During the BF and I's recent vacation to Mexico we opted to stay at the Riu Tequila. Located just…read moreunder a half mile from the beach (via private shaded walkway) getting there was a bit of a journey, but Playa Playacar was most def worth it once we arrived! ++ Gorgeous white sands. The sand is actually crushed coral and doesn't get too hot to walk on. Loved that! ++ Blue waters as far as the eye can see! ++ Tons of lounge chairs to relax on and palms for shade. ++ Scuba Caribe on hand to offer up free (non motorized) water sports to guests of the Riu Resorts. Motorized water sports and other activities were available such as parasailing, jet skis, etc... We opted to kayak two times during our trip. So much fun! ++ Resort employees would come by to take away empty cups. Though they did not serve drinks on the beach, you could def bring your own! So glad we chose this part of the Yucatan Peninsula for our Mexico vacation! Would def recommend it!

ENTRY IS FREE BABY!!! A very secret getaway, not so "touristy" area, which I like. More space…read moreindeed to just run away. My family has kept a condo here for years and we would have it ready in case we fly out of the country. This is a magical area, with 0 hotels and mostly small huts, full houses, condos, beach houses as well, and really just yourself and your towel. How cool is that??? It's not crowded. We were here in the summer of 2015, kept the grand trip alive, mostly out fishing, petting sea turtles and watching fish swim by. The sun is literally in your face, so it's normal and obvious to have that sunscreen in your face!!! What's really nice is that this beach also small stands to rent our some few equipment like snorkel gear, chairs, tables, and umbrellas. Very nice beach, I'm so happy to share this review with y'all

This place came highly recommended on social media of moms who have littles in swim diapers. We…read moredidn't book an excursion through the cruise line but found a great option right at the pier before reaching the Cozumel sign. A gentleman had a booth for Playa Mia. You can purchase the $15 day pass to access the beach. There was another package that included food, but it seemed unnecessary since we didn't plan on staying too long. My goal was getting a spot where the kids can play with sand. The weather had been iffy too. It was raining on the taxi ride there, but thankfully it let up by the time we walked to the beach area. Once we arrived, we did have to pay $6 for an umbrella to use with our beach chairs. The umbrella kept closing so we had to get somebody to keep opening it back up. Finally, they told us they had to close the beach umbrellas for 30 minutes due to the wind that was coming. That was my sign to leave since it had already poured on our way there. The bathrooms are located to the left of the open buffet area. They have a feet washing area in front of the bathroom. There are two entrances. The left is for the toilets and the right is for the showers. Inside the shower area they have the baby change table. The beach area itself was clean and well maintained. Once you get there, keep going all the way inside. There were will be stores and excursions you can purchase. The ticket area to show you paid and to get your wristband will be on the left. We purchased a sand bucket that came with a toy from a store there for $10. They offer fun inflatables in the water for the older kids and banana boat rides. We apparently had a server who was helping our area. The gentleman who served us was friendly and attentive. My little one was thrilled to have chicken wings. We asked for the sauce on the side and the wings were crispy. We also tried the fajitas and they were pretty good. The salsa had a nice kick. I would definitely skip on the bean and cheese nachos! Overall, it was a great, affordable way to enjoy some time at the beach without committing to a full day excursion. I'd recommend this for anyone looking for a low-key, budget-friendly beach day with the kids.

I want to caveat this review straight away - we visited on a pretty quiet day. We came in on a…read moreDisney cruise and I checked before booking and only 1 other cruise ship was in port on the day we visited and that ship was a more adult oriented cruise line. Because of that I was fairly confident Playa Mia would not be overly full and I turned out to be correct. After doing some research before going there are other offerings that are better for pure adult visitors and Playa Mia strikes a good middle ground for everyone. We picked this beach park because it was the only one that didn't nickel-and-dime you on every little add-on: for example the obstacle course/water park is included with the all-inclusive package we bought. As I mentioned, we did get the all-inclusive package including travel. Some of the other guests were not on all-inclusive visit and most opted for their own travel. Having already been once, next time I may handle travel myself as I am an experienced traveler and the taxi's were very friendly, however with a young one in tow I must say the friendliness and helpfulness of the people who met us and arranged our travel in both directions was amazing and I absolutely do not regret paying a little extra for the included travel. Ultimately they did just put us in a taxi that they paid for but they met us super close to the boat exit and walked us all the way to the taxi stand and dealt with telling him where to go, etc. That was nice while we dealt with our hyped up kids in a new environment. I can't speak to the non all-inclusive experience but if you don't plan to drink a lot (including water/soft drinks for the kids) I think it can be a bargain. However, with the full package we bought, the only thing I ended up paying for was a deposit on the towels that we ultimately got back. I did tip our server (Alberto was awesome) decently well because of how much work he did during the almost full day we were there - so tipping is an additional expense that happens in any kind of place like this. One note, I did go for the top level all-inclusive package and with that the adults got a Tequila tasting and the kids got a chocolate tasting. Obviously the intent of these is to sell some goods but don't skip out on these if you get them - both tastings were delicious and even though we never buy anything at these things, in retrospect we still wish we had picked up some coffee Tequila. Because the day we visited wasn't super crowded, we had such a great time. The facilities are on the older side and the landscaping isn't perfectly manicured but it's on a beautiful beach and there was at least a little something for everyone: from 5 years old to 40. If it were considerably busier, that might pose an issue but they have a lot of room for people to spread out so except for the buffet being busy, I think it would take a lot of people for it to ruin your day.

