If you took a stroll down the northern end of Playa del Carmen’s famous 5th Avenue this past Sunday, your walk was likely detoured by police tape and emergency lights. In a terrifying reminder of how rapidly tropical weather can degrade infrastructure, large sections of a commercial building’s exterior facade unexpectedly ripped loose and crashed …
Playa del Carmen
Navigating a bustling foreign city can be intimidating, even for veteran travelers. You step out of your private transfer in Playa del Carmen, and you are immediately hit with the vibrant, energetic chaos of the Riviera Maya. Which way is the ferry terminal to Cozumel? Where is the safest place to exchange your currency? What …
If you have ever visited Playa del Carmen, you have walked down 5th Avenue. Known locally as Quinta Avenida, this massive, miles-long pedestrian thoroughfare is the absolute beating heart of the city. Running parallel to the ocean, it is a nonstop sensory overload of world-class restaurants, boutique shops, lively bars, and street performers. I almost …
If you have been holding off on booking a trip to the Mexican Caribbean because you were worried about summer seaweed or sky-high resort pricing, your waiting game is officially about to pay off. While massive mega-resorts in neighboring Cancun are stubbornly holding the line on their winter room rates, a completely different dynamic is …
If you’ve walked down the shoreline near Mamitas Beach recently, you’ve probably noticed that the stretch around El Recodo has seen much better days. Coastal erosion has steadily chewed away at the sand over the last few years, leaving a heavily depleted beachfront right in the middle of Playa del Carmen’s busiest tourist zone. But …
If you have been keeping an eye on the travel news coming out of the Mexican Caribbean lately, you might have seen some seemingly alarming headlines. Word is spreading that several hotels in the heart of Playa del Carmen have recently shut their doors, driven by a dip in occupancy and a particularly challenging sargassum …
If you are hunting for a last-minute summer getaway to the Mexican Caribbean, you have probably noticed a bizarre trend: while flights and hotels everywhere else are astronomically expensive, prices in Playa del Carmen are suddenly dropping like a rock. The secret behind these massive discounts? Sargassum. The 2026 summer season has brought an unusually …
If you are heading to Playa del Carmen this week, you might want to adjust your itinerary—and mentally prepare for a less-than-tropical breeze. A massive wave of sargassum seaweed has slammed into the Riviera Maya, but the crisis is no longer confined to the shoreline. The massive piles of brown algae currently roasting under the …
Playa del Carmen is growing fast! The city is working hard to reach a huge goal: having 50,000 hotel rooms. But these aren’t just any rooms. They are focusing on luxury, which means fancy hotels for travelers who want the very best. The city wants to move away from being just another vacation spot. Instead, …
If you were hoping for those crystal-clear, postcard-perfect turquoise waves in Playa del Carmen this week, you might want to brace yourself. While we started the year with some surprisingly low seaweed levels, the Atlantic has officially pulled a “u-turn.” A massive, relentless surge of sargassum has descended upon the Riviera Maya, and it’s so …