Playa del Carmen & Cozumel: some quick tips

this one will be quick because so were my stops here — i don’t even have many photos so this should tell you how in-and-out i was. but here are couple recos!

playa del carmen

this place is touristy hell tbh, i’m talkin señor frogs, subway (and every other fast food chain), tacky souvenir shops and everyone on the street trying to sell you them along with cocaine. i know there is a decent digital nomad community here and amazing airbnbs, and the beach would be nice if it wasnt so crowded, but for me it was a stopover on the ADO bus from tulum to cozumel. 

heres what i do recommend:

100% natural is delish healthy food, yumyum for amazing thai or indian (kinda a random spot but it was good). my friend julie recommended Zenzi which is right on the beach. come to playa if you need stuff like old navy or victoria’s secret, or come to stay in one of the beautiful resorts because the ocean is turquoise and pretty, i’ve been here with my family a couple times when i was younger!

i stayed at selina, it was a perfect location by the beach and ADO station but the grossest selina i’ve stayed at, usually they are so nice. sayab hostel is supposed to be a nice hostel here. 

cozumel

i came here for diving!! my dives had a couple of hiccups but the visibility was unreal and i saw a turtle, stingray, tons of beautiful fish like angel fish, midnight blue parrot fish, lobsters, lion fish, etc. the reef at palancar caves was sooo amazing, beautiful and giant and some tunnels to cruise through. cozumel’s diving is some of the best of the world because of its viz, the water is so blue and warm! i dove with diego from mau diving on scuba life’s boat.

the hostel scene in cozumel is not huge espesh during covid, but i stayed at and collabed with what everyone said is the best one, Amigos, and loved my stay here! it was quiet so i had a nice afternoon by the pool, stayed in the private room and was able to catch up on some sleep. the owner kathy makes you feel very covid safe and gives you amazing local recos, like k’ooben!

k’ooben is an italian restaurant with amazing fresh handmade pasta and foccacia bread to start, it is absolutely delish and on a cute string-lit patio and cost me $6 cad for my meal so i am a FAN. 

hemingways bar was recommended to me by a few people and i could see why, go for sunset for live music and ocean views. 

to get to cozumel you take a 30-min, $220 peso ferry from the playa del carmen pier, ferries in general leave every hour but check because during covid they’re diff (there is no ferry from 1-5pm), and prep some gravol if you get seasick and its a windy day!

honestly thats about it for my cozumel recos, there are other spots like beach bars with my mom’s favourite coconut shrimp if you wanna explore the island, it’s a big cruise stop and i’ve been here twice before but this time was specifically for diving!

let me know if you have any qs or want me to help plan your trip through my business, Adventurelust! ✨