What Playa Del Carmen is Really Like
Playa Del Carmen gets talked about a lot online, and because of that, there are some very common misconceptions—especially from first-time visitors or people comparing it to Cancun or Tulum. Here are the big ones, with reality checks.
1. “Playa Del Carmen is unsafe”
Misconception: It’s dangerous or sketchy everywhere.
Reality:
Playa Del Carmen is generally very safe for tourists, especially in central areas like 5th Avenue, Playacar, the beach area and downtown. What tourists might experience is being offered drugs on 5th Avenue or in a club, ATM machines that skim cards (especially standalone machines on 5th Avenue), and maybe being overcharged by a taxi driver.
We say that if you are not out clubbing, heavily drinking in public or engaging in risky behavior, you will have eliminated about 80% of the problems in Playa Del Carmen. People should know all the issues with safety in Playa Del Carmen, so we have this guide here.
For normal travelers who use common sense, it’s no more dangerous than many U.S. cities.
2. “It’s just a party town”
Misconception: Playa is nonstop clubs and drunken crowds.
Reality:
Yes, there’s nightlife, pubs, bars, and drinking, but there is a lot more to Playa Del Carmen than that. It really depends on what your focus is. If you are a family visiting, you might not see or hear any nightlife because you are not staying near 12th Street and you are in bed by 10pm. You also might be a young traveler that wants to meet people, hang out at the hostel bar and go out. There always seems to be something going on. It might seem like the perfect place for you. Playa is just what you make of it.
Playa Del Carmen is family friendly with lots of eco parks and even parks geared for kids. Playa is also a relaxing place to get away and soak up sun. There are some hotels that will isolate you from the action of 5th Avenue, both giving you tranquility with the option of going out all night.
Playa Del Carmen is not just a pary town. In fact, since 2014, the more hardcore party crowd has gone to Tulum and other places. You can easily stay somewhere peaceful in Playa and never touch the party scene. To read more about nightlife, see our guide here.
3. “You need an all-inclusive resort”
Misconception: Playa only works if you stay at an all-inclusive.
Reality:
Playa Del Carmen is one of the best walkable beach towns in Mexico and offers all kind of accommodations. You might start visiting the area by staying at an all-inclusive, but after you get more comfortable getting around and figuring out how things work, you can stay easily in the downtown. You have access to hundreds of independent restaurants, modern grocery stores, bakeries, and about everything you need for a great trip.
Many visitors actually prefer non-inclusive stays because you experience more local life and better food. We will say that eating at restaurants is often better than food served at all inclusives. The all-inclusive hotels want to feed guests at the most cost-effective manner. Restaurants on the other hand want to serve food that is the tastiest, so people buy it and come back.
We get it, all-inclusive hotels offer everything in one package, and it is an easy vacation to book. However, with a little more work and planning, you can have better food, a more local experience, and save money.
Booking tip: Most all-inclusive hotels are near Playa but not in or near the center. Hotels in a 40-mile stretch of beach may be considered: “Playa Del Carmen”. Many all-inclusive hotels are isolated and only a taxi ride will get you anywhere from the resort. There are areas like Playacar that offer all-inclusive resorts that are still within walking distance to the center of Playa.
4. “The beaches are always perfect”
Misconception: White sand and turquoise water year-round.
Reality:
The beaches are beautiful—but: sargassum (seaweed) can affect the coast seasonally (mainly late spring–summer) and changing current can cause beach erosion. Since 2014 the Riviera Maya has experienced waves of seaweed arrivals. It is impossible to predict but in general when the water is warmer in summer months, seaweed grows faster and is more likely to arrive on the beaches. There are however some beaches that get more seaweed because of currents and natural formation of the coast. See our article about what beaches in Playa Del Carmen typically gets less seaweed.
The upside:
- Many beach clubs, hotels and all-inclusive hotels clean the beaches daily. Since many all-inclusive hotels have hundreds of people on staff and they know that the hundreds of guests at a time want to enjoy beach days, they do work extra hard at removing and cleaning the beaches when needed.
- Cenotes are crystal-clear year-round. There are even places like Xel Ha, Yal Ku and Bacalar. These three locations all have natural barriers to seaweed and offer amazing swimming opportunities.
- Cozumel and Isla Mujeres are nearby with amazing water clarity. Both of these areas have west facing beaches. Since the sargassum arrives from the east, these beaches get hit while the west facing beaches have almost no seaweed year-round.
5. “Everyone speaks English, so Spanish isn’t needed”
Misconception: You don’t need any Spanish at all. This really depends on what type of trip you are taking to the area. Most people get by just fine with English since it is a popular tourist destination for Americans. If you are not staying at an all-inclusive or you want to road trip some around the peninsula, then some basic Spanish can come in handy and help you.
Reality:
Many people do speak English in the Rivera Maya to some degree. Most tourism jobs in the Riviera Maya require 60-80% English proficiency. So, chances are staff at the hotel, popular restaurants, tours, parks, and shop on 5th Avenue will all have someone who can help you in English—but:
- Spanish helps with taxis, markets, and local restaurants. Sometimes just knowing the numbers to ask a driver how much it is before getting in.
- For restaurants, you will learn the types of things they will ask, and just learning a little will make the meal go smoother. Doe example do you like mineral water or still water to drink? How do you like your meat cooked?
- If you are going to be driving around, understanding what police will ask you at a checkpoint can make you feel much more at ease. Often questions like ” Where are you coming from?” Or “where are you going?” are questions they ask.
You don’t need to be fluent, but a little Spanish makes things smoother.
