Swim With The Dolphins
Now's your chance to play, frolic and swim with these docile and loving creatures. During your 45 minute stint with the dolphins you'll learn how to handle them and where and where not to hang when the Dolphins pull you through the water or you use them as water ski's. Now that's fun. The Dolphins will come up and give you a hug and a kiss and if they take a liking to you will give you an extra long kiss. After the various stunts that you perform with the Dolphins, you have 15 minutes to just play with them. They will come up beside you & rub you, let you kiss them again and if your lucky enough get the opportunity to grab their dorsal fin and go for another ride. The Dolphin swim is the memory of a lifetime and 1 you should not miss. In order to keep your memories alive at the end of your 45 mins with the Dolphins you will have a chance to purchase the video made of you and your cohorts or purchase the still photos. So while your down Playa Del Carmen's way...go play with the Dolphins.
Beware Of Mayan Gods On 5th Avenue
The vicious feathered warrior-god beckons to you because you can't help but look his way.
"Come, come! It's ok have your picture taken with me."
Excited, you go and stand beside him. The god spreads his giant impressive wings, your friend takes the photo, and then "boom", the god hits you up for 50 pesos. It would have been nice if he had told you of this arrangement in advance, but hey--gods don't follow the rules, they make them.
Ask him before you take the photo how much it will cost you. I don't know if gods haggle, but you could probably get him down to a 20.
Alternative? Have your photo taken with one of the many cool statues on 5th. I haven't met one that talks.
5th Avenue
The shop owners on 5th Ave are waiting for you. Just for you. And they'll tell you so. Over and over again. "We've got the most crap for the least money," said one. "Seņor, Seņora, come in. Come see.". . . "We got what you're looking for.". . . "Where you from?". . . "Where you staying?". . . "Where you going?" . . . It's a constant barrage as you walk the gauntlet.
Well, it's hard to avoid it. 5th Ave is the main drag in Playa del Carmen. And you really don't want to avoid it. If you want to shop or get a beer or a bite to eat, it's the place to go. But bring your patience and sense of humor. It's actually pretty entertaining if you relax, slow down and listen for the most imaginative come-ons.
Time Shares
When you enter the airport after going through customs, there is an information booth. They will try to get your attention to come over to the booth. They will ask you where you are staying. Then they will try to get you to go to a time share. Don't even bother to stop at the booth.
If you really want to spend your time at a time share presentation, do so at one that is within walking distance to your resort. That way, you can always leave whenever you want to, rather than being at their mercy.
PHONECARDS
Take care when you buy phone cards, not all of them are useful. Be sure to check if your phone card can be used at public phones, many of them cannot. We found out that the cards from TelCel where the best, as they have phone boxes many places in the city.
Fake Silver
Be sure to look for the stamp .925 or .950 on the silver. It is especially good if there is the stamp Mexico or Mex with the numbers. There are a lot of fake silver vendors (usually they are walking along the beach). It is better to buy silver in a store than from a person walking on the beach. Although I did find a shop in Playa del Carmen that was selling fake silver to tourists, but most of the time the silver in shops is safer.
Mosquitos!
Maybe it was the season....every night at sundown, if we were on the beach; we were practically devoured by Mosquitoes. The worst were at an Open air restaurant at Tank-Ha. This is a GREAT place to be during the day.
Take your own repellant! The citronella just didn't seem to cut it and by the time we got to one of the small drug stores that was all we were able to find. If you have time to shop in the H..UGE supermarket it Playa..Chederaui I'm sure you can get anything, but be prepared and pack some from home. I'm still itchy!!
Tipping
Literally everyone that provides you a service expects a tip from the bus guide coming from the airport to the bell boy to the tour guides to the snorkel trip operators and they are not shy about asking for them or telling you that tips are a big part of their income.
I think that it is true that tips are a large part of the salary for people in the service industry in Mexico so I gave them freely when I thought the service was good, which was almost all of the time.
Slow Mail
If you like to send postcards to friends or family whilst on holiday, Be sure to write AIRMAIL on them!
