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Riviera Maya Travel Journal
– Playa del Carmen, Tulum, Akumal Bay –
Hello!
Finally, I’ve decided to write a real travel journal for our trip to Mexico. I’m going to share details about our whole experience – where we stayed, where we ate, the adventures we had, everything! Since we wanted to have a more “authentic” travel experience, we didn’t go for the whole resort style holiday. Instead, we tried to experience things rooted more closely to the local culture.
perks of non-resort travel
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You save money!
Hell yes – who doesn’t like saving money? We stayed in an amazing Airbnb (more details to follow) which ran us $80.00 a night. Did I mention that we had our own private rooftop terrace complete with a pool? The terrace alone was worth $80 a night to me – I would have slept out there in a hammock! But we had a nice bed too so I didn’t 😛 . You’ll also save money on food – we had a lovely kitchen and made good use of it! Sven went to the local market and came back with all types of nice things for brunching and snacking. We had brunch on the terrace every morning and packed sandwiches and smoothies for afternoon snacks.
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You’re free to roam!
Since you didn’t spend all your money on a fancy resort, you have a lot of extra money to spend on other things (such as food and adventures). Also, you won’t feel compelled to “get your moneys worth” and spend all your time visiting a different country on a resort compound that’s relatively similar to the country you just came from (let’s be real, that trip you took to Cancun in college was a far cry from experiencing real Mayan culture). Get out there – explore, wander, get lost… you might find yourself having the best adventure of your life.
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You’ll try new things!
Ditch the bubble of resort holidays and break out of your comfort zone a little – We tried new foods, gave the Spanish language an honest go, commuted with the locals, encountered a few native animals, and had a blast the whole time.
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You’ll learn a lot!
Whether if it’s about the country you’re visiting, the person you’re traveling with, or even yourself – you’re bound to learn a thing or two along the way. Sven and I learned a lot about each other on this trip. For example, we started the beginning leg of this trip in Cancun because my friend and I were running in the Cancun Half Marathon. Long story short, we missed the package pickup, got stuck in traffic because the road back to our hotel was closed for the race, us girls had to pee really bad so we got out of the taxi in traffic to find a bathroom – by the time we got back we couldn’t find our taxi so we ran a mile down the road on the median trying to find it. We finally found it and thankfully the guys we still inside! A hour later, we made it back to the hotel and got changed into our race clothes, and then had to take a cab back to the start-line. Of course, we were so late that it wasn’t even there any more – she and I still ran even though we never had official times and were some of the “last” half marathoners to finish. After the race, traffic was (again) absolute madness, and we couldn’t get back to our hotel because the road was still closed. So we made the best of it and stayed out late at a restaurant even though we had just run 13 miles (in the rain partly) and were smelly and completely nasty. By the time we made it back to our hotel, I was so tired I couldn’t believe it. When I laid down in bed after taking (the most glorious) shower, Sven asked me how I was feeling and all I could come up with was, “I feel flat.” Keep in mind, all of this happened within the first 36 hours of our arrival! But we made the best of it and we didn’t let the stressfulness of the situation ruin our experience. It was interesting for me to learn how Sven navigates through stressful situations and I’m sure he learned a few things about me too 😉
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After the race – the stressful prologue to our Mayan holiday. Now off to Playa del Carmen!
Playa del Carmen
– Day 1 –
As soon as we arrived in Playa, we made a b-line to the closest open-air food market near the bus stop, Parque Leona Vicario – a little park right behind the vibrant blue wall. There you’ll find many options for authentic Mexican street food. We went for the vegetarian burritos which were super tasty and cost maybe 1 US dollar. While I was eating mine, half of the avocado fell out the back and onto the ground… talk about heart breaking.
After snacking, we walked to our Airbnb and got checked in. On the way there, we stopped at a different markey and picked up some cookies and coconut water which we enjoyed while taking an afternoon dip in the rooftop pool. If you every find yourself in Playa del Carmen, I would truly recommend booking with Piero – our Airbnb host. Everything was so nice and I feel like we had the best of both world – luxury lodging at an unbeatable price. Obviously there were cheaper options, but I think we found a great middle ground between “resort holiday” and “local digs” 🙂
After getting a bit of afternoon sun, we got ready for dinner and walked the streets of Playa for a while before deciding on a restaurant for dinner, Trattoria Del Centro. Sven and I are mostly vegetarians, but we’ll try meat every once in a while like we did this night. We tried a dish with boar hoof and a dish with octopus! I didn’t like either of them but I think that’s because I don’t really like meat. The wine was delicious and I enjoyed the salad and bread we had – I liked the atmosphere of the restaurant a lot, so if you like meat, check this place out 🙂
After that, we made our way home and hit the hay!
Playa del Carmen
– Day 2 –
Brunching
We started the morning with breakfast on the terrace – Sven got up early and went to the market to pick up a few things (more market details to follow) – I slept in.
Searching for Beaches
After a relaxing morning, we packed a few snacks and then made our way to the beach. We were looking for a spot that was a little less packed, so we made our way north to Coco Beach which is past most of the resort beaches (because we hate being around other people 😉 )
If you like to avoid crowds and want a more relaxing, quiet beach experience, head north of the main beach access to Coco beach. We got there by trespassing (I think) through The Reef at Coco Beach‘s access point – but you can also get there by walking north on the beach. We stayed here until the sun started to set behind us and then packed our things and walked back along the beach. Sven was on a mission to go back to the market – he really does love food!
If you are ever in Playa and are looking for a market place that has everything, please go to the Mega Comercial Mexicana. There you will find so many great options for food, wine, sunscreen and anything else you might need without having to pay the inflated prices which you’ll find on 5th Avenue. I was obsessed with the price of Nutella – less than $2.50 in USD! Yes please – I even bought a jar to bring home. From there, we went home and enjoed some wine on the terrace and then got ready for dinner
This little restaurant, La Cueva del Chango (which means “monkey’s cave”) was so delicious and very charming. I would absolutely recommend this place as one of my top picks for are quiet, romantic dinner in Playa if you’re looking for something with “jungle vibes”!
To be continued….
