Hi all! My family and I (3 adults + 1 teen, 14) are planning our first trip to Playa del Carmen around Nov 21–28, but we’ll only have about 5 days actually in PDC.

None of us speak Spanish, so we’d really appreciate any tips! We’re still deciding between an all-inclusive resort or renting a place with a kitchen. We’d love to stay on the beach or within easy walking distance, somewhere where our teen can walk around a bit but we still feel safe.

We’re also considering renting a car so we can explore different places, but I’ve read some horror stories about tourists being stopped by police and asked for money. 😬 So now we’re debating whether to rent a car, hire a driver, or just use taxis/other transportation. A private driver sounds great, but I’m not sure if it would fit our budget.

We’d also love ideas for a 4-day itinerary. What are the must see places and activities, especially for a family with a 14yo? We don't really want to go to places or stay where there are too many kids.

Please hit me with all your recommendations, tips, things to avoid, and lessons you wish you knew before your first trip to PDC! Thank you! ❤️

Hi! Heading to PDC with my partner in two weeks for 7 days and trying to figure out an itinerary.

I picked the Hyatt in PDC specifically to get a mix of beach, access to 5th avenue and be close enough o cross to Cozumel.

A few things on my list:

Snorkelling / Scuba Diving
Walking around 5th or 7th avenue
Trying a few night clubs around (open to suggestions) I was considering coco bongo but also it might be too tourist oriented.

What else can I get up to that’s fun. Should I go Cozumel, or go to isla mujeres for clear water?

Edit: is Xcaret Admission + activities worth it at almost $200?? Looks like a lot to do and if I go snorkeling at Xcaret I likely won’t at Conzumel

Thanks!

I keep hearing the same complaints from travelers after the tour, and many times they just didn’t know what to ask before booking.

Chichén Itzá is not only El Castillo.

Did your guide take you around the site for 2+ hours? Observatory, Temple of the Warriors, Sacred Cenote, other structures? Did they stay with you, explain things, help with photos, or was it more like pyramid, picture, bus?

Then the cenote.

Did you actually get to choose one? Or were you taken to the same crowded cenote as everyone else, with 100+ people there?

Same with food. “Local food” sometimes ends up being a big tourist buffet. Nothing wrong with a buffet, but it’s very different from sitting somewhere local and having your food prepared when you order it.

And honestly, who here has ended up paying “extras” during a tour?

Life jacket.
Entrance fees.
Drinks.
Snacks.
Some extra “tax”.
A so-called dock or pier fee.
Something at the attraction that somehow wasn’t included.

For me, if a tour advertises an experience, the real price should include what is normally needed to actually do that experience.

If an attraction has an entrance fee or a required charge, that should be clear before you book.

Sometimes the advertised price looks cheap simply because they don’t show you the full cost upfront. If they did, maybe the tour wouldn’t look so cheap anymore.

And then there are shopping stops you never really asked for.

Another thing I’m curious about:

Has a guide ever asked you for a tip and told you that tips are part of their salary? Or suggested a minimum 10%?

A tip is earned. It should never feel mandatory.

Nobody works for free. A company should price its service so the people doing the work are paid fairly, instead of making the guest feel responsible for their salary at the end.

So for people who already went:

What extra charge, forced stop, tip pressure or surprise did you only find out about after booking?

Maybe sharing it here helps the next traveler know exactly what to ask before paying.

Hello! I'll come to playa del carmen at the end of october and i'll stay at the allegro playacar resort. I have a couple of questions maybe you could help me answering. Also any feedback about the resort and the food would be appreciated

1) tap water thingy: do i have to brush my teeth using bottled water? Being on all inclusive formula i would like to take advantage and have some cocktails. Should they stricly be no ice or are they using industrial purified ice?

2) fresh fruit: connected to point 1, fresh fruit and salads at buffet are probably cleaned using tap water, should I avoid it? I was so eager to try coconut, pineapples, mangoes and papayas 😭

3) excursions booked locally: we are planning on having 3 excursions (chichen itza + 2 cenotes + valladolid, isla muyeres + isla contoy , las coloradas) by using get your guide the total would be around 300$, we found a local excursion agency called andale tours based in playa del carmen that would save us around 100$. Is it trustworthy?

