The Familiar Getaway

White Sands, Warm Breezes, & Tequila in Playa del Carmen

Familiar getaway spots are near the top of my list of life’s pleasures. Sure, venturing to someplace new, enjoying the endless stream of “firsts” is invigorating and exciting and something that I will never give-up. However, a familiar spot is like an old, comfortable pair of shoes – only better. A regular holiday retreat lives in your mind 365 days a year, not just the week or two that you are physically present. It’s an adult security blanket seen by only you – which is a good thing as carrying a real security blanket to the office might earn you a trip of another kind - to a couch each week. These days, my regular getaway is Playa del Carmen in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.

I travel a lot, and by a lot, I mean a lot. This is both a good thing and a bad thing. Good because getting to new places, changing my surroundings, and meeting new people or catching up with old friends is always pleasing. Besides, being confined to an office makes me crazy and some would suggest, a little cantankerous. On the flip side, it’s a bad thing as dealing with airports, ground transportation, and countless hotels can be arduous and sometimes, irksome. Of course, complaining of such things is bad form and best confined to airport bars among frequent travelers. I told you that bit of information to tell you this; my ideal getaway requires an easy flight followed by accommodations that are free of a front desk and an ice machine down the hall. For me, Playa del Carmen fits that bill.

Pick-up any decade-old Yucatan travel guide and you will find a brief entry for Playa del Carmen, or simply Playa as it is known locally, described as a sleepy little fishing village. A decade ago the only people who passed through Playa del Carmen were fishermen and travelers headed to the town’s ferry dock needed to cross the straight to Cozumel. Logically, Playa del Carmen couldn’t stay sleepy forever as the village’s pristine white sand beaches and clear blue waters are not easily missed, or forgotten. Couple natural beauty with the convenience of being a 45 minute drive from a major airport (Cancun) along with being a long standing stopping point for tourists and you have a recipe for an emerging destination point.

Playa grew slowly and steadily at first and then, seemingly overnight, exploded in growth. Fortunately, there were those who possessed a keen crystal ball and knew that Playa would soon become a popular destination. In the early days of Playa’s development careful restrictions were placed on building. For this reason, no building in Playa is taller than three floors and the major hotel chains have stayed away, opting for the commercial friendly shores of Cancun. Playa is constantly building and changing but luckily, the great majority of the new construction is devoted to small restaurants, bars, cafes, boutique hotels, and small to mid-size condominiums sold largely to Europeans and Americans who live part-time in Playa and often rent their flats to tourists – like myself – when they are home.

The center of the visitor’s life in Playa is Quinta Avenida, or Fifth Avenue, a pedestrian lane that runs parallel to the beach. On 5th you can find anything a tourist could want. Dozens of restaurants are located here as well as bars ranging from rambunctious to peaceful. Shoppers are equally satiated with a wide selection of shops selling everything from the obligatory t-shirt and jewelry to local art and Tequila! Ambling along 5th is the primary activity for visitors and locals alike. Each evening you will see the resident families walking 5th together observing the tourists who flock to their little beach town. The mood is always friendly, relaxed and recognizable from the very first stroll.

The restaurants on 5th are plentiful and range from simple sandwich stops to steaks and seafood, Asian noodles, modern-eclectic, pizza, and a healthy dose of Italian fare. On whole, the quality of the food in Playa is well above what would be expected in a Mexican, tourist beach town. The large number of Italian businesses and residents often strikes first-time American visitors to Playa. Many Italians came for a holiday and never fully returned. In Playa you can find some pretty serious Italian cuisine prepared at restaurants that self-import truckloads of Italian staples including meats, cheese, olive oil, and of course – wine. Finding a good glass of wine in Playa is easy; paying for it is sometimes painful as imports to Mexico are heavily tariffed. A glass of ordinary Pinot Grigio could cost you $8 or $9 which, sadly, may not seem exorbitant to many Americans who are accustomed to being battered by restaurants at home.

Having a drink on or just off of 5th is easily accomplished as well. As with the restaurants, the number of bars is plentiful with a variety of styles ranging from posh to charming dives. The beer is typically Mexican in origin – as would be expected – and most often cheap. While you typically pay 50% more for wine while out in Playa your beer tab is roughly half of what it would be to buy the exact same beers in the US. Tequila is plentiful as one might imagine while the selection is rather standardized from place to place. Sadly, the margarita is abused here just as it is in the US with most versions being insipidly sweet and lacking freshness although the three required ingredients: quality Tequila, orange liqueur, and fresh lime - are found in abundance in Playa. This is not an altogether bad thing as it has given birth to the tradition of me preparing the evening’s margaritas before we venture out for food and merriment. An added bonus is that the ingredients for a week’s worth of quality margaritas, for four, can be bought for the cost of a single round of inferior cocktails at any local bar.

Daylight in Playa is often the slothful time where most visitors find the lure of the beach to be too magnetic. Why not? The beaches are clean, picturesque, and comfortable with many offering chairs for rent (or free in some spots) along with umbrellas or palapas if so desired. Water sport opportunities are plentiful but most are simply here to lie within earshot of the rolling tide, taking in the sights and taking pleasure in being a lazy bugger!

If all that laying about is not your cup of tea, you can easily find a range of activities from nearby water parks to jungle adventures or you could take the opportunity to visit some well preserved Mayan ruins that dot the Yucatan peninsula. Tulum is the nearest ancient site to Playa and can be reached by car or taxi in just about 45 minutes.

Best of all, Playa is what you make it. The pace is slow and the vibe is tranquil. You don’t have to do anything. Simply wandering the streets, venturing inland from the beach and 5th finding local shops and restaurants and observing local life provides me with hours of pleasure. Walking the beach in the morning, feeling the sand between your toes and watching the sun slowly rise above the watery horizon is worth the price of admission. When I close my eyes I can see it, feel and smell it… It’s my familiar getaway.