Originally a modest fishing village, tourism in Playa del Carmen started with the passenger ferry service to Cozumel, an island across the Cozumel Channel that is renowned for its scuba diving.
Playa del Carmen has lately seen unprecedented growth, with the addition of new luxury condominium complexes, restaurants, shops, and entertainment facilities. Quinta Avenida, or Fifth Avenue, is the hub of tourist activity in Playa del Carmen. Stretching from Calle 1 norte to Calle 40, it is a pedestrian-only, cobblestone-lined roadway that covers roughly 20 blocks. Along Fifth Avenue, you’ll discover a diverse selection of restaurants, pubs, clubs, shopping possibilities, and other services. Almost everything in Playa begins on this street. Fifth Avenue is a pedestrian avenue that runs along to the shore and is lined with hundreds of stores, cafés, and restaurants. Numerous tiny boutique hotels along and immediately off Fifth Avenue, as well as along the shore.
Playacar is a residential and tourism development located just south of the main metropolitan center of Playa del Carmen. This development contains the majority of the all-inclusive hotels, the aviary, and the golf course. There are two phases: phase 1 is mostly residential with a few hotels and shops, while phase 2 has the biggest all-inclusive resorts, a golf course, and a substantial number of residential buildings.
Playa del Carmen is part of the Riviera Maya, which stretches from Cancn’s south end to Tulum and the Sian Ka’an ecological reserve. Playa is a port of call for various cruise ships that land at the adjacent Calica quarry docks, which are located around six miles south of the city. The Xcaret Eco Park is a prominent tourist site in Xcaret. It is a Mexican-themed “eco-archaeological park” (pronounced “shkar-et”).
All parks in Playa del Carmen provide complimentary Wi-Fi. Most restaurants and pubs will need a minimum purchase before providing you with the password, which will vary daily. The more costly the hotel or condominium, the less probable it is that you will have free access.
