Playa Del Carmen/Mayan Riviera - What to do? Excursions?

Question

We're going to the RIU Palace Mexico in Dec. for our wedding and I'm just wondering if anyone has been to this area before and could suggest things do to or excursions that you would recommend, beaches to visit, local restaurants, cool things to see... etc?

Answer 1

Lucky you!  I lived about 4 hours from Cancun for several years, and it's a beautiful place to visit.  You may want to consider going west of Cancun to see some of the Maya ruins, such as Uxmal.  Merida, Progreso, Chicxulub and surrounding areas have many wonderful things to see.  You'll find circulars in your hotel there.  Congratulations and have a safe and happy honeymoon.

You may also consider visiting Los Pajaros..........about 20 miles South of Merida.  It's a beautiful resort with the largest pool in the Yucatan.  I own the property and believe you me, it's very beautiful.

Answer 2

I went to Cancun so I am Glad you went to Playa Del Carmen. Most of our stay was closer there than Cancun.  One exception was our ride to Chichen Itza. If you go there i don't recommend you taking the toll road its like 50 dollars just to get on it . You can take the Free road out there. It is safe just takes a little longer, cause it goes to 1 or 2 towns.

Go to Cozumel. i went snorkeling but not scuba diving. You have to Scuba . That is the only thing that I really regret is not going Scuba Diving. I suggest you ask around about a good dive shop that does tours and possible accommodations. If you can get certified before you go that will save you lots of time and give you a head start.

Liked Xcaret. It is huge you really need a whole day to see and experience it all. Great for a tourist. They even have and of the tour night show . There are other non tourist locations that are amazing but I do not know them maybe someone else can give you a heads up.

Hidden world is Cavern Diving at its best. Good cenote diving spot. Recommended by many.

You also got Tulum that cant be missed. It in lots of pics. Ruins right next  to the ocean.

Answer 3

Depending on how much time you have after wedding stuff, there's lots to do in the area. When you get off the plane in the Cancun Airport, take one of the "Cancun tips" booklets. They have a Mayan Riviera edition. These are mainly ads for stuff to do in the area but there are some maps, articles and coupons that can be helpful. Even if they are 90% ads, they are still a good source of info on the area.

The Ruins at Tulum are small but the setting is beautiful, Chichen Itza is very impressive. I disagree with the second post about taking the free road. The free road is c**p. It will add hours to your trip. The toll road will take you about 3 hours from PDC to Chichen Itza. I tried the free road once and it took two hours to get from Cancun to Valladolid, I gave up after that and jumped on the toll road. Based on my experience I would estimate that PDC to Chichen Itza via the 180 libre (free road) would take about 4.5 hours. Considering you'll need to do the return trip in one day, pay the toll, It won't be $50, it will be $38. ($19 each way). There is an additional toll past Chichen Itza on the way to Merida but if you are returning to PDC you don't need to worry about it.

Lastly, unless you are staying for a very long time, you can ignore most of what the first post says. All that stuff is too far away. There's lots of stuff to do in PDC/Cozumel/Cancun You don't need to travel 4 hours to see the things around Merida.