This year my family and I escaped the cold and commercialism of Christmas and fled to Playa Del Carmen for 2017. My mother was thrilled to avoid spending hours waiting in line-ups and traffic for Christmas presents, ingredients for indulgent meals and unpacking boxes of Christmas decorations.
Playa Del Carmen
We stayed at a beautiful Airbnb just a few blocks walking to the beach and right behind the Mexican version of Walmart, Mega, which my father adored since his favorite tequila was a third of the price there! My favorite restaurant was Nativo; you can get a liter smoothie for under $2.00, I got one stuffed with celery, parsley, and fresh orange juice. Also, a great place to eat local food for cheap.
Tours:
One day was spent on a tour we booked through our
Airbnb to take a catamaran trip to Isla Mujeres.
Isla Mujeres
We planned another small daytrip, for $10, we took a taxi to go to the day club,
Grande Coral Beach. The beach was clean and beautiful, and you get a change of scenery from the busy, crowded beach near 5th ave.
Grande Coral Beach Club
A bit of a further trek, but well worth it, we took the ADO bus to Tulum, this was a neat jungle-like an oasis. If you are the adventurous type, book a kitesurfing lesson. We stayed for drinks and breakfast at
La Zebra, a posh boutique hotel on the beach. It costs $25/per person for food or beverages to park here for the day, but well worth it, as to stay in this boutique hotel is $700/night! There was a mixologist from New York making the drinks.
Tulum
Getting from -30 C to +30 C was the best present this year. You just can’t get a bow-tie around the sun! Anyone else have any interesting destination for the holidays? I need help planning next years escape!