Men’s Guide to La Playa del Carmen, Mexico

The following is a guest post by Dantes from themasculinetraveler.com

Overview

Located in the Rivera Maya, La Playa del Carmen “Playa” is a popular tourist destination in eastern Mexico.  The following Datasheet is based on 1 week in La Playa del Carmen.

Weather

Hot throughout the year.  The best time to go is December through March when the average temperature is in the low to mid 80s F.  The prices are highest during this peak season.  The prices drop off in during the months June-August.

Currency

The official currency is the Mexican pesos with exchanges at a rate of 1 U.S. Dollar to 19.5 Pesos.  The U.S. Dollar is widely accepted.

Sites:

Snorkeling and Scuba Diving: Playa boasts some excellent diving spots.  Check out Reef Quest Divers.

Golf courses: World class and picturesque.

Xcaret: Large water-based, eco-park.

Tulum: Tiny beach town with beautiful beaches and popular nightlife for tourists.  Located one hour outside Playa, Tulum is popular for its Mayan ruins.

Akumal: quaint town outside of Playa, famous for sea turtles.

Chichen Itza: is a huge Mayan pyramid locate 3 hours outside Playa

Isla de Mujeres: take short ferry ride to this small island which is great for a day trip for snorkeling

Logistics

Playa is located 50 miles south of Cancun.  Arriving in Cancun International Airport (CUN), the easiest and most affordable way to Playa is the shuttle bus which takes about one hour. The shuttle bus costs 9 U.S. dollars, one-way.  A taxi will cost about 40 U.S dollars from the airport to Playa.

The bus station in Playa is located in the center on 5a Avenida & Avenida Benito Juarez near the shore, in the center of town.  Buses run from the airport every 30 minutes.  You can buy the ticket upon your arrival in Cancun.

Most of the activity consisting of bars, shops, and restaurants are located on Fifth Avenue (Quinta Avenida). Located just south of Fifth Avenue, Playacar is an upscale area where most of the inclusive hotels and golf courses are located.

Playa is very walkable. The center is laid out in a rectangular grid.  Fifth Avenue is a pedestrian street with limited taxi entrance on certain intersections.

Accommodation

Accommodations run the spectrum from small hostels to all-inclusive resorts.  I stayed at an Airbnb right off 5^th Avenue.  If you prefer to book an apartment, start negotiating a price in advance, as apartments go quickly.

If logistics are your main priority, I suggest renting an apartment on Airbnb, no more than a five-minute walk from Fifth Avenue.  This will put you in prime location for pulling and you won’t need to worry about guest policy issues.

For more upscale accommodations with top of the line amenities and all-inclusive options, check out the following hotels:

• Blue Diamond Luxury Boutique Hotel
• Bayan Tree Mayakoba
• Viceroy Riviera Maya

Beaches

The best beach is Mamitas Beach, which is frequented mainly by tourists.  Playa Mamitas Beach Club is a hot spot and a cool place to grab a drink.  I partied here on New Year’s Eve.  It has great concerts and beach parties.  Playa Tucan is also worth checking out.  It is touristy but receives more Mexican vacationers.

Women

La Playa is a small beach town that has grown substantially in tourism over the last decade.  Your main targets will be the women here on vacation from the U.S., Canada and Europe.  There are also girls from Mexico, mainly D.F. on vacation.  The upscale Mexicans will be more difficult as will the Argentine girls in Playa on holiday and working.  Your Spanish skills will be an important factor in mixing it up the beautiful chicas from D.F. and Argentina.

The quantity of women in Playa is in abundance as it is now a major tourist destination.  However, the quality has a vast range.  If you are on a short stay, you will need to have a bit of luck for quality.  Being a tourist spot, there is huge turnover in quality.  Strike fast if you find a hot girl, as she might not be in town long.

I was not impressed with the quality during my one-week stay.  I was with a girl for about half my duration and I am happy to say she was hotter than 95 percent of the girls in Playa.  My friend, who is living and working in Playa, reported that he witnessed a drop in talent over the past two years in Playa.

Game

Fifth Avenue presents perfect logistics for day-game.  You can run street approaches well into the late evening.  All of the traffic in Playa funnels through Fifth Avenue, so there is no need to post up anywhere else.  This is the only place you need be concerned for day-game.  Fifth Avenue is conducive to doing street approaches well into the night.  It boasts an endless sea of pedestrian traffic with girls from all over the world.

Girls are here to party and have a good time.  A player should capitalize on the party vibe of Playa.

Nightlife

Nightgame is viable basically every night of the week.  Nightlife venues in Playa are mainly concentrated on Calle 12.  Clubs usually get going at 2 a.m. and close as late at 6 a.m.  You should arrive at about midnight.

My preferred method for meeting girls is day-game.  I did not do much night-game in Playa, but my sources on the ground advise hitting up the following venues for nightgame:

• The Blue Parrot
• Coco Bongo
• Mandala
• La Vaquita

The Verdict

I spent 1 week in Playa during the height of the tourist season, between Christmas and New Year’s.  Overall, I found the talent to be mediocre at best.  The strengths of Playa are the tight logistics for Daygame on Fifth Avenue and Nightlife that is in play just about every night of the week.

If your goal is to Game Mexican girls, hit up Mexico City instead as the quality and ease of pull will be more favorable.  Playa is a solid spot to bring a girl with the beautiful beaches, world class food, interesting day excursions, and an array of water-sport activities.  I would return to Playa with a girlfriend, but there an abundance of better destinations in the world better for scoring.

For Datasheets around the world, check out my blog: themasculinetraveler.com