Babbling Dude and I first went to Playa del Carmen together in 2017. We try to escape the harsh Midwestern winters 2 or 3 times a year. We’ve travelled to other places, but PDC has kind of become our second home. We know how to get around, avoid tourist traps, where to get good food at a good price, and have even made some friends throughout the years. Below is what I documented from our last trip. There is little difference from trip to trip, unless we want to try a new place for food or music. ¡Nos vamos a México!

Day one:

We fly into Cancun and take the ADO bus to PDC. As of the time this is written, it’s 500 pesos ($13) for 2 people. We have found it’s better to use pesos to avoid a bad exchange rate. ADO has comfortable buses, usually with a movie playing and free Wi-Fi. It takes around 1.5 hours reach our destination. We are dropped off at the station on 5th Ave. Be prepared for this to be similar to the airport- taxi drivers everywhere offering to give you a ride for too high of a price.

We always rent an Airbnb and have actually stayed in the same building the last 4 trips! Often times we’re tired from our long morning of traveling and cannot check into our condo until the afternoon. We have made a tradition of going to La Tarraya on 2nd Street, right on the beach. La Tarraya has many food options, but we always get an hamburguesa pescado. It’s a simple dish, but so tasty! It’s 70 pesos for the fish burger 45 for a Dos Equis. I used to enjoy getting a margarita, but they have started using a pre-made mix that isn’t worth it in my opinion. If you decide to make this stop, enjoy the fish burger and sea views, but don’t expect excellent service. From our experience, they are friendly enough, but definitely on “island time”.

Next we’ll go check in to our room. Once we’ve unloaded, we’ll walk to a grocery store (Walmart/Mega/Chedraui) for some snacks and drinks for the room. *Mexico now has a ban on single-use plastic bags, so be sure to bring some to shop with. These superstores are not much different than the ones in the states, however, if you use a manual check-out, be sure to tip the elderly bagger a few pesos as they do not receive any wages.

When we arrive back at our condo, we usually hang out at the pool. This trip was the first time we had a private pool. It’s very nice if you enjoy your privacy and quiet. We may rest before walking down 5th Ave to see what’s going on. We rarely have purchased anything in this area due to the inflated prices and often weak drinks. Zenzi’s has live music every night around 8 pm. It’s a nice atmosphere on the beach that caters to tourists. Drinks are reasonable and tasty, and the staff is very friendly. We often listen to music for an hour or two, depending on the band.

Our next stop is to grab a couple of tacos from Ay Taco or a street vendor. Ay Taco is similar to a fast food venue, with spits of fresh al pastor and steak. Next we’ll head to Manne’s Biergarten on 4th Street. Babbling Dude is always up for cheap drinks at a dive bar, so we gave this a try on our first trip. We’ve continued to come back because of the cheap drinks, friendly owner, and bartenders. I’m not big on German food, but I’ve been told they have great options since Manne, the owner, is from Germany. Their hours are 4pm – 12:30am six days a week (closed on Tuesdays).

We like to get a slice of pizza before retiring for the night from Pizza Renzo. They are open late and have excellent pizza for 20 pesos ($1!). I usually get the Hawaiian and Babbling Dude gets peperoni. After we get back to the room, we’ll relax on the balcony or head to bed for the night.

Day two:

We stumbled upon Volovan one trip and have made them our unofficial breakfast of choice. Volovanes are a flaky pastry with many options for filling. We enjoy Hawaiian,  ham & cheese, piña and Nutella the most. These are a steal at 18 pesos each ($0.87). Once we’re ready for the day, we’ll head to Walmart for a cheap umbrella so I don’t burn on day 1. 😂 With our umbrella in tow, we’ll make our way to the beach.

We often stop at Oxxo or Seven Eleven (Oxxo is cheaper) on the way for drinks & snacks. We bring a sheet we bought from Goodwill years ago and set it up as our blanket. Babbling Dude will set up the umbrella and it’s time to enjoy the sunshine! We also try to buy fruit from one of the beach vendors. I generally go for mango which you can usually get for 60-70 pesos with the option to add chamoy and/or tajin.

We usually spend 3-4 hours at the beach then grab some street tacos on the way back to the room. The trick here is to see where the locals are. If they like it, it’s going to be good. We like to rest some before going to dinner. Some of our favorite places include El Fogon, La Floresta, and La Cueva de Pez. From there, we pretty much follow the same pattern- walk around 5th Ave, listen to some music at Zenzi’s, grab a few drinks at Manne’s, get a slice of pizza and go back to the room.

Days three – six:

For the most part, our days very similar to each other. We may switch things up by getting eggs and fruit from the supermarket for breakfast or by stopping at Los Tabernacos to watch a hockey game. This is a Montreal bar where most people speak French or English. The owner is devoted to his team, so the Canadiens will always be on before any other team.

The Lost Tiki bar is another place we’ll visit occasionally. They have fun, tropical decor with unique drinks, and live music some nights. I recommend getting there early if there’s a band as it is a small place that fills up quickly.

Day seven:

This is the day we head home. Often, we try to get a flight around lunch time so we don’t have to get up too early. We’ll leave the umbrella in the room for the next guests to use because 1) we don’t need it, and 2) we do not check bags. Once we’ve checked out of the condo, we’ll walk to the ADO station and purchase tickets to the Cancun Airport. The buses run in 20 minute increments and it’s 1.5 hours to the airport. Be sure to allow adequate time to make your flight. In my opinion the security process is much quicker in Mexico than the states, especially since they made they made the Customs and Border Protection Declaration form electronic.

What did you think of how we travel to Playa del Carmen? It’s not for everyone, but we enjoy our freedom and have no problem walking from place to place experiencing Mexico from more of an expat point of view, rather than tourist. Do you want to know more about our Mexican travels? Leave me a comment so I know if I should write more posts about our travels. ¡Hasta luego!