Playacar
The beach south of town, wider and quieter than the central stretch.
Duration
2 hrs – 5 hrs
Best time
In the morning
Open
Every day
Entry price
Free
Playacar is the hotel estate south of town, built in the 1990s on wooded ground. Its beach is wider and better oriented than the one in the centre, and the swell arrives more gently.
A detail few people know: parrots, flamingos and agoutis wander freely through the estate's lanes, originally released from an aviary in the complex. Public beach accesses do exist, but they are poorly signposted between the hotels.
Getting there
South of Quinta Avenida, past the Cozumel jetty. Twenty minutes on foot from the centre.
Rules on site
In Mexico all beaches are public by law: hotels cannot bar you from the sand, only from their loungers. The public accesses are real but badly marked — look for the right-of-way signs.
Other places in Playa del Carmen
- Quinta AvenidaForty pedestrian blocks of restaurants and shops, with beach access every hundred metres.
- CozumelThe island across the water, sitting on the world's second-largest coral reef.
- Cenote AzulThree open-air freshwater pools, with a rock jump for those who want it.
XcaretAn eco-archaeological park built around underground rivers, with an evening show.