Playa del Carmen’s colorful, historical landscape
The legendary white sands of Playa del Carmen grace the northeastern Caribbean coast of the Yucatán peninsula, from the sun-drenched beaches of Cancún (40 miles to the north), to the warm off-shore waters of the island of Cozumel (Ah Cuzamil Petén), known to the ancient Mayans as the “island of the swallows.”
Historians tells us that the coastal region of the Playa del Carmen, once known as the “waters of the north,” was a favorite stop-over for early Mayan travelers crisscrossing the peninsula en route to other Mayan cities. The peaceful shores of this picturesque tropical paradise also served as a convenient stepping-stone for young Mayan maidens who made sacred visits to the fertility goddess, Ix-Chel, wife of the resident sun-god, Itzámna.
As long as 1,700 years ago, Playa del Carmen’s soft beaches and shallow sapphire-laced lagoons provided refuge, refreshment and renewal to waves of ancient travelers yearning to explore and experience its wealth and breath-taking beauty.
They still do.
The ‘Playa’ paradise still beckons the fun-loving traveler
Today, that same gentle beauty still lays exposed beneath its white sandy beaches. Caribbean breezes still caress its quiet shore and warm blue waters, inviting the weary traveler to savor the sacred solitude of its jungles, teeming with exotic wildlife and timeless history.
Today, Playa del Carmen is still the vacationer’s playground of choice, and the weary traveler’s favorite refuge. Young brazen warriors and their seasoned sages … young bronzed maidens and their patron goddesses, still conduct their sacred pilgrimages to these vibrant, sun-filled shores.
But today’s sun-drenched pilgrims are no longer content to travel in primitive dug-out canoes, or forage the jungle floor and ocean depths for food, or wait patiently for that occasional wisp of pleasure. Not now. Not ever again.
The sapphire waters are just as blue, and the white sands just as warm and inviting. And the coastal jungles are still brimming with sound and color and life. There’s something new. Something fresh and exciting. Something that ignites the passions and stirs the modern, pleasure-seeking pilgrim’s soul again …
Playa del Carmen’s exotic pleasure offerings are legion
The luxury attractions that Playa del Carmen offers today’s vacation traveler and adventure enthusiast are limitless. Maybe it’s an exciting adventure in archaeological exploration that you desire. Or maybe it’s a simple as cruising the intricate web of quaint shops and corner cafés, or enjoying a taste of local culture with endless offerings of local foods. If you’re an incurable fun-lover, you might spend your best hours frolicking on warm white sandy beaches, or celebrating night-life, complete with exotic foods, native dancing, Caribbean and European style entertainment, including the latest in modern dance and restaurant venues.
But Playa del Carmen is also your supreme sun, water and sea-breeze wonderland for water sports aficionados.
Here’s just a taste of the exciting options you’ll enjoy:
- Swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving, wind-surfing, sailing and parasailing, zip-lining, or even sky-diving, mountain climbing, and other extreme sports for the more daring.
- Eco-expeditions, jungle crossings, and archaeological tours of ancient Mayan sites like Tulum, Coba, and Chichen Itza.
- Underwater exploration of the Great Mayan Reef (the second largest coral reef system on the planet), subterranean river systems and exotic jungle lagoons.
- More leisurely activities like boating, catamaran tours, aviaries, museums and wildlife sanctuaries.
- A host of family-friendly activities for those traveling with children.
Our traveler’s pleasure menu wouldn’t be complete if we failed to mention one small tantalizing detail: The Playa del Carmen paradise is blessed with some of the finest restaurants on earth, featuring the greatest foods found anywhere, from authentic, exotic, native Mexican cuisine, to a wide range of European specialties … and, would you believe, an entire community of the best Italian restaurants outside of Italy.
But the Mayan maiden that is Playa del Carmen offers a variety of simple pleasures and a pot-pourri of grass-roots delights as well: quaint white-washed shops and stores strung side by side like natural pearls, cobble-stone streets and curbs, and outdoor markets bristling with fresh produce and hand-crafted treasures.
Or maybe you just prefer a short peaceful stroll back to the warm white sandy beach where your own canoe is anchored in the shallow sapphire waters just offshore.
Whatever your pleasure, now’s the moment to enjoy that simple return to paradise that you’ve always wanted. Because Playa del Carmen is the best of all possible worlds…
Your world.
