There is so much attention given to the sunny beaches in Playa Del Carmen that when it rains it may seem like there is nothing to do except look out the window longingly, waiting for the sun to return. We wanted to brighten your day and let you know what options you have for indoor activities in Playa Del Carmen.
Indoor Activities in Playa Del Carmen for rainy days
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Go to the movies.
Both shopping plazas have movie theaters. These theaters are clean, and tickets are inexpensive. Movies are labeled as subtitled in English or in English or just Spanish. There are a decent number of movies available in English. For more information read our article on movie theaters in Playa Del Carmen.
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You can rest during the day so you can go out at night.
Coco Bongo nightclub and show starts at 11pm and goes until about 3am. So, you can still get the most of your day, just spend it going to a fun show in the night. (Closed Sunday nights)
Coco Bongo Nightclub -
Go shopping.
There are the two shopping plazas in Playa Del Carmen. They are small and they are not large malls by any measure, but they are inside and have the theaters there. Cancun has larger malls. If you don’t mind walking with an umbrella, walking on 5th Avenue will provide you will about 20 blocks of shopping including the new semi-indoor Plaza Quinta Alegria. Quinta Alegria offers about 30 different stores to look at.
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Take a walk on the beach in the rain.
The solitude and avoidance of the crowds can help you appreciate nature more. Enjoy the cooler temperature, the rains bring a refreshing air and respite from the heat.
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Get a massage at the beach or spa.
We found one option that is tucked away between 4th Street and 6th Street that have a covered space and is a great fresh place to have a massage as you listen to the waves and rain. This is Inti Beach. See our link for more photos and information. If you want to go to an indoor spa, Bric Spa is a great local place for a massage and pampering. They have very reasonable prices and certified masseuses.
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There are a few casinos for the hard core gamblers.
There is one casino right on the main Plaza at 15th Avenue and 10th St. Another large casino is in Plaza Las Americas called Winpot. These are not Vegas style casinos with entertainment. They will twiddle your time away playing if you like gambling.
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The large eco parks, Xcaret, Xel-Ha, Xenotes and Xplor are all open when it rains.
Only when there is severe weather, then operations are limited. Of the four the best options are Xcaret and Xenotes. This park highlights Mexican culture and shows. It has an indoor aquarium, a re-created hacienda, underground rivers to swim in and an epic show at night that is over two hours long. It is a large park, and you will need a rain poncho or umbrella if you want to stay dry but there is a lot to see at this eco park. The 1/2-day park of Xenses is not bad if it is raining because many of the activities are indoor plus you are going to be wet anyways.
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Visit the Planetarium Sayab in Playa Del Carmen
The Planetarium Sayab has a lot of events in Playa Del Carmen. You can visit their Facebook page here to see what events are going on. This is a great place to visit when we have rain.
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Go out and have a leisurely meal somewhere.
May we suggest on of the restaurants on 5th Avenue for people watching. Around 12th Street there are several nice restaurants on street level, also around 30th Street there are some more restaurant options with good views of 5th Avenue.
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Enjoy some drinks and get to know some new people.
Check out our Bar Guide to Playa.
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Have some coffee.
Take a coffee at a café or Mayan hot chocolate at Ah Cacao Chocolate Café. Chou Chou Café is also a great place to relax, plus they have Wi-Fi!
Inside of Chou Chox Café, just one of the things to do on a rainy day in Playa Del Carmen. -
Visit a craft store and have a craft day.
There are a lot of small places to buy craft material like paper stores, grocery store isles where they sell school supplies and fabric stores. This can be a fun activity if you have children. You can find craft supplies in fabric stores like the one on 30th Avenue in front of the Aki Supermarket. Or the paper store next to Aki Supermarket.
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Visit Rio Secreto eco park underground river.
It is an almost all inside the caves under the Yucatan and located just outside of Playa Del Carmen in the south end of town. The weather won’t bother you a bit down there!
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Get fit!
All the gyms in Playa Del Carmen have day passes. Our favorite gym to recommend is Evolve Gym on 24th Street and 5th Avenue. We like this gym because it has a full range of new machines, large windows and is air conditioned. There are also independent places where you can take yoga.
