Hotel Riu Palace Riviera Maya, Playacar, Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Riviera Maya, Mexico

While wandering along the white sand beaches of Playacar in Playa del Carmen, we stopped into the Riu Palace Riviera Maya. It has a prime location and the grounds of the property are just plain spectacular. The Spain based Riu chain has a number of beautiful properties throughout the Riviera Maya - (and the world for that matter) - they know how to do elegant and classy hotels!

And here are some happy tourists from cold and snowy Massachusetts, USA, enjoying a visit to the property.

Around Town, Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Riviera Maya, Mexico

I have passed the age and financial standing where I am willing to stay in inexpensive hostels if I have a better alternative, but if I weren't such a snob, which would I pick of these two? Let's see, does one stay in the Little Tequila Hotel, or, the Che Hotel? I guess the party animals stay at Little Tequila, and the aspiring revolutionaries stay at the Che. 

Note the haphazard stringing of electric, cable, and phone wires overhead, typical of some areas I've visited over the years.

A cigar maker demonstrates his hand rolling craft along the ever popular pedestrian mall of Avenida Cinco. Avenida Cinco stretches about 4 kilometers long  parallel to and a block off the beach in this popular tourist town.  It's THE place to see and be seen. Hundreds of shops, restaurants, clubs, hotels, and hawkers of anything and everything vie for the attention and money of passersby.

It's cloudy and cool today but "Playa"still is full of people out and about. Playa del Carmen is the third most populated town in the state of Quintana Roo.

The Little Cow is a nightclub near the beach in town. This life size sculpture hangs from the proscenium arch at the street entrance.  Odd choice in theme but, who am I to say.

Riu Palace Hotel, Playacar, Playa Del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Yucatan Penisula, Mexico

The Spain based worlwide Riu Hotel chain has perhaps a half dozen properties in the Yucatan.  We stopped in to visit this one in the resort of Playacar just outside Playa del Carmen.  It has that spectacularly grande European style and feeling.  What a place!

Long and broad footpaths towards the beach.

Fountains, gardens, and heavy wrought iron style furniture for al fresco snacking.

Ornamental pools and sculpted gardens.

And for beach use, no little palapas or flimsy umbrellas to sit under to block the sun - they have their own palm forest of sunblock.

And Oh, what a beach!  (Panorama - click to view in full width).

Multiple swimming pools and fountains.

An employee polishes the brass stair knob with a toothbrush.

And no pesky, noisy weedwackers - instead they trim the grass edges with hand clippers. All you hear is snip, snip, snip.

Checking on the internet, a random daily cost in April for the least expensive room is $3700 pesos a night including food ( about $284 USD).  It's more than I'd like to pay as a retiree, but not out of line with rates I've seen in many locations in both the US and elsewhere in the world.  With a package deal, there are probably better options available.

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

This bronze sculpture, "Portal Maya," was designed by sculptor José Arturo Tavares as part of the 2012 celebration of the end of the Mayan long count calendar. It depicts a man atop a column of wind and a woman atop a column of water joining hands at the top. The two rings evoke features from the Juego de Pelota (the ball court) at many of the Mayan archeological sites. It's quite stunning in person and provides a great visual artistic anchor to this area of downtown Playa del Carmen.

This little boy seems enthralled by the statue towering overhead as he stands at the base staring upwards.

This view is from the Cozumel ferry dock, an arriving ferry on the right, the Portal Maya statue faintly visible on the left. (Click on this panorama image to view full width).

One of the many beach cafe/restaurant/wifi hang-outs in the late afternoon shade.

This family is either coming back from the Cozumel ferry or otherwise just moving to a hotel in town. Sure beats carrying suitcases by hand. (The Cozumel skyline is faintly visible on the distant horizon about 12 miles away).

A lone troubadour walking to his next engagement.

And always, the warm and blue Caribbean calling for children to come play, clothes and all. The air and water temperature always hovering either side of 80 degrees F.

Colors of nature and colors of humans - nice complement.

....and speaking of colors....... here is some pretty cool sidewalk art. I expect it is from last year's Day of the Dead holiday celebration here in Mexico in November. There always seems to be something interesting to see or do here in "Playa." No wonder it has grown into a hip, cosmopolitan town.

