Departing from San José, after a short stopover in Guatemala, we arrived in the Yucatán Peninsula. We didn’t let this little break in Guatemala go to waste, we quickly bought a few doses of real local coffee and fantastic tea to bring home a little of the aromas of the region. Arriving in Cancun, we didn’t waste much time, and immediately traveled to Playa del Carmen, which served as our base for the next few days.
Playa del Carmen is a really pleasant, vibrant city, where the bustling main street and great restaurants immediately draw you in. However, we quickly realized that if you want truly authentic flavors, it’s worth getting a little further away from the crowded tourist center and looking for the restaurants frequented by locals. Here, not only was the quality of the food excellent, but the prices were also more favorable, although it still seemed that everything here costs almost double compared to Mexico City. We used the city as a perfect base to explore the area, which included visiting the turtles of Akumal, a refreshing cenote, and the monumental Chichén Itzá.
Playa del Carmen’s history dates back to the Mayan civilization, when the city was known as Xaman-Ha, which means “northern waters” in Mayan. It was a strategic location, as pilgrims would set off by canoe to the opposite island of Cozumel to pay homage to Ixchel, the goddess of fertility and the moon. During the Spanish conquest, the area was depopulated, and for centuries, it was just an isolated stretch of coast surrounded by dense jungle.
At the beginning of the modern era, until the mid-20th century, Playa del Carmen was just a sleepy little fishing village, where just a few families made a living from coconut farming and fishing. The real change came in the 1970s, when the tourist development of Cancún began, and the ferry connection to the island of Cozumel was built in parallel. Backpackers and adventurers discovered the place, which was then an island of tranquility with pristine white sand beaches next to the big resorts.
In the past thirty years, Playa del Carmen has become one of the fastest growing cities in the world, transforming from a tiny village into an internationally renowned tourist center. Fortunately, the city has preserved its unique, bohemian style, and during the development not only huge concrete hotels were built, but also the family atmosphere of the pedestrian streets and small boutiques. Today it is the heart of the Riviera Maya, where Mayan heritage and modern luxury are mixed, and from where visitors can easily reach all the natural and historical treasures of the Yucatán Peninsula.
