Festival of Guadalupe
by Dabs
The was the 2nd time we've been in Mexico for the Festival of Guadalupe which is held on December 12th and celebrates the Virgin of Guadalupe and her appearance to Juan Diego telling him to build a church in Guadalupe. It's not a public holiday but is said to be one of the most important religious holidays in Mexico.
In Puerto Vallarta, there was a multiple day festival which included a nightly procession and street vendors selling food. In Playa del Carmen, we happened upon the procession with trucks decorated with pictures of the virgin followed by people singing and holding candles. Each resort in Playacar seemed to have a group of people in the procession, we saw several of them assembling as we were walking into town. Even though the groups were from the resorts, this didn't appear to be staged for tourists as it's held off 5th Avenue and we were among the few tourists seeing it.
Swimming in a Cenote
by whitneyone
There are hundreds of cenot'es you can swim in around the Playa Del Carmen Area. Some totally in a cove, some half exposed, some fully exposed. Lots of scuba divers LOVE cave diving. We went, on a recommendation to one called "the taj majal"
We should have guessed by the name, that it wasn't exactly that!
Ok, it was amazing, it was pretty, but what I love about the Caribbean is the warm water.
That doesn't happen in a cenote. Cold water, scuba divers who said it was amazing underwater where you could actually get down below and in parts you couldn't just swim into. They were using a light, for obvious reasons.
If anyone knows an amazing Cenote to swim in, please let me know, I'd like to see what the magic is all about!
Sports bar in Playa del Carmen
by SWFC_Fan about Sport Bar
I stopped at Sport Bar for a couple of cold beers on the afternoon that I visited Playa del Carmen in February 2006.
In Playa del Carmen, the main drag (Avenida Quinta, or Fifth Avenue) houses a huge selection of bars and restaurants aimed at the huge tourist crowds. I decided to take a wander off the main drag and went a few blocks inland to discover Sport Bar on Avenida Norte.
This large green and white fronted bar, complete with the names of Mexican beer brands and large model beer cans decorating the bar's exterior, is easy to spot on what is otherwise a pretty sparsely occupied street.
The airy interior is sparsely furnished (with wooden tables and green plastic chairs) and the few other customers in the place at the time of my visit were locals. The walls are decorated with photos of Playa del Carmen from years gone by (black and white photos of the beach and of fishermen with their catch), and a couple of TV sets were tuned into a local sports channel showing highlights of European football games. There is a pool table in the back of the bar.
The bar offers a limited food menu, most of which is seafood. A seafood cocktail costs 120 Pesos, shrimp cocktail 70/80 Pesos and a fillet of fish 65 Pesos. Brandy, rum, vodka and tequila cost 40 Pesos a glass.
The bottled beers were "2 for 1" at the time of my visit, so I paid 35 Pesos for 2 bottles of Sol, served with sliced limes, salt, a bowl of nibbles and a plate of cucumber and olives.
A cool, laid-back bar off the beaten tourist path.
Pizza Banana: My Favourite Pizza in Playa
by Kaspian about Pizza Banana
After a day of swimming and lying around on the beach, I loved grabbing a slice of pizza from Pizza Banana on the way back to my hotel. The slices were really cheap, only about 10 pesos, but they're the best pizza I think I've ever had. The restaurant itself isn't very much to look at, very clean inside--but what they cook is seriously close to being holy. My mouth waters whenever I think about it.
I've recently learned that Pizza Banana was in the top 3 finalists for best pizza in Playa according to Playa Maya News. Vegetarian pizza with tomatoes and black olives.
Blue Parrot Beach Bar
by lisaballetgirl
Hands down this is the best bar I have ever been to! Oriental carpets lay on the sand, pillows are tossed around the low tables. A thatch roof adds atmosphere over head. Hanging rope swings surround the bar. This feels exotic. The sound of the ocean waves can be heard over the house music. Swaying Palm trees and fresh air complete the aphrodisiac. The evening dancing starts with what else but professional fire dancers. As far as I am concerned this bar is playa's crown jewel.
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5th Avenue
LATTE
Cafe Corazon (2008)
Xlapak (2007)