Around Town, Playa Del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico

One of the best things about travel is how, compared to home, it can be so completely different yet completely the same - parking lots, stop signs, hotels.

A brightly painted shop selling white cottony clothes for men and women.

The maitre d' at a Mayan restaurant where we had lunch gazes out over the podium.  They served Mayan based food with a Mexican influence. (Yaxche is pronounced: "jag-shey")

This was a sampler plate that included: masa, boiled egg, pumpkin seed sauce, chaya, epazote, beans, avocado, chilmole, cabbage, tomato sauce, onions, lettuce, mushrooms, goat cheese, tortillas, paprika and other unknown herbs and spices. All delicious.

 

Or, you can simply have a refreshing coconut with a straw from the machete-wielding man on the street who opens them to order.

And always, the people stroll the avenida, looking for food, fun, bargains, souvenirs, or, to see and be seen......

I like this clever hotel/lounge entrance. Modeled on the many Mayan archaeological sites, this tiered stone stairway captures the spirit of this area. (Of course, in the U.S. you couldn't have this because it has no safety rails or hand rails or treads, or lights, or bells, or warnings, or guards, or.................)

This is the pedestrian road access down to the ferry dock for trips to Cozumel Island. Last chance to be verbally harangued by the shop keepers hawking their wares before getting on the boat.

 Meanwhile on the rooftops, peace and serenity reigns.(Click on this panorama to see the full width image).

Quinta Avenida (5th Avenue), Playa Del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico

I don't quite know how to describe Playa del Carmen. It is a total assault on the senses - sight, sound, smell, taste, touch.  Young, old, beautiful, wizzened - bums, hippies, cosmopolitans, hipsters, retirees - it's a microcosm of many of the great, but much larger cities of the world - teeming with life - and that's just during the day - I haven't made it there after dark yet. 

The Papantla Flyers is a group of five men who perform a traditional ritual meant as a prayer for good harvest and fertility. I think now it is for tourism but that's certainly okay, too. This man will stand atop a 90-foot high pole on a small platform playing his flute and drum while his partners throw themselves backwards off the pole while tethered by a rope to their ankles.

This tourist was overcome with the urge to dance along with a roving street band.

Many folks just wander the avenue, shopping, eating, looking, seeing or being seen.

Partially clad but unabashed granpas stroll with their grandkids.

Four beers for 100 pesos is about $1.90 USD each. Not sure why the place is called "Le Petit Paris" except that Playa del Carmen has a significant number of European visitors. Maybe it's a touch of home for them.

You can stay in a top notch hotel like this one for hundreds of dollars a night.

You can buy a sombrero - and people must do that fairly often or they wouldn't keep making them for tourists.

You can enjoy the towering artful statue near the beach just off the avenue.

You can bring your stuff and just hang out at the beach.

And always, it is nearby, the unending blue-green Caribbean Sea.

You can visit the very small chapel if the spirit so moves you.

 It seems that "Playa" has something for everyone.

Chedraui, Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

We had to make a final shopping trip for food before I had to turn in our rental car, so we went to.......

Chedraui is Mexico's fourth largest retailer and was founded in 1927. They go head-to-head with Walmart for pricing and beat them in many situations based on the ads I saw. There were about 25 checkout registers at this store in Playa del Carmen and the place was buzzing - not including the loud music and thumping bass. 

There is a self-service bakery section with tons of sweet and savory goods.

And cakes.....

And Cokes in old fashioned little bottles, 5 pesos each.

But the best thing of all was the mountains of stuff in the aisles - 12 maybe 15 feet high, towering over the shoppers, Charmin toilet tissue 47 pesos, Top Choice dog food 267 pesos.

Even towers of beer!! I think OSHA must have outlawed towers of anything in United States stores and markets, it seems I never see them anywhere.

Stoves at the high end from $6995 pesos and down.

Samsung laptop computers for $9199 pesos.

A 42" LCD TV for $7995 pesos.

Of course they had lots of fresh food, packaged food, booze, housewares, clothes, and..............you get the idea. (By the way, if you're curious, divide the peso number by 13 to get US dollars).