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You can rest up and spend the evening going to Cirque Du Soleil’s Joya show.
Some nights there are two performances to choose from. This is not just a show, it is an experience. You can enjoy the landscaped area and even have drinks by the cenote before or after the show.
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See blow glass being made.
At the Vidrio Soplado Mexicano workshop you can see glass items being made. It is a fascinating place to see and even a great place to shop. They have beautiful handmade glasses and many more items. The main workshop has moved down the highway from Playa but is still accessible and a good option for a rainy day.
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Visit a Library.
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If you have kids or you just like to read, there are some public libraries in Playa Del Carmen. Libraries are not as extensive as many places, but it can give you a window into the local culture.
About The Author
Thanks for the good list of activities to try our when it rains. I am glad it is sunny most of the time though. I will keep thins in our folder for our houseguest so they have options when it is not a beach day in Playa del Carmen.
Thank you very much for sharing our article with your guest. We are getting many rental companies, hotels and home owners that rent out for vacations sharing our guides and we love to help people explore more and find out about the Riviera Maya and Playa. Thanks again.
This was good to read today since it has been raining so much in Playa Del Carmen. We want to go on some tours but were searching for some stuff to do when it rains. I’ll probably
be returning to read through more, thanks for the info!
Sorry about the rain. We hope it goes away soon for you and us. The good thing is, it is filling up the cenotes for us and making everything green! We hope the rest of your trip is sunny and beach days.
I saved this article for my trip to Playa Del Carmen but I hope I don’t have to use it. I hope it does not rain while we are there and we have sunny beach days.
Huгrah! Thanks for a nice list of indoor activities for when it rains. I hope we don’t need them but it is good to see just in case.
Hello it’s me, I am also visiting this web page regularly. I am glad you wrote about the rain because we have had a little rain lately and I needed some things to keep my family busy. We went to Cancun to the trampoline park and had an amazing time. The kids thought it was why we came to Mexico. They want to vacation there next year too. Hahaha
Hello. I would add also the 3d Museum to the list of things to do when it rains in Playa Del Carmen. That is one of the only museums in Playa Del Carmen and cool to see. It is a little expensicve but lots of great photo ops. Saludos.
I like what you guys are usually up too. You always have good info for my tips even if it does rain.
Keep up the wonderful work guys.
These tips came in handy the other day when it was a bit rainy in Playa del Carmen. Thanks.
I was able to find good information from your blog
articles. Thank you.
ON a rainy day like this your guide comes in handy. Thanks for the options.
I definitely like going to the movies when it rains. It is cheap in Playa and many of the movies are in English. Plus they are in the malls and you can walk around.
You could add the 3D Museum to this list too. It is an indoor activity in Playa.
Greetings. Did it rain a lot this past week with that hurricane going toward Florida?
Yes we did get some thunderstorms and rain. It was refreshing and everything is looking very green now. We normally do not get thunderstorms so it was a rare treat.
The beach massage sounds like the perfect option. I love rainy days at the beach, no really I do!
It was cool to see the 3D museum on this list. I did not know it had opened in Playa.
Thanks for sharing, this is a fantastic article. We have a rental in Playa and like to give options to our guest when it rains.
“Wow, that’s what I was exploring for, what a list of stuff to do!”
Muchos Gracias for your blog post.Much thanks again. Fantastic.
“Very good post. Much thanks again.”
Somehow I think this indoor guide is going to come in handy as we head into rainy season in Playa Del Carmen.
I posted this list for our condo we rent out. We always get asked for things to do when it rains.
I know it does not rain in Playa much but I love the new aquarium as a good indoor activity.
We love your suggestion about the museum. We did not know there was one in Playa to visit.
This is a great list to have. We will make sure our visitors to our condo have this in case it rains in Playa Del Carmen.
I have a feeling we are going to be using some of these suggestions this weekend. We arrive when tropical storm Nate does. At least it will pass quickly and with just rain.
Fortunately, it does not rain a lot in Playa del Carmen. I do love rainy days though; they are like snow days. When you get to watch movies in the covers of bed and relax.