Playa del Carmen (often referred to as just "Playa" locally) was a little, unknown fishing village that was discovered by the traveler's visiting Cancun and Cozumel and is now one of the fastest growing coastal towns in Mexico.

Playa del Carmen offers you the enjoyment of a simple beach holiday without the trappings and characteristics of a modern-day commercialized resort like Cancun. The developments here are low-rise, taking into account the local environment, giving playa a more charismatic and authentic Mexican feel, in stark contrast to the highly commercialized resort experience which is common in many places around the world.

Playa del Carmen is quite a 'young' resort - in that it attracts a lot of people in the twenty to thirty-something age range. They come here looking for a comfortable holiday; to swim, sunbathe, stroll along the wonderful beaches, listen to bands playing in the open air, and dance at a club at night.

Playa has some excellent craft shops that will offer you the opportunity to buy something quite unique to take home with you. See the section on what to buy in Playa del Carmen for details.

A definite advantage of Playa del Carmen is its geographical location: It is close to Cozumel, Cancun, and all of the fabulous archaeological sites in the area, so it makes an ideal base if you want to visit all of the main towns and resorts in this part of Mexico.