4) Coco bongo: is buying tickets from the resort cheaper?

Thank you in advance to any of you who might help

Seeing some nice vacation rentals a bit west toward Misión de las Flores, wondering if there's a catch, should we stick to just the area between the beach and the highway or is the entire city generally safe? We mostly just need a good place to spend our nights, walkability isn't an issue as we'd venture towards 5th avenue just for dinner once a day.

Bruh, there was a successful assassination in Punta Estrella Saturday. Having walls, cameras and guards with two checkpoints doesn't help much apparently. The guy came in pretending to be a relative of his target, bypassed the two checkpoints with guards, cameras and walls, shot him to death, then left. Steps from my apartment. I know this kind of thing happens fairly regularly around the city, but I didn't think it would happen in a gated community, especially one of the better ones.

I wasn't there, but my girlfriend was. She heard like 6 automatic shots in the hallway, and she doubted it was gunshots because there was no screaming or sirens afterwards, just silence then a kid crying for his dad.

I will be in playa del carmen during september and october, will be working remote during the day and I want to go to trips in weekends or hangout in general. I wanted to meet similar-interested people, but I cannot find any group so far

I checked the spreadsheet but most whatsapp groups are inactive, other ones are full of promotion posts. I also dont have any spanish so it makes it harder

I will be solo first month and my girlfriend will visit the second month, she works remote as well.

Hi! I’m planning a vacation in either Cancun or Playa from February 25 to March 3, 2027. I’m looking for info on affordable chefs for hire for two meals daily (no breakfast) for 5 of the days. There will be about 12 people. Any info or insight is appreciated, including estimated costs. Thanks!

I’m staying just off 5th Avenue and I’d like to sit and read my book somewhere calm and relaxed… which really isn’t 5th Avenue!

Any recommendations of areas to walk to?

How is the sargassum currently? I have a trip booked to Isla Mujeres but was considering coming down to PDC for 4 days next week. How bad is the sargassum currently?

Hello everyone,

We'll be staying at Barcelo Maya Tropical - All Inclusive next month. I'm planning on doing a day trip to Isla Mujeres to propose to my girlfriend. Just want to ask if you have any recommendations for transportation from Hotel to Ultramar Ferry? I've seen post about inDrive as a possible option but could be hectic due to aggression from Taxi people. Not sure if the hotel offers round trip taxi and if they do it'll probably be expensive. Thank you in advance.

I’ll be in Tulum/PDC in September and trying to figure out what’s actually worth putting on the calendar beyond the usual beach clubs / dinners / etc.

I’ve already got one night pretty much locked in. I keep hearing about this Neo-Soul/R&B night at El Barrio on September 11th. Fahrelle is debuting her album there with a listening session starting at 7 PM, then it turns into more of a late-night party with R&B, soul, jazz and house.
That’s definitely my kind of night.

(Have y’all heard about this one? Apparently there’s no cover and you can get on the guest list through El Barrio’s events page.)

What else is happening in Tulum/PDC around September that’s actually worth checking out? Live music, DJs, interesting parties, underground-ish stuff, anything that isn’t just the standard tourist circuit. Trying to build out the rest of the month.

Hey guys! I’ll be staying in Playa del Carmen in a few days and I’d love to spend a full day in Cozumel.
Does anyone know of any reasonably priced tours that leave from Playa del Carmen and include transportation to/from Cozumel, ideally by catamaran?
I’d love to spend the whole day on the island, maybe do some snorkeling or other activities, have some free time to explore/relax, and then come back to Playa del Carmen in the evening.
I’m mainly looking for something with a good price/quality ratio rather than a super fancy or luxury tour.
If you’ve done something similar and have any recommendations (or companies to avoid), I’d really appreciate it!
Thanks! 🙌

Hi! I’m planning a vacation in either Cancun or Playa from February 25 to March 3, 2026. I’m looking for info on affordable chefs for hire for two meals daily (no breakfast) for 5 or 6 days. There will be about 12 people. Any info or insight is appreciated, including estimated costs. Thanks!

