Playa del Carmen Mexico Quinta Aveneda Feliz Navidad
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Why I Love Playa Del Carmen, Mexico

A few years ago, we had the good fortune of spending a few months hanging out on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. We were surprised at how much we loved the area. With so much to do and being surrounded by some of our favorite foods, we instantly felt at home here. For that trip we decided to make Playa Del Carmen our base of operations and it turned out to be perfect for our needs.

Between the miles and miles of gorgeous white sand beaches, the many local attractions, the cheap transportation and easy access to shopping centers, Playa del Carmen had everything we….

Akumal Mexico Turtle Diving
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The DIY Guide to Snorkeling with Endangered Sea Turtles in Akumal Mexico

The Mayan Riviera has a reputation for being expensive and touristy. There’s some truth to this, but it’s possible to check out some of the best sites in the area for not much more than the cost of decent latte. The little beach town of Akumal wins big points for delivering one of the coolest attractions in the area for almost nothing: snorkeling with endangered green sea turtles.

Best of Playa Del Carmen Restaurants
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Best of Playa Del Carmen Restaurants

Eating out in Playa del Carmen can be expensive. Many of Playa’s restaurants, especially those on Quinta Avenida (Fifth Avenue) cater to the tourist crowd. While some are fantastic, they cater almost exclusively to tourists, and the prices reflect it.

Since we were in town for a couple of months, we spent some time finding out where the locals go for a taste of the real and affordable Playa del Carmen. This is in no way a complete list of Playa’s restaurants, but they are some of our favorites. Feel free to check any of them the next time you’re down there.

Best Breakfast: La Cueva Del Chango

With it’s unique garden style patio, and turtle and poi pond under a concrete canopy fitted with glass bottles to let in the sun, La Cueva Del Chango was by far our favorite breakfast place. The decor definitely makes the place stand out, however the food was delicious and a decent price as well. The kids loved walking around and watching the turtles. Their french toast was Charles’ favorite, but Micki and kids loved their granola concoction.

Calle 38 North between 5th and 10th

Best Pizza: Pizza Bella Vita

When we first arrived and asked people for suggestions on restaurants this place came up more than once. Seems that it was on everyone’s favorite list. After trying it for ourselves it quickly became a regular staple. Only a block from Mamitas Beach, we either stopped here before heading to the beach or on our way back. The pizza melted in your mouth and the calzones were incredibly light and crunchy. The place is run by a young Italian owner and is fairly new. They have some odd topping selections, but after trying most of them out you can’t go…

Christmas in Playa del Carmen
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Post Christmas Trauma and Other Non Existent Things

First things first, Merry Christmas everyone from beautiful Playa Del Carmen, Mexico!

Now that that’s out of the way, here’s what we’ve been up to these past few weeks. The last time I posted I was explaining the daily grind and the more mundane facts of life we’ve been living. I would love to talk about all the incredible things we do on a regular day in this paradise like setting we find ourselves in but it would only lead to your heartbreak and our self delusions.The reality is that we don’t do much everyday. Between entertaining the kids and us researching our next leg of the trip, we barely have time to lounge by the crystal clear blue ocean or our pool (which we do almost daily). We barely have time to drink the 2 or 3 fruit smoothies we constantly inhale. We also barely have time to walk around in the +28 Celsius sunny sky weather we’re forced to endure day in and day out.

Yup, it’s a hard life we live. I say that all with a mischievious grin and a shake of my head. If only life was always like this. Please don’t get me wrong. We’re loving this lifestyle and to us no price is too high to live like this.

Beach Playa del Carmen, Mexico
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The Daily Routine

Hey everyone. Sorry for not putting up any new posts but this past week has flown by without much fanfare. It’s been a little cooler here and as such we’ve been enjoying the simpler things in life. We did enjoy a few days by the beach though. We also spent a few days walking around town and finally got the chance to check out the shops on Juarez Street. We even went to the mall (Centro Maya) to let the kids play the arcades and did some Christmas toy browsing while we were there. In short, it’s been pretty low key.

Today, I woke up with the realization that December wasflying by. I also noticed how we’ve fallen into a pretty set routine most days. It’s amazing how quickly that can happen after only a month and a half in one place. I find that most of our days are getting pretty quiet…

Tulum Ruins by the Sea
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Tulum, The Ruins and A Beach I Could Call Home

Yesterday we decided it was finally time to check out Akumal. We’ve heard nothing but great things about it since we got here. It’s always been high on our list of things to do but for some reason a month had gone by and we still hadn’t gone. Well that changed yesterday and I’m pleased to announce that we all had a good time. Before I get into it though, I suppose I should add a thing or two (or knowing me a hundred) about our three night escape to Tulum. I’m sure you got quite the earful in Cole’s post but he only talked about one day and we all know 5 year olds can never be quite trusted. Especially when iguanas, a trampoline, cheese and mayonnaise sandwiches are involved. 😉 We decided to take a bus to Tulum simply because we thought it would be easier than taking a collectivo…