What is new and what has changed in Playa Del Carmen? June 2024

Every month or so we sit down to tell you about some of the changes in Playa Del Carmen and what is new. Here are some things that we noticed recently.

Hello New Deli!

Deli style sandwiches are really hard to find in Playa Del Carmen. Now a new deli has opened right on 5th Avenue near 22nd Street. It looks nice and clean and has a lot to offer. However, we have not seen that many people inside. It might be the fact that tourist want Mexican food, seafood, or other cuisine over a deli sandwich on vacation.

Locals however, and some expats certainly miss a good deli sandwich. But getting to 5th Avenue is not convenient nor is parking just to get a sandwich. So, the location of the business might not be the best. It might better work on Constituyentes Avenue.

Secret insider info: There is another place that will soon be offering good Italian subs and sandwiches, and it is in the center. When it starts, we will fill you in on the details.

Primo Restaurant closes and opens!

Primo was a small gourmet restaurant on 10th Avenue and 14 Bis. When we last passed it was looking very closed up. But there is good news! It has only moved a few blocks over to Constituyentes Avenue between 5th Avenue and 10th Avenue.

For those that do not know Primo, it is a gourmet take on many local regional dishes. It is a pretty straightforward place that creates a good introduction to local taste and dishes. Hopefully in the new location they can attract more people.

A really big World Gym

As many of you know, Playa Del Carmen is a youthful and fit city. Gyms are popular and most are full of people all the time. World Gym is one of two new gyms in Playa Del Carmen.

World Gym is in the Quinta Alegria Mall on 5th Avenue. It is on the top floor where Sanborns used to be. Yes, it is open, even if it looks like it is not, and the escalators are not working. The entrance is from the front side only and not the back escalators.

The gym is BIG and NEW and has REALLY good air conditioning. IT has top of the line equipment, keyless lockers and other services for members. You can buy a day pass or pay monthly here.

Our prediction

This is currently the best gym in the downtown of Playa. It is much bigger than The Gym and Evolve on 24th Street and certainly has much better air-conditioning. It has everything it needs to do well except a lot of overhead.

We predict that they have an uphill battle to stay open. When we were there, we saw about 7 people working out. That probably does not even cover the air conditioning bill for that day. We have hardly seen any advertising and we were even unsure it was open even though we were in Quinta Alegria looking for the entrance. Because it is the top floor of a shopping center in the Caribbean, the natural heat from outside and rising from inside the building will always be a challenge for keeping it cool.

We hope they succeed, but they are going to have to get a lot more people in there just to pay the bills.

Evolve Gym opens new location

Evolve Gym already has several locations in Playa Del Carmen. Now they have opened a flagship gym in the Xaman Ha Plaza, which is across the highway from Centro Maya. This gym is now the flagship for the Evolve brand.

They do have day passes here, monthly and discounts for paying longer memberships.

Gym in Playa Del Carmen — The new mega big Evolve Gym.

Bubble tea anyone?

A new bubble tea store has opened on 5th Avenue between 24th and 26th Street called Gong Cha. This is a chain cafe that is open in many big cities in Mexico.

Our old friend seaweed is back

Since 2014 the Riviera Maya and Carribean have been affected by larger than normal amounts of sargasso or seaweed. It is very unpredictable but in general, the warmer the water the faster it grows. We normally have more in the summer months and less in winter. There can be times throughout the year where we get nothing or a lot. This past month we have some different currents, and this erodes the beaches in some places and adds to others.

The two areas with the most erosion have been the beach in front of Park Fundadores and Mamitas beach/Hyatt. Along with this has been some seaweed. The beach below almost looks unrecognizable. It is just north of the Cozumel Ferry Pier in front of Park Fundadores. You can see the papantla dancer pole in the background.

But don’t worry, this is temporary and has happened before, the beach comes back, and seaweed dissipates. We will have to see how this year goes. The hurricane season is supposed to be more active this year. Often, when hurricanes got up between Florida and the Yucatan Peninsula or even further east, we often get very little seaweed because it gets chopped up or the currents change.