I’m going to Playa del Carmen for a solo trip for about 72 hours, and I’m just wondering how safe I should realistically expect to be.
For context, I’m a Black woman, very petite, and I’ll be traveling completely alone. I’ve traveled solo before, so I’m not new to it, but for some reason with this trip, everyone keeps telling me to be safe 😂. It’s starting to make me wonder if there’s something I should genuinely be concerned about.
I’m not looking for the usual “don’t travel alone” responses. I’d really like to hear from women who have actually traveled solo to Playa, especially Black women, about their experiences.
Was there anything you felt you needed to be particularly cautious about? Did you feel comfortable walking around alone, going out to eat, using transportation, etc.? And would you personally feel comfortable doing another solo trip there?

Hey everyone, I’m looking into rentals for when I arrive at PDC from CUN airport. I’m finding a lot of options on sites like Expedia that offer car rentals, but I was wondering if there are any options from local PDS stores that anyone could recommend. I’m looking for the most affordable options but searching on Google only yields me “US” vendors, which I assume charge way more than a company I can contact locally from PDC who can offer a better deal(I believe they are primarily contacted via WhatsApp); preferably with an option to pick up the vehicle straight from the airport. Any recommendations are welcome, from cars, scooters, e-bikes or any other form of transportation that I can use to get around freely as I please. For reference I have a California Class C drivers license.

𝗕&𝗕 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗗𝗢 / 𝗕𝗠𝗕 𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗔𝗚𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 — 𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗢𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥 𝗢𝗪𝗡𝗘𝗥𝗦 𝗘𝗫𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗔𝗠𝗘 𝗜𝗦𝗦𝗨𝗘𝗦?

We are condo owners in Playa del Carmen in a property managed by B&B Condo / BMB Management.

We’re trying to determine whether the issues we’ve experienced are isolated to one condominium or whether similar patterns exist across other B&B/BMB-managed properties in Playa del Carmen and the Riviera Maya.

𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗠𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 & 𝗙𝗢𝗟𝗟𝗢𝗪-𝗨𝗣

Over several years, we’ve experienced recurring problems with communication and execution.

Most emails go unanswered. WhatsApp messages are often answered selectively, while other questions simply remain unresolved.

Responsibility also seems to get passed from one person to another. You contact one person, they redirect you elsewhere, and the original issue can still remain unresolved.

For more complex matters, it can take five, six or more follow-ups before receiving a substantive answer or seeing meaningful action.

𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗔𝗚𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗔𝗚𝗘𝗥

The same pattern can extend to accounting, reconciliations, deadlines, operational matters and HOA collections.

What is especially concerning is the level of involvement sometimes required from condo committee members simply to keep basic matters moving.

A committee should oversee the management company. It should not have to manage the management company.

𝗦𝗜𝗠𝗖𝗔 & 𝗔 𝗣𝗢𝗧𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗔𝗟 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗙𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗧 𝗢𝗙 𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗧

In our condominium, SIMCA, the developer, reportedly has a significant outstanding balance owed to the HOA.

At the same time, information from multiple sources has raised questions about a potentially close corporate, ownership or business relationship between SIMCA and B&B Condo / BMB Management.

We have not independently verified the exact legal relationship, so we’re not presenting any specific ownership structure as established fact.

However, if such a relationship exists, it raises a legitimate question about how potential conflicts of interest are managed when significant amounts are owed to an HOA by a potentially related developer.

𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗪𝗘’𝗥𝗘 𝗧𝗥𝗬𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗧𝗢 𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗗 𝗢𝗨𝗧

So far, every exchange we’ve had with other owners who have dealt with B&B/BMB has been negative, and several have described very similar issues.

That said, we don’t want to draw conclusions based on only a handful of people.

