Playa Del Carmen, or "Playa", as it is known by the locals, is a city on the Caribbean coast at the heart of the Riviera Maya, 30 minutes drive from Cancun. For a long time, Playa Del Carmen was but a small fishing town and a means of access to island of Cozumel. Eventually people realized what a relaxing and enjoyable place Playa really is. Imagine this, the same turquoise-blue waters and sandy beaches of Cancun but with a small town atmosphere.
Once upon a time Playa used to be nothing more than a passageway but today it reigns as the center of the world-renown Riviera Maya,it is situated in the center of many attractions such as Xcaret Eco Park, which is an ecological & archaeological park, Cancun, Tulum, and Sian Ka’am, a biosphere reserve. Nevertheless, what’s best about Playa is that it has managed to retain its essence and charisma as a small fishing town. 
Everything and everyone is very simple and humble. Most of the lodgings are only one level and very few are up to three stories high, which add to the small-fishing town status. But don’t be fooled, just because the town and its accommodations are simple they still manage to satisfy the needs of the most demanding visitor. In fact, despite is humble appeareance, Playa now has the highest prices of real estate value in the Caribbean coast.
This beautiful city is named after the patron saint of Cancun, Our Lady of Mount Carmel. It is believed that the Mayans were the first visitors to these beaches and so they named it Xaman Ha’ meaning “waters of the north.” Because of its location Mayan travelers used the city as a sort of rest stop as they went to the island of Cozumel. Today there are many Mayan ruins in Playa, which can be viewed by tourists and locals alike.
My best time in the Riviera Maya was actually here in Playa. The town is warm and cozy, the night life is espectacular, the streets are filled with people from every part of the world, there were great shops all over town for shopping, the water was great and it was a great chance to practice my foreign languages. Needless to say, before you pack your next vacation, please enjoy this virtual tour of Playa del Carmen, by clicking here, or selecting one of the locations below.
