Americas

[Visited: August 1993]

On the east coast of Mexico, of what is rapidly becoming an overly touristy area, lie beautiful beaches, chrystal clear waters, romantic little villages, as well as old Maya temples. After having arrived in Cancun, it was clear that that area should be left behind as soon as possible. At least at that time, there were still characteristic and colourful old buses going south.
We finally ended up in Playa del Carmen, at least at that time a charming little town on the coast, from where many other villages in the neighbourhood can be reached, as well as the old ruins of Tulum. The latter are situated dramatically on the cliffs of the Caribbean sea and are especially interesting to visit when there are not hordes of tourists around. Unfortunately, with the US very close and direct flights from Europe coming on a very regular basis, this requires some planning and thinking.
Another obvious attraction to this part of the country are the beaches of the Yucatan coast, and the island Cozumel in front of the peninsula. The waters are very clear anywhere, and lying on one of the beaches can certainly make you think that you ended up in paradise. However, I found snorkeling slightly disappointing, we were told that huge storms had extensively damaged the coral reefs a few years before. See the pictures for yourself and decide whether it fits your image of paradise beaches!

Around the World in 80 Clicks

Personal travel impressions both in words and images from Playa del Carmen (Mexico). Clicking on the pictures enlarges them and enables you to send the picture as a free e-card or download it for personal use, for instance, on your weblog. Or click on the map above to visit more places close to Playa del Carmen.
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