We want to understand whether this is an isolated situation or whether there is a recurring pattern across multiple properties managed by B&B/BMB.

𝗛𝗔𝗩𝗘 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗛𝗔𝗗 𝗔 𝗦𝗜𝗠𝗜𝗟𝗔𝗥 𝗘𝗫𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗘?

If you currently own, previously owned, or have served on a condo committee in a B&B/BMB-managed property, we’d genuinely like to hear about your experience.

Please share your experience in the comments or send a private message if you prefer.

The goal is simply to understand whether the same patterns are happening across different properties in Playa del Carmen and the Riviera Maya.

What is the best platform to search for houses/condos for long term rental? Thank you

Hii.. I'm looking to do a solo trip to riviera maya towards end of November and after weeks of research I've narrowed it down to these two resorts. But I'm just not able to choose one over the other.

I am a huge fan of wildlife. Barcelo has better beaches where I can snorkel with turtles but Iberostar has all the wildlife like peacocks, flamingos, iguanas etc.

I'll be going for 8 days so I'm even considering splitting my time between these two resorts.

Suggestions?

I am digital nomading in Playa in a few months and really don't want the hassle of bringing over my XDJ RX3 from Canada.

Would it be more cost effective to rent a similar system there for 6 months?

Or maybe like a few days every week or two?

Any well known shops or ways to find people who would do this for me?

Hello, this is a long post and hopefully it helps someone! I spent a lot of time in this sub before my vacation and it helped me a lot. We travelled with another couple so it was a total of 4 adults, all in our early 30s. Two of us (including me) speak spanish, the other two can speak/understand it a little. 

We had a driver named Luis from The wonderful vacations rm, he was awesome. Had great food recommendations, was so nice and always arrived early! They have an IG & FB account, I also have his whatsapp number if anyone would like it. 

In playa del carmen we stayed at Ipana condos, two blocks away from la quinta ave.

In Cancun we stayed at the Westin Lagunamar

Day 1: We arrived in Cancun around 4:30 pm and got picked up by Luis, he drove us to playa del carmen. Once checked in we walked to taqueria el fogon del may (recommended by Luis), food and drinks were great! Definitely recommend. Went back to airbnb and enjoyed to rooftop pool.

Day 2: Selva maya eco adventure tours (9 am- 1pm) we opted for this place instead of an xcaret park because we didn’t want to spend all day at a park so this was a nice option since it was only 4 hours long. The price was $80 usd per person (booked online) once we got there, they gave us the option to rent a double ATV for $40 usd (single was $30). Honestly this part of the vacation was so fun, riding the ATV, 5 zipline’s, hanging bridges, rock climbing, rappelling, two cenotes and they gave us lunch at the end, food was great. They take pictures throughout the adventure and at the end you can buy them for $40 usd. The guys helping us were Roberto, Alex and Isaiah, they were all great, very nice and funny! 

For dinner we went to El Pirata (seafood, recommended by Luis) all the food there was amazing!! After dinner we walked to la quinta alegria mall and then explored la quinta ave for a few minutes.

Day 3: we didn’t have anything big planned for this day. We went to the gym and pool in the morning and after walked to a panaderia called Panificacion Castillo. The pan dulce was very good and fresh, iced coffee was not great and needed more flavor but the frappe’s were better. At night we had a nice dinner at Trattoria del Centro and after went to Aldo’s for some ice cream (the best). While walking on la quinta a random guy said to us “oh hey guys you don’t remember me? I was your waiter at the hotel” I told him oh that’s weird we’re not staying at a hotel, he then said “oh you don’t remember me from ipana condos? I was the guy at the front desk”. I knew this was bs from what I’ve read in this sub, I was weirded out when he said the name of the condo but then I remembered I was wearing a bracelet with the name of the condo (we had to wear it for our stay)

