Playa del Carmen
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Originally named Xaman-Ha (“waters of the north”), Playa del Carmen arrived on the international map as a service point for transporting tourists from the mainland to booming Cozumel Island. Today, it is Latin America’s fastest-growing city, with a beachfront over half-a-mile long and a town at least six blocks deep and lined with many fine restaurants and bars, shops, and hotels.

Youthful, hip, and cosmopolitan, “Playa,” as it is now affectionately known, stands out from other beach towns in Mexico. Many tourists appreciate the lack of obtrusive mega-hotels, chain restaurants, bars, and cheap souvenir shops. Instead, Playa’s community has designed small, personalized hotels, trendy clubs and bars, fashionable restaurants and boutiques, and a growing number of spas. In the evenings, the Quinta Avenida (Fifth Avenue) promenade, known simply as La Quinta, becomes a virtual catwalk where urban beach fashions combine to create a style unique to Playa.

Surrounded by natural wonders, Playa is home to several Mexican, European, Israeli, and North American adventure-seekers. They have opened some of the more cutting-edge outdoor, ecoadventure, and adrenaline-oriented businesses. You can choose from mellow activities such as snorkeling, sailing, hiking, and windsurfing to more daring adventures such as skydiving, rappelling, kite boarding, and cenote scuba diving.

Playa Del Carmen’s Beach Safety Advisory System

Playa del Carmen’s Department of Civilian Protection has developed a beach flag system to inform bathers of swimming conditions. Remember, beach conditions change frequently.

• Green – Normal sea conditions – safe to swim
• Yellow – Changeable sea conditions – exercise caution
• Black or Red – Unsafe/danger – stay out of the sea