subject: Vacationing in the Caribbean: Charming Hotel, All inclusive or Rental? by:Sophie de Lagarde [print this page] If your idea was spending some time enjoying the Caribbean's clear waters and warm sun your next vacation, Riviera maya is a good choice.
Playa del Carmen has now become one of the World's most popular and sought after tourist destinations in less than a decade. Offering alabaster-white beaches, gentle surf, coral reefs, Mayan ruins and now the World famous 5th Avenue, Playa del Carmen has become the destination of choice for tourism from all over the World. Offering a strong European flare, Playa offers an abundance of fantastic restaurants and outrageous nightlife scene. Conveniently located 30 miles from Cancun International Airport to the North and Ocean Front Mayan Ruins in Tulum to the South, makes Playa del Carmen the central gateway to the great Riviera Maya. You can get a good glance at it through the Playa del Carmen video .
Now the place is set, but where should you stay? It probably depends of what kind of vacationer you are, if you are with friends, family, kids all of this might also change your opinion on the kind of place you wish to stay at.
Anyways, to give you a better idea of what you can get, let's study all the options Riviera Maya gives you for your stay:
The Charming Hotel downtown: Playa del Carmen features many little downtown hotels, charming, cosy, local note or modern and stylish. It is a very good option to enjoy Playa's boutiques along its world famous Fifth Avenue, breakfasts in cafes on the pedestrian streets or on the beach, bars, dining out picking among the numerous fancy restaurants. You can also walk to the beach, with many options or beach club of your choice.
The All Inclusive in Playacar: The Playacar Resort, connected to the southern edge of Playa del Carmen, is an upscale gated community; Playacar Phase I, is the residential beachfront section and is adjacent to the town; Playacar Phase II is the more recent section and is beautifully landscaped around brick-lined boulevards and the 18 hole Golf Course designed by Robert Von Hage; Playacar Club de Golf is a challenging championship course carved out of the lush Mayan jungle. Playacar has also a lovely aviary, new shopping mall and bike paths. All the All Inclusive hotels are situated along the beach in Playacar Phase II. They offer beautiful restaurants, exciting animation, amazing beaches, within only a 5-minute taxi ride to all Playa del Carmen's downtown marvels.
The All Inclusive hotel on Riviera Maya: There is another type of all inclusive hotel you can find in the region, the one being several miles north or south of Playa del Carmen. With typically the same service of great food, and beautiful beaches, these hotels tend to isolate you a little more, from Playa del Carmen downtown.
If you were not thinking getting out of your hotel, you are fine
The rental villa in Playacar: Mainly situated in Playacar Phase I, many stunning villas are offered to potential renters. The rental service in the Riviera Maya is high end and all inclusive. All the villas are air conditioned, come with bed linens, towels, fully equipped kitchen and laundry rooms, usually maid service every other day, and you get a free local cell phone for the duration of your stay. For those who have already experienced renting in Europe, it is VERY different: the standard here is luxury, for no additional price From your villa in Playacar, enjoy nature and calm and walk in ten minutes to downtown Playa del Carmen.
The rental condo downtown: With basically the same service quality criteria as the above, Playa features many brand new condos downtown with very high quality materials finishing and decoration. Walk to everywhere; enjoy downtown nightlife at your door.
In either case condo or villa, the renting in Playa is generally a cheaper solution than hotelling for the same feature of quality, moreover if your party is larger than 4. When you rent you quickly get into "living in Mexico mode." You actually become part of the community as you become a regular at the shops and markets. Dealing with neighbours, shop keepers and caretakers is the fastest way to perfect your Spanish!
Car renting: If your villa is located in Playacar Phase II, or if your kind of vacation includes moving around to visit all of Yucatan's marvels, you may wish to rent a car; then do it directly from the airport. If you stay downtown or Playacar Phase I, you do not need one, taxis are a lot easier to move around, inclusively to and from the Cancun airport. Though, if you decide to stay in a rental place, you might take as a good tip to rent a car from the airport for a couple of days until you get settled.
Now that the general picture is drawn, you just have to make your choice. Enjoy your holiday!