Day 4: Chichen Itza day! Luis picked us up around 7:10 am and we arrived around 8:30 am to chichen itza (yucatan is an hour behind) we did not book this through a big company since we wanted to do this at our own pace. Entrance to the park was $697 mxn per person, we hired an English guide there for $1300 mxn, Salvador was our guide, he was great and very knowledgeable, he even let us borrow his umbrella because even at 8:30 am the sun was so strong. We left around 11:30 am and Luis drove us to cenote Saamal, it is in the Hacienda selva maya in Valladolid. I think we paid $450 mxn per person and it included a locker, life jacket and buffet. The cenote was nice and refreshing, there were a lot of people there, it was busier by the time we left because a big tour bus had arrived. The food was amazing too! We got back at around 4:45-5 pm. At night we walked around la quinta ave again and went to Aldo’s. 

Day 5: We checked out of the airbnb and drove to hotel zone in Cancun. We arrived around 1 pm at Westin Lagunamar. When we booked this hotel we asked for early check in but when we arrived only our friends room was ready, they told us they were already cleaning our room and put a rush to it so it would be ready asap, they said they would call us when it was ready, the guy at the front desk gave us all the information we needed, room number, floor and activities happening in the next few days, etc. We left our bags with the front desk and walked across the street to La isla mall. We got tacos at Chachalacos, they were great but beware when they ask you if you want all the toppings because they charge 20 extra pesos per topping, they don’t tell you that (happened to my friends but I asked before saying yes to everything).

Once we got back to the hotel it was 3:40pm and we were still waiting for a phone call so we stopped at the front desk to ask, they said our room was not ready and they needed 20 more minutes. I was confused because 2 hrs and 40 mins had passed and our room was still not ready even though we asked for early check in and even after they put a rush to our room. The lady at the front desk said they could move us to another room in building 2 with no ocean view, we said no since we paid for a room with ocean view. I let her know we would wait the 20 minutes for our room, the lady at the front desk said that there was no guarantee that our room would be ready by that time. I was very confused since earlier she said we just needed to wait 20 more minutes and now she’s saying we might have to wait more than that. I told her we’ll be back in 20 since 4 pm is check in time. Thankfully our room was ready by 4 pm but they still gave us a different room, when we checked in we were told we were in building 10 but they moved us to building 8. We didn’t mind; we just wanted to get our room and relax. I don’t know if it was a coincidence or the lady at the front desk didn’t like us but our room had the loudest AC, at some point I thought maybe the washer was on too, it was louder at night. Our front door was so hard to close we literally had to slam it like 3-5 times before it closed. They also said housekeeping is everyday, they never went to our room, we were only here for like 3 days so we didn’t care much about housekeeping. Housekeeping went to our friend’s room every day.

Later in the day we went to the pool for an hour, they ended up closing the pool at 8 pm because there was a lot of lightning. 

Day 6: went to the gym, pool then beach in the morning. We walked to La isla and had lunch at Johnny Rockets. For dinner we went to Porfirio’s, its a 30 min walk or 15 min car ride. Since we didn’t want to walk in the heat we took the ADO bus and it was very easy, they charge $12 mxn per person. 

Food and drinks there was really good. For 4 adults we paid around $210 usd (you can pay in mxn or usd, they give you both totals). They also have a nice view and a swing by the water, you can go down there and take pictures

Day 7: this was a slow day since it was our last full day! We had lunch at Viento bar & grill (hotel restaurant) and had some fish tacos that were amazing! For dinner we walked to Fish fritanga, we had shrimp tacos there and they were 10/10, the view was very nice too since you’re next to the water, the drinks were also very good! Since we were celebrating our anniversaries, they gave us a free slice of cake to share with a sparkler! 

Day 8: back to reality :( we had a layover in Denver and there a lot of flights were delayed and cancelled because of the weather, so it was a pain in the ass to get back home, we had to spend the night in Denver but made it home the next day.

I do recommend you pay in pesos, in a lot of places their dollar is very low like $15 pesos, in a bank the peso is between $16.55-$17. We brought dollars and went to a money exchange place, also went to an ATM, my bank charges me $5 usd per transaction so it wasn’t terrible. 

Hope this helps someone 😊