Playa del Carmen, Riviera Maya, Mexico: 5th Avenue/Quinta Avenida; things to do

5th Avenue/Quinta Avenida in Playa del Carmen

Playa del Carmen’s pedestrian-only main street--5th Avenue/Quinta Avenida--runs parallel to the ocean.  It is lined with open-air bars and restaurants and shops and for pedestrians only.  You’ll find everything from designer clothes and upscale jewelry to Maya carvings and colorful Mexican handicrafts.  More shops are found on cobblestone side streets.

clothing stand on 5th Avenue/Quinta Avenida in Playa del Carmen, Mexico

More things to do in the Riviera Maya.

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image c2012 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Riviera Maya, Mexico: Coba; things to do

COBA  

Is about 40 miles/30 min. inland from Tulum. 

This sprawling, atmospheric ruin is right in the jungle amid lush vegetation.  Most of it remains unexcavated.  The main pyramid, Nohuch Mul, is 138 feet tall and the highest Maya pyramid in Mexico.  You can still climb it, and a safety rope is strung along the steps.  Visitors can walk between the ruin sites, but it is more fun to ride a bike (they are free) or take an inexpensive bike taxi for two.  You’ll see beautiful peche trees with multi-colored thin trunks that match the tones of the stone ruins, smell the citronella from insect repellent, and hear loud, loud birdsong.  Coba is estimated to have had at least 50,000 inhabitants at its peak.  The site has two ball game courts. 

 








More things to do in the Riviera Maya.

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videos c2012 Carole Terwilliger Meyers
updated 1-14-18

Tulum, Riviera Maya, Mexico: Ana y Jose Charming Hotel & Spa; hotel review

Ana y Jose Charming Hotel & Spa  

In hotel zone, 4 mi. S. of Tulum archaeological site, 011-52-998-880-60-22.  23 rooms + 1 villa.  4 rooms with TV.  Pool; full-service spa.  No smoking; no pets. 

guest room patio at Ana y Jose Charming Hotel & Spa in Tulum, Mexico

Begun with just four guest rooms in 1984 and still owned by the same family, this aptly-named hotel was then a simple palapas-on-the-beach-style lodging that attracted an alternative clientele.  Located off the main highway, down an ungroomed, jungle-edged side street, about four miles south of the Tulum archaeological site, the Ana y Jose Charming Hotel & Spa remains simple but has upgraded to subtle luxury.  The hippies are gone now from this area, and it has become a favorite of celebrities.  Politicians from around the world have stayed at Ana y Jose’s, as did one of the Fab Four not too long ago.  Because the hotel is located in a natural national park, strict policies require hotel staff to do many things themselves, including produce electricity both by a generator and solar energy and to use a water treatment plant.  Guests check in upstairs in an open-air, tree house-like lobby.  The answer to a problem seems to always be “no problem.”  The bulk of the resort is located across the quiet street, right on the sand.  The sand-floored restaurant has an ocean view and plenty of good wine.  The specialty is Mexican cuisine and sea food--chilaquiles for breakfast, a great ceviche.  Flaming dishes and Cuban cigars are also on the menu.  Italian and Argentinean restaurants are nearby off property.  A communal freshwater swimming pool is surrounded by full-size beach beds, and beach equipment includes palapas, chairs, and netted lounge beds.  Guest rooms have thatched palapa roofs and both a ceiling fan and air conditioning.



More things to do in the Riviera Maya.

More ideas for exploring Canada and Mexico.

image c2012 Carole Terwilliger Meyers