6. “Playa Del Carmen is in Mexico, so it is cheap”
Misconception: Everything is budget priced. Mexico is a cheap destination.
Reality:
Mexico has been advancing, and in some ways, it reaches the same level of service than other countries. The Riviera Maya is also an anomaly in Mexico. It has a high concentration of tourism, and this fuels the economy to be in the top third of highest paid GDP in Mexico. Many things like rent, restaurants, travel services and tours are more expensive in the Riviera Maya than other parts of Mexico. Playa has two price tiers:
- Tourist pricing along Quinta Avenida (5th Avenue).
- Local pricing just a few blocks away.
Food, tours, and shopping can be:
- Expensive if you don’t compare
- Reasonable if you explore side streets
7. “It’s the same as Cancun”
Misconception: Playa Del Carmen = smaller Cancun.
Reality:
Playa Del Carmen and Cancun are very different. Cancun was first developed in the 1970’s to be a beach destination. It focused on building large resorts in a zone just for hotels. Playa Del Carmen learned from Cancun and developed differently. Cancun has developed into a city and it very much a car centric culture. Playa Del Carmen is more European feeling with a walkable downtown area and smaller scale buildings.
Many travelers who find Cancun “too resorty” love Playa. The two cities are very different places and offer tourists two separate experiences. Some of the benefits of going to Cancun are:
- The availability of many all-inclusive resorts at lower price points. Since Cancun was developed decades before Playa Del Carmen, you can find older hotels that offer lower prices per night.
- Cancun does have iconic beaches in the Hotel Zone. Often these beaches get less seaweed than the rest of the Riviera Maya.
Some of the benefits of vacationing in Playa Del Carmen compared to Cancun are:
- Walkable downtown with no need for a car or taxis.
- Accessible beach because the city is parallel to the beach and each street practically has access to the beach.
- Playa Del Carmen is a smaller scale city. There are height restrictions and smaller buildings in the downtown of Playa.
- Playa has a more international feel to it,
- While Cancun has a Hotel Zone for tourists and the rest of the city is for locals, Playa is more integrated. Locals and tourist mingle in Playa.
- Playa has more accessible shopping. Just take a walk on 5th Avenue and you have about 22 blocks of shops and restaurants to choose from.
8. “You can’t drink the water anywhere”
Misconception: Tap water is dangerous in all forms. Usually, the first thing people say when they hear you are going to Mexico is “Don’t drink the water”.
Reality:
You shouldn’t drink tap water—but:
- All ice in restaurants is made from purified water. Even locals do not drink the tap water.
- Tap water in the Rivera Maya is not full of bacteria, that is why people think you cannot drink the water. The truth is the water is very high in minerals. Drinking it can eventually cause kidney stones. This is why you see buildup of minerals on showerheads and faucets.
- Brushing teeth with tap water is usually fine (all locals brush with tap water and even foreigners living in Mexico). Even if some water gets in your mouth showering, it is fine.
- Bottled water is cheap and everywhere. Find any convenience store and you can get a big bottle for about $1 USD. There are also jugs of water to get free refills in hotels many times.
The truth is, the water system is different than other countries. In Mexico there are two systems, one for water to use in the house for showers, cleaning, and toilets. The other system is buying purified drinking water in large jugs for your home.
9. “It’s only good for short vacations”
Misconception: Playa gets boring after a few days.
Reality:
Playa is actually popular for: long stays, digital nomads to spend a few months in Playa, and retirees that live part of the year in Playa. Many people love spending months in Playa Del Carmen because of the year-round good weather, beaches, and activities to keep you busy. Playa also makes a good base for travel. It is in the middle of the Rivera Maya, and you have many things to see.
Day trips are endless:
- Cozumel
- Tulum
- Cenotes
- Valladolid
- Ruins and nature parks
Playa has Airbnb’s, short term vacation rentals and long-term rentals. This makes it easy for options to stay longer on vacation if you like.
10. “Tourists are constantly scammed”
Misconception: You’re always being ripped off.
Reality:
You do hear people talk about scams in Playa and the Riviera Maya. Often one of the most complained about things is the taxi drivers that rip people off and then it goes to people working on 5th Avenue. The good thing is that most scams are avoidable. Many of the common scams are things that happen in touristic destinations around the world.
We really don’t want you to fall for some of the basic scams or not so good deals. This is why we compiled a list of 27 possible scams in Playa Del Carmen. If you read this article, you will be totally prepared for your trip and can avoid simple tricks or scams. For most tourists to the area, they have a good time and do not have problems.
Some basic tips not to be scammed on vacation are:
- Plan ahead. Have a private transfer booked or your preferred method transportation planed from the Cancun Airport to your accommodation.
- Take your time to look at restaurant bills. All prices in Mexico are listed with all taxes. It is illegal to add a tip to the restaurant bill.
- Buy tours from trusted websites or at the hotel. Don’t fall for the “1/2 priced tours” and other tricks to get people to buy on the street in Playa.
There are people in the Rivera Maya looking for a quick dollar, but most people are working hard to provide a great atmosphere for your vacation.
Bottom line about Visiting Playa Del Carmen
Playa del Carmen isn’t dangerous everywhere or just a party town. Playa Del Carmen is not just about staying at an all-inclusive hotel either. Playa Del Carmen is unique in the Riviera Maya and the reason why so many like to come back each year. Playa is easy for first time visitors because everything you need for a great vacation is available in the downtown. It is also a great place to use as a base for exploring the Riviera Maya and Yucatan Peninsula.
If you have any other questions about visiting Playa Del Carmen, see out articles and videos we have on this website. We like giving you real information about Playa so our readers have really enjoyable vacations to the area.
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