WHERE IN THE WORLD IS CARMEN?
Playa Del Carmen is roughly 1 hour south of Cancun and kinda reminded us of the likes of Phuket, Bali, Malaysia. Y’know; the same ol’ same ol’ with the hoards of incessant peddlers flogging off trinkets from a foreign Banana Republic. There’s a good chance that we’d been spoilt from the dreamy Isla Mujeres that we’d just visited prior to – or maybe we are just over the commercialized tourist traps that westerners seem to flock to like moths to a flame. Having said that, Playa Del Carmen still holds a place in our hearts for some awesome traditional food in the thriving twilight scene on the ironically named 5th Avenue. Funny thing about this 5th Ave is there is no Lord & Taylor or Barney’s here although we did spot many ‘Channel’ sunglasses, ‘Louise Vuitton’ bags and ‘Prado’ luggage sets, all going for a “veddy, veddy chip price” for their “friends”. Playa Del Carmen does offer a thumping night life – in fact, we noticed that the tourist influx virtually doubled once the blistering sun disappeared below the horizon. Still, it was not enough to entice us to largely get amongst it, as it was certainly no Darlinghurst, maybe more like Liverpool, only thongs and swimmers is kosher attire at a restaurant in Playa. Our highlight was some of the food we gorged on at the little ‘taquerias’ (outdoor cafe types with plastic tables and chairs typically offering traditional Mex food) that lined the back streets away from the tourist zone.
Some of the delicious treats we had were:
– Pambazo: kinda-weird-at-first-but-very-tasty marinated bread roll which is then lightly crisped by being shallow fried, filled with fresh lettuce, tomato and Mexican mayo. Calorie counter went into high range on this one.
– Enchiladas: flour tortillas filled with anything you like (veg/chicken/seafood etc) sealed with a green chili sauce.
Upon review, our review on Playa Del Carmen seems kind of harsh and almost unjust. We don’t mean to give Playa a bad rep because it is in it’s own right, it’s very lively and beautiful… But a bit too Miami for our liking. Sorry, PDC.
WIN:
Discovering the real taste of Mexican cuisine. What’s you’re flava?
FAIL:
Spending 4 days in Playa hindered our cultural angst for the true Mehico. Fairly sure that we made our point though!
NOTABLE NOTES
EAT: Any of the local taquerias east of 10th Avenue usually provide for some terrific local food – minus any English whatsoever. A belt loosening meal for 2 people will cost around $7AUD.
DRINK: The Margaritas were some of the best we’ve devoured in Mexico to date. There are usually all-day 2 for 1 deals ringing in around $6AUD or less.
SLEEP: Reina Roja is a 4.5 star hotel by Australian standards – 2 doors down from 5th Ave. – for $50AUD/night including great breakfast. Quirky as hell but the rooms were spanking new (1 year old), air con, amazing bathroom and toiletries (a make or break for Kez), rooftop pool and cabanas and a weird nightclub adjoining reception. Request a room at least higher than Level 1 unless you prefer to sleep in a rave.
TIPS ‘N HINTS:
– Playa offers an energetic nightlife that caters to all walks be it rave, chill out, pub style… You’re not going to be thirsty or bored. There are 3 major day parks nearby that offer all day snorkeling, flying fox rides and other sport ‘n rec including drinks and food. Very popular but expect hoards of tourists.
– Try the local taquerias beyond 10th Avenue, very clean, authentic and delicious!
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