{"id":33353,"date":"2015-01-03T04:00:26","date_gmt":"2015-01-03T10:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.aspicyperspective.com\/?p=33353"},"modified":"2018-07-02T00:21:23","modified_gmt":"2018-07-02T04:21:23","slug":"things-playa-del-carmen-mexico","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aspicyperspective.com\/things-playa-del-carmen-mexico\/","title":{"rendered":"Things to Do in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico"},"content":{"rendered":"
If you watch our Instagram Feed<\/a>, you may remember seeing glimpses of our trip to Playa Del Carmen, Mexico several weeks ago. Today we’re sharing our photos, experiences, and tips on Things to Do in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n While most Americans were feasting on turkey and checking out Black Friday deals, we had the opportunity to spend a week in Mexico. So we ate our turkey and dressing early, then packed our bags for a family vacation in the sun and sand.<\/p>\n I spent a couple days in Playa Del Carmen in the spring of 2014, when I went to Cancun for a tourism convention. I was struck by how different the atmosphere was just 40 minutes south of Cancun.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Playa Del Carmen, Mexico is a wonderful place to take a relaxing family vacation… or to go on an outdoor adventure exploring the underwater and inland terrain. Or to do both!<\/p>\n We discovered Playa Del Carmen offers countless activities for families on the move. Yet if you want to sit in the sand, with a tiki drink in hand, and watch the little ones play in the gentle waves… it’s perfect for that too.<\/p>\n So here’s our list of things you need to check out with your<\/em> family when you go to Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. Personal tidbits included.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Lay on the Beach<\/strong>. The beaches in Playa Del Carmen are wide, white, and soft on the toes.<\/p>\n In most places the natural grade is very subtle, so you can feel comfortable letting your little guys splash in the waves without (too much) worry.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n We also noticed, most of the beaches are relatively quiet. This of course would depend on the resort you choose, and the time of year you visit. But you can expect to find a spot in the sand without any trouble. Playa Del Carmen, Mexico is the perfect place to rest in the sun.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Snorkel\/Scuba<\/strong>. Right\u00a0on the edge of the second largest barrier reef in the world, the Mesoamerican Reef, Playa Del Carmen is a great place to snorkel or learn to scuba dive.<\/p>\n Most resorts offer scuba lesson, generally through a local scuba company, that will train you then take you to the best scuba spots in the area.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Due the the natural Cenotes<\/em> (sea caves and tunnels) you can snorkel and scuba dive inland, under ground. If you’ve snorkeled in the ocean lots of times, it’s a unique experience to dive in the dark with a lantern!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Water Sports<\/strong>. Any water sport you can think of can be enjoyed in Playa Del Carmen. Parasailing, Stand Up Paddling, Boating, Deep Sea Fishing, Wind Surfing, Surfing (beginner surfing, that is), Kiteboarding, you name it. Rest assured, the concierge at your resort will be able to hook you up.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Kiting<\/strong>. Because the beach is so wide in Playa Del Carmen, we noticed lots of families were flying large kites along the beach. Kites are available all through town for purchase.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Resort Activities<\/strong>. Choose your resort wisely. If you select\u00a0a good one, the resort itself will have endless activities available to you, from spa services, games, performances, kid’s clubs, water parks and lavish pools, cultural experiences, and more.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n On days you choose to linger around the resort instead of heading out on an adventure, you will still find happy distractions. (We stayed at Sandos Caracol Eco Resort<\/a>, a marvelous place to vacation\u00a0with the kids.)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Visit Mayan Ruins<\/strong>. There are Mayan Ruins speckled all along the Yucatan coast. You can find smaller Mayan Ruins in and close to Playa Del Carmen, or take a day trip south to Coba and Tulum.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Go to a Festival<\/strong>. Love a lively festival on the beach? Playa Del Carmen hosts some fabulous festivals each year, including the Riviera Maya Jazz Festival<\/a>, which took place while we were in Playa. It was a thrill to sway to the beat,\u00a0right on the beach, with thousands of music lovers.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Get into the Culture<\/strong>. There are dozens of ways to take in\u00a0Mayan and Mexican culture. One of our favorites was XCaret Eco-Archaeological Park<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Imagine a Disney-quality theme park (without the rides) that focuses on the culture, history, geography, and wildlife of Mexico. That’s what you experience at XCaret.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Amazing ocean life exhibits and aquariums, exciting shows, regional animal exhibits, beaches, Cenotes, snorkeling, and diving all in one place.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n We were overwhelmed by the attention to detail and educational focus found all over the park.<\/p>\n You can swim with dolphins, interact with sharks (small ones) discover the sea turtle protection program, and more. Personally, we loved the Butterfly Exhibit and the Evening Dinner Show with traditional Mexican dancing.<\/p>\n <\/p>\nThings to Do in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico<\/h3>\n