Walking to Playa Del Carmen (all about shopping and eating)

We were staying at the Sandos Caracol Eco-Resort and Spa while in Mexico. Before heading down there, I researched how much it would be to take the taxi to the city and if there were any other options available as it was located pretty close to the resort. I toyed with the idea of perhaps biking but the bike rentals at the resort were solely for resort use only. The other option that crossed my mind was walking but walking along the highway can be pretty dangerous if there weren't any sidewalks. Then I stumbled upon others who have posted on trip adviser saying that walking along the beach was possible and it would take about 90 minutes. That wasn't such a bad idea and to be table to explore the other areas of the beach side, walking towards a destination while getting a tan seems like a win-win situation to me! Now, trying to convince my other half was something I was going to work on once we landed and stayed at the resort.

Craig was not sure about walking along the beach and unsure about the safety not knowing what we may come across which makes sense but I think it would be pretty safe. We even told one of our trusty waiters at the Italian Restaurant, Jesus, about our plan that day to walk to Playa Del Carmen and taking the cab back. His face lit up in shock and jokingly said that it would take a very long time to get there (he said a day in exaggeration) and that he even finds the trek hard just from the entrance of the gate to the entrance of the resort itself. But it was something for us to try.

We left early that day and headed down south of the beach (past the elite section) at around 10 am so we do not get the blazing sun later on assuming it would take us 90 minutes as most people quoted. It was a very nice walk with the sounds of soothing beach waves and feeling the sand and water between your toes. We walked closer to the water as the sand was more firm there. The trek on softer sand makes it hard on the shines and calves and it was only day 2 of our stay so far in Mexico and we would like to ensure we weren't going to be limping from pain anytime soon.

There were quite a few seaweeds on the beach and we passed by a few other resorts along the way comparing them to ours. We notice most of the maintenance workers raking the dead and decomposed seaweeds to deter sand flies from making their homes on the beach so near to the resorts. We also passed by a few deserted buildings that we guessed and hypothesized on what happened to them to pass the time while walking. There were many locals that we passed along the way, some fishermen preparing their nets for a big catch or two. After passing by resorts, we saw what looked like a city but based on the time, it was not going to be Playa del Carmen. It was Punta Esmeralda and it was a cute little place that many locals including school children on field trips learning to scuba dive. There was this little lagoon area with clear light blue water that was ankle deep that you had to cross in order to continue down the beach towards Playa del Carmen. If you were a bit peckish, there were a couple of local stands selling chips and pop that you could stop by. We just took it in and kept on trekking.

We could see some sort of port as there were about a dozen or so boats docked there. Just behind them, we could see what seemed like the ferry that would take people to the Island of Cozumel. I didn't think we were that close to Playa del Carmen but the ferry was a give-away. We kept on walking until we saw some kind of sign. Again, we passed some abandoned unfinished buildings. They looked like a resort that never came into fruition but the one nearby could easily incorporate it to their existing place. We came upon the dock with the boats and and Craig noticed one of the signs on the side of a building store saying "Playa del Carmen." I was unsure about that. In addition, as you passed the dock, the beach abruptly ended. The only thing we did was to keep going and see if there was anything around the corner to the right.

Once we turned the corner, we saw the big city and had arrived at our destination! We quickly checked the time and we made it in about 1 hour to the edge of the city. It took another 10 minutes to get into the city via the many entrance ways. We ended up taking the first and second (we walked there a couple of days later but entered the first entrance instead of the second).The first entrance you see with the concrete wall that leads into Quinta Avenida (the famous 5th Avenue) from 40th Calle. The second entrance would take you to 38th Calle.

Quinta Avenida is full of shops and restaurants. And you will be "invited" to come see the shops and eat at their restaurants. Be warned that many will take note of which resort you are from based on the colour of your bracelet and say that they work at your resort in the buffet and that it is their day off to get you to go into their store. In talking with one taxi driver, many earn a living based on commissions so selling you something is better than selling you nothing. So haggle away as many will haggle.

In the Avenue, you will see many of the same familiar shops and restaurant chains like Aldo (for Gelato) every 2-3 blocks as well as a mall with American Eagle and Forever XII. We ate gelato every chance we got as it's a nice cold delicious treat when it's so hot and especially good after a long walk! We noticed that the further you are away from the main strips from Calle 1 to about Avenida Constituyentes, the cheaper things become. We got a great deal for 20 pesos less at a small gelato place on 38th Calle called "Come Gelato". You will shop like there's no tomorrow so taking a taxi home is a great idea unless you prefer using the Collectivo (cheaper and faster). I recommend a visit to one of the Ah Cacao cafes there to take in some awesome chocolate drinks. We sat at the one on 30th Calle which was less crowded. I had the Chocolate Mayan drink (soooooo good and satisfying with no dairy) and a piece of chocolate cake and carrot cake. I recommend the drinks. I also bought some souvenirs from their store. If you do buy, leave it as the last stop before leaving the city as the hot weather will surly melt the goods.

We planned to go to the bus station on Calle 1 and Av. Juarez, which was basically near the other end of the city to check out the schedule, price and get tickets for our bus to Coba the next day. We didn't take as much pesos out so we wanted to see how much things we be first and the best thing was ... there was a Scotia Bank right across the bus station. It was perfect for us! There are many Scotia Banks here and you will also see HSBC as well. It will cost an extra 9 pesos as the service charge but it isn't that bad really. The machine across the bus station only dispensed pesos too.

We did venture off to 10th Avenue to get away from the hustle and bustle of the 5th and found some great little gems along the way. One was a juice shop that had a sign that said MariaBonita - Mexican Breakfast and Seafood Cocina. In all honesty, I wasn't sure if it was that as the sign didn't fit with the products they were selling which was fresh juices that included detox juices and alkakine juices for those who are more health conscious. The owner spoke English well and is all about juice therapy. The juice shop was located between 7th ad 8th Calle on 10th Avenue. I highly recommend this place. We also had a beef empanada at the cafe next to it which was very good too! There is so much to eat and shop around this area that you will not get bored of it and there are street vendors and artists too if you are lucky to go at the same time they happened to be there. We bought many small art for people and to help out local artists. Happy eating and shopping!


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