. The cost is $100 pesos per person. GO!
Hello Jennifer
We are glad you got to Yal Ku. It is a great place to snorkel. The concierge might not have directed you there because it is harder to get to for tourist and often takes a lot explaining. We often suggest for people to do their own research because there are things that are off the beaten path or better to see according to your needs. Concierges often also only recommend things they can make a commission. So we like to tell people how to get places or how to take a tour to somewhere so you have options. Thanks for reading our website.
Is there anything that a bike can be locked to? A tree or a sign? I want to explore my transportation options 🙂
Hello Agata
The best place is to lock it at the end near the food truck at the end of the road. There was a bike rack there. and there is the most traffic. Just have a good lock.
Are there any beaches in the area that are dog friendly?
No there are not any. Signs have been posted at most beaches saying no dogs. The reason is the poop that can be left behind and people walk barefoot and get worms. Even though there are responsible pet owners, there is no beach for them.
Is there a cost to use this beach? We want to be prepared if there is. Can you rent lounger chairs at Parisio hotel?
Paradiso Hotel only is for guest but there is a beach club at the end of the beach access road where you can rent chairs. It is next to the food truck. https://everythingplayadelcarmen.com/beach-clubs-playa-del-carmen/
The beach is free to use and access is down the small road.
Its an amazing beach, with locals, facilities, a good restaurant with good price, if you walk more further youll find nice thing to see, amazinf and quiet!
This is by far our favorite beach in Playa (called Playa Esmeralda). Our kids enjoy the cenote and jumping in the waves. We have sat in the shade of the palms at times and then under a big tree just past the lifeguard tower. For the past 2 years, we have brought our little beach tent as finding ‘real estate’ in the shade was proving more difficult to do. We have met some great friends here that we still stay in contact with. This is our 1st winter without bikes and baby seats…….we just locked our bikes up to one of the trees near the beach….never had a problem….ever. This beach is well worth a visit.
Great place to get away from tourists.
They did have washrooms and a food truck last time i was there in 2019.