The largest town on the Riviera Maya is Playa del Carmen. Once a small village Playa is now a rapidly growing tourist destination, due to its unique atmosphere and many natural attractions.

Get Flash !
 Dolphin Discovery,  Experience the action and feel the emotion of swimming with dolphins in the ocean

A little over three years ago, Playa del Carmen began its evolution toward becoming a cosmopolitan port of eclectic richness. Young entrepreneurs from all over the world, in search of a place to fulfill their dreams, have decided to settle here. 

Most shops and establishments are attended directly by the owners; therfore, service in Playa's restaurants, dive shops and clothing stores is excellent. The Riviera Maya is well known for it delicious food and great variety of cuisine; Playa is specially diverse in it's cuisine, given the large amount of tourists and locals from South America and Europe. In regard to accommodation, Playa del Carmen also has a wide range of options.

Most activities revolve around Fifth Avenue, the town's main street, which is mainly for pedestrian use. From dusk until midnight, Fifth avenue is filled with the most extravagant people. Although some are tourists, many are locals who by this time have finished work and come out to wander around or invite visitors to step into their shops. You'll have a wonderful time just sitting in one of the many cafés or restaurants on the 5^th and watching people go by.
 

Although most of Playa's population is local, many people here come from other parts of Mexico and the world. Among them you can find painters, musicians, dancers and actors who may surprise you with high quality performances in some local bar or café. But Playa's folklore doesn't end here. 

There is a wide range of sidewalk entertainers; the melodic tunes of typical Mexican duos and trios with their repertoire of traditional songs weave their way through restaurant tables and you can also hear the marimba and groups of huapangueros from the Mexican state of Veracruz. On one corner, the overwhelming energy of the ritual dances of the cocheros is fascinating while on another corner, the rythmic tapping of the "voladores" will slowly draw you closer.

Although there is more activity during the high tourist season, the magic never ends. You will be assailed by surprises constantly: high above or out towards the horizon where the sky meets the sea, Playa is a place of beauty. Given the abundance of winds, the sky is often decorated with a variety of clouds: heavy and threatening, light and playful, towering castles or a simple white sheet flying slowly over the town. 

And as if this wasn't enough, at night, on the other side of the sea, the biggest island in Mexico, Cozumel, rests quietly. Over the great dark expanse of the ocean, the fiery lights of the island float on the edge of the horizon, keeping the stars company. This is yet another gift from Playa. And when the moon is full, visitors will almost certainly be able to enjoy many parties in its honor on some nearby beach.

Playa offers a wide variety of choices for dinner and breakfast in relaxing and casual restaurants. The cuisine ranges from Italian, Vegetarian, Chinese, Japanese, Mediterranean and Natural, to seafood, regional dishes and Mexican specialities. There are also many options for lunch: if you wander through the streets that are not close to the shore. 

You're sure to find typical Mexicans restaurants and cantinas were the seafood is very good. Pizzerias and small restaurants with home made food at excellent prices are secrets worth discovering.

In the last few years, Playa has become the destination for people from all parts of the world who have come to teach different disciplines of spiritual awareness and development, along with techniques for relaxation and alternative medicine, an incomparable treat that this movement has brought is the opportunity for a massage on the beach under the soothing shade of a palm tree.

In Playa, friends are easy to make yet it's never difficult to be anonymous. At night you can literally swing under the stars at any one of the 4 or 5 bars in town, while listening to reggae, saca, rock, jazz, blues, afrobrazilian, tropical, disco or techno music. Among the locals, you are just as likely to find a lobster fisherman who joins you for a drink as an Arab prince traveling incognito. And the stars will always bring a pleasant surprise.

Although the main tourist attraction of Playa is Playa itself, the wide variety of activities offered along the coast is also available here: diving, snorkeling, horseback riding, bicycle rentals and windsurfing, gyms, as well as yoga, dance and drum classes. 

For those who enjoy shopping, there are many handicraft and clothing stores in 5^th avenue, where you can find products from places as distant as Indonesia and India, or as close as Guatemala and Mexico. There is also a modern shopping center with high quality stores and restaurants.

Excursions to Maya Ruins, boat trips and jungle treks are also available. This is also the best known spot to cross over to Cozumel. The trip lasts approximately forty minutes and the ferries leave every half hour, starting at dawn. (if you want to take your car however, you must take the ferry from to Puerto Morelos).

The ocean currents in this privileged part of the Mexican Caribbean are usually very mild, as Cozumel acts as a breakwater for the strong Atlantic ocean. The beaches in Playa are beautiful. The bay between the pier and the first point is the most popular as all the comforts and facilities are just a few feet away: restaurants, bars, volleyball courts and water sports rentals.