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Playa del Carmen
- Riviera Maya - Mexico |
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On our last dive trip to Cozumel,
we took the water
ferry to Playa del Carmen in order to drive
to the cenotes
which were about an hour south of Playa. While
walking through the Playa del Carmen marina, we
found the waterfront shopping area to be really
charming. So after our cenote dives, we scheduled
another day to spend in Playa del Carmen.
Playa has become a rather sophisticated and upscale
tourist destination that is frequented by Europeans,
Americans, and vacationing Mexicans. The town
has a feel like Santa Barbara, California or Carmel
By the Sea. The shops and galleries offer some
of Mexico's finest crafts and clothing, and many
of the restaurants serve contemporary upscale
cuisine.
If you are looking for a remote Mexican village
to score deals on your favorite Mexican crafts,
Playa is not the place. But if you are looking
to window shop and purchase high quality artwork
or jewelry, Playa should meet your needs. The
beaches are also quite nice, and scuba diving
trips can be easily arranged.
Beware - there are two Starbucks Coffee houses
and a Häagen-Dazs ice cream shop in town!
Out of curiosity, I also checked out some of the
local real estate prices. Ocean front penthouse
condos were offered for over $1,000,000 US dollars.
Freestanding homes with ocean views were also
over a million US dollars.
I would like to spend more time in Playa del Carmen
on my next visit, because it really was a charming
and pleasant town to just wander around in. Further
beyond the tourist area of the town seemed quite well developed
as well, and you can find just about
anything you need within the town's limits. Playa
del Carmen was a refreshing and relaxing alternative
to the mega-resorts of Cancun and the hectic and
chaotic pace of some other towns in the area.
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