Playa del Carmen

This is a beach town first. The sand runs the whole length of town, from the busy stretch north of the ferry pier, lined with beach clubs, music and sunbeds, to the wider, quieter sand of Playacar in the south and the calmer northern end around Punta Esmeralda. The water is warm, clear and turquoise all year, around 27°C in winter and closer to 29°C in late summer, and the reef offshore keeps much of it gentle for swimming.

The best beaches are a short colectivo ride away: the soft white sand of Xpu-Ha and the sheltered bays around Akumal to the south, Puerto Morelos to the north, and the island of Cozumel across the strait by ferry. The town beaches are narrow in places and crowded near the centre. Mats of sargassum seaweed wash up in some summers, mostly between May and September, so winter and spring are the most reliable months for clear water.

Eating here splits in two. Along Quinta Avenida, the pedestrian main street, restaurants serve to the crowds, with plenty of grilled seafood, margaritas and Italian or Argentine menus of uneven quality. A few blocks inland, around the streets numbered in the twenties and thirties, the town eats differently: taco stands with al pastor turning on the spit, cochinita pibil and other Yucatecan dishes, and fresh ceviche at simple marisquerías.

A long-settled international community, many of them Italian and Argentine, means good pizza, pasta and coffee are easy to find. There is no market hall worth a visit and little fine dining, so this is a place for pleasant, casual meals rather than a reason to travel.

Playa del Carmen grew from a small fishing village into a resort town in the late twentieth century, so there is very little to see in the town itself. The small Maya ruins of Xaman Ha sit among the villas of Playacar, and the simple white chapel of Nuestra Señora del Carmen, the patron who gave the town its name, faces the sea from the square by the ferry pier. Beyond that, a handful of art galleries along the pedestrian streets fill an hour. The real heritage of the region, the Maya cities on the coast and in the jungle, lies outside town and takes a day out.

Going out is a big part of why many people choose Playa del Carmen over quieter towns on this coast. The centre of it is Calle 12 and the blocks where it meets Quinta Avenida, a short strip of open-fronted bars and clubs playing reggaeton, house and EDM until the early hours, with a large spectacle-style club for big nights out. Beach clubs run day parties, and rooftop bars on the avenue fill up at sunset.

The crowd is young and international, and the scene is loud, late and simple rather than varied. Those wanting a quieter drink head to the mezcal bars and small cocktail places on the side streets further north. Touts and inflated drink prices are part of the strip.

The landscape is flat limestone jungle, and its great feature lies underground and offshore. Inland from the coast road are dozens of cenotes, the flooded sinkholes and caves of the Yucatán, where you can snorkel or dive in startlingly clear fresh water along the Ruta de los Cenotes. Offshore runs the Mesoamerican Reef, and the walls and drifts off Cozumel are among the best known dive sites in the Caribbean.

Akumal's bay is known for green turtles, and further south the Sian Ka'an biosphere reserve offers lagoons, mangroves and birdlife by boat. Kitesurfing, paddleboarding and cycling the coast are easy to arrange. What is missing is hiking: there are no hills, and summer heat and humidity make long walks hard going.

Playa del Carmen sits in the middle of the Riviera Maya, which makes it a practical base for the region's Maya sites. The walled ruins of Tulum stand on a cliff above the sea about 45 minutes south, and the jungle city of Coba, with its tall pyramid and long white roads, is about an hour and a half away. Cozumel, a short ferry crossing, adds an island town of its own.

Inland, the colonial town of Valladolid and the ruins of Ek Balam make a full day, and Chichen Itza is just over two hours by road, a long but popular outing. Isla Mujeres and Cancun lie to the north. Beyond these, the list thins into resorts and eco-parks.

For families this coast works well. The large eco-parks of Xcaret, Xel-Ha and Xplor lie just outside town, combining underground rivers, snorkelling lagoons, zip lines and wildlife in full days built around children. The sea is warm and often calm inside the reef, shallow cenotes make memorable swims, and Akumal's turtles thrill older children.

Many families stay in the all-inclusive resorts of Playacar to the south or in apartments north of the centre, which are quieter than the streets around Calle 12. The town is compact and Mexican culture is warm towards children. The drawbacks are humid summer heat, strong sun and a nightlife strip close to the centre.

The town centre is small and flat, and most visitors walk everywhere they need along Quinta Avenida and the beach. For the coast, shared colectivo vans run up and down Highway 307 from a stop in the centre, cheap and easy to hop off at a beach or cenote. Long-distance buses link Playa with Cancun airport, Tulum and Valladolid, the ferry crosses to Cozumel, and the Tren Maya line has a station on the edge of town.

Within town there is no real public transport beyond taxis, which are unmetered, so agree the fare first. A hire car makes the cenotes and inland ruins much easier, and the main coast road is straightforward to drive.

Shopping means Quinta Avenida, several kilometres of pedestrian street lined with shops selling beachwear, silver, tequila, cigars, hammocks and Mexican crafts such as Talavera pottery, embroidered blouses and Huichol beadwork. The southern end near the ferry is the most touristic; further north there are a few boutiques for linen clothing and local design. An open-air mall near the pier carries international brands. There is no real market or luxury district, and much of what is sold is souvenirs, so compare quality before buying crafts.

Playa del Carmen costs noticeably more than most of Mexico, because almost everything is built for international visitors. Hotels in the centre and the resorts of Playacar, meals on Quinta Avenida, beach clubs and the big eco-parks are priced close to those in Western Europe or the United States. Diving trips and tours add up quickly.

It can be done much more cheaply. Apartments and small guesthouses a few blocks back from the beach, taco stands and family-run kitchens inland, colectivo vans along the coast and free public beaches keep daily spending modest. A traveller who eats where residents eat and skips the parks and beach clubs will spend far less than the resort strip suggests.

There is little in the way of formal performance. Bars on Quinta Avenida have live bands, often salsa, rock covers or mariachi, and fire dancers perform on the beach at night. The best known show is the large evening spectacle at the Xcaret park, which tells Mexican history through music, dance and the Maya ball game. Beyond that there is no theatre season or concert life to speak of, so anyone wanting opera or serious music will find nothing here.

Unwinding here comes mostly through resort spas, beachfront massages and a good number of yoga studios, especially in the quieter streets north of the centre. The one tradition with local roots is the temazcal, a Maya sweat-lodge ceremony with herbs and chanting, offered at spas and retreats around town and along the coast.

The pace in most of the town is easy, set by the beach and the heat. The exception is the area around Calle 12 and the southern end of Quinta Avenida, where music runs late, so those who come to rest choose a resort in Playacar or a place near the northern beaches.