I sent 3 postcards from Playa del Carmen to the western US back on Dec 20th and it took about 5-6 weeks for them to arrive. I sent a 4th card to Montreal, Canada, (also on Dec 20th) and it didn't arrive until Feb 27th!! I assumed that the Canadian got her postcard and just never emailed me about it. Then she emailed me on Feb 27 to say she got a card dated Dec 20th LOL.
Next time I won't forget to write AIRMAIL
Bottled Water Only!!!
DO NOT whatsoever drink the water or even brush your teeth with the water from the faucet.
Insulated Cup Or Mug
Make sure you pack an insulated cup with a snap-on lid. You can fill it with coffee for your morning walk on the beach. Then rinse it out and throw it in your beach bag. Once the beach bar opens, have the bartender fill it up. It's much more efficient that using the tiny little cups offered at most resorts, and they would much rather make up 1 large drink than 3 little ones. Plus, the snap on lid will keep the sand out, and the cold in. If you're tight for space going home, leave them behind for another traveler. You'll make a new friend!
Sun Caps And Water
When visiting the archeological sites, is very important that you bring sun caps or even an umbrella if your skin is very sensitive. The sun is very strong and the shades are almost impossible to find. Also bring water with you, and some confortable shoes.
Even Shopping Is An Adventure
Playa Del Carmen is perfect for the adventurous shopper. As you walk along checking out the various shops. Look around. You'll see neat little Mexican statutes & interesting people. An individual walking their iguana or maybe a 3 foot mastiff. You just never know what you might see. A giant frog floating above a building maybe? Then comes the real adventure as you wander through the shops. You get to negotiate on all those Pareos, t-shirts, Mayan jewelry, brightly covered sundresses, silver jewelry, cigars, brightly decorated pottery, etc. If you don't like the response or price given back...keep negotiating. If you still don't like the price and can't get them lower...just turn & walk out. 9 times out of 10 they'll come running after you accepting your offer or just walk to the next vendor, he'll have the same items & might accept your offer. Btw, in Playa Del Carmen you can get a better deal on items than you can in Cancun by at least 25%. If you never negotiated before, have no fear, by the 4th or 5th shop, you should be an old pro. Watch the other purchaser's & you'll soon pick up all the tips & tricks & realize this is a common practice...so go ahead & have some fun with it.
Chedraui: Grocery Store
I always like visiting grocery stores when traveling; you can find some interesting things to eat and occasionally something to bring back for friends and family.
Just south of Juarez Avenue on highway 307 is Chedraui, a large supermercado selling groceries, liquor, some clothes, small appliances, household products, etc. There's also a small prepared food section where you can get tacos and other things to eat while in the store.
There's at least two other large grocery stores now, one along the highway south of Juarez Avenue (can't remember the name but it's in the strip mall with Woolworth's) and another one which I think it called Mega and, regrettably, a Wal-Mart which I have never come across.
The liquor selection wasn't huge but the prices were much better than along 5th Avenue. There weren't as many choices for tequila but we found a good bottle for about 30% less than in town and a bottle of Bacardi Oro for my sister in law who said you couldn't buy it in the US.
For You Golf Nuts
For those of you that stay in Playa Del Carmen or any of the many resorts between there and Tulum, there a place for you golfers. Not only is this a championship course in the world, but where else can you play golf and loose your ball in the jungles of Mayan ruins. The course and it's clubhouse is in it's own right a beautiful addition to the many charms of the Mayan Rivera. The clubhouse structure was constructed to stay right in theme with things with a palapa roof and houses not only lockers for the golfers but a pro shop and plenty of storage for those who need to store their clubs for the week. For those of you who choose not to bring their clubs and I say why bother, this clubhouse rents top of the line clubs such as Callaway and Taylor Made for 1/2 the normal price you would pay at your hometown course and they have clubs for both right hand and left hand players. The price of a round of golf is also 1/2 the price you would normally pay for in the states and you get the joy of playing in a unique Mexican setting. What else could the golfer nut in you ask for?
No need to bring a thing, they rent it all. Callaway, Taylor-made golf clubs, carts, gloves, shoes, etc. Just show up and play the round of your life!