You can skip it and never feel FOMO…read more I wanted paradise, but what I got was... well, Playa Palancar. Yes, it's technically a beach, but let's not pretend every patch of sand in Cozumel is created equal. The Good: It's easy enough to get to, and you can rent chairs, grab food, and say you've been to one of the island's "popular" beaches. The Not-So-Good: Drinks here are expensive -- and when I say expensive, I mean "why am I paying tourist-bar prices for a soda that tastes like pee?" Expensive wouldn't sting so much if the quality matched, but it doesn't. The sand? Mushy. The beach? Leaves a lot to be desired. The vibe? More "crowded pit stop" than "Caribbean escape." 5.00 sodas should not taste like they were brewed in a bathtub. Playa Palancar can be skipped. Cozumel has better, prettier, and more authentic beaches without the overpriced drinks and mushy sand. If you want the Caribbean dream, keep moving -- this isn't it. Playa Palancar proves not all beaches are created Instagram-ready.

This place is AWESOME!!! It has a beautiful beautiful beach, with crystal clear water. We had some…read moremixed ceviche which was fresh and very tasty and some loaded chicken nachos and let me tell you....we didn't have to eat anything else!! And A very special thanks to my server "Henry" who took care of me and my wife the entire day. He was on point!!!

If I could have given zero stars I would, but I had to give at least one star. Me and my husband…read morewent to Cozumel and rented a scooter and rode around the island and stopped in San Martin to get bottled water and the gentleman in the beach shack/ tiki hut charged us $119 on our credit card for two bottles of water and the ladies trying to sell their junk in the huts behind the beach shack are rip offs and scammers. Do not buy anything from any of these places. They are all thieves.

TRAVEL MEMORIES…read more Since I first began traveling, I have always preferred the off beaten paths. The blood of an explorer must run through my veins, which makes me sort of an anomaly in my family. NO ONE in my immediate bloodline of cousins, aunts, uncles, parents, grandparents or siblings does any real traveling outside of a hundred miles or so from their homes. While I have yet to visit Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, the great canyons of the West or Alaska; I have ventured from Niagara Falls to the Panama Canal and Hawaii to St. Thomas. Cozumel, Mexico has been one of our most visited destinations. Since my very first visit, my absolute favorite thing to do is rent a jeep and just drive, stopping wherever the wind blows me. When we first arrived on the island back in 2003, it was our honeymoon, albeit 5 years after we'd gotten married. Everything south of the cruise ship ports back then was pretty undeveloped. The current cruise ship terminals did not exist and all you could see for several miles was thick brush! But drive long enough and suddenly it would give way to cozy pocket beaches and quiet ocean views along the narrow and poorly maintained 2 lane highways. Ahhh, it felt so free to break away from the touristy shops and just roll out like it was my own personal island. Our now 14-year-old was only 2 back then and I'm pretty certain we came home with his brother as a souvenir starting to bake in the oven after that trip. Fast forward to 2008 when we returned to the island with the kids and rented a 4 door soft top Jeep. So many memories from that visit, but one of our favorites was Playa de San Martin. Not so much for the beach as for the cozy little food stand across from it where a guy had a Mexican raccoon known as a coati for a pet. He was so friendly, and even climbed a nearby coconut tree and sliced two open for us to drink. One for the kids and one for us adults with a little rum added for flavor... LOL! It was the first time we ever had fresh coconut milk and to this day my youngest still loves it, although he doesn't quite remember why. On our most recent visit, the highway had become more developed and the touristy crowds had begun to follow our lead and find their way down this awesome Mexican highway, but it is still an enjoyable ride and far less crowded than the areas near the cruise port. The stand where the guy cut open the coconut had been paved over to make this once sleepy 2-lane road into a 4-lane highway. Replacing it is a restaurant by the name of Andale Bar & Grill. I'm happy for the progress, but I miss the little hidden gems that are slowly but surely disappearing. Below are links to view this same area on google maps 6 years apart. Google images of how it was then (street view 2009) - https://www.google.com/maps/@20.3664625,-86.8871167,3a,75y,322.43h,65.25t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1st6fHtdSQJcqf3HLfyOsxiw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 and how it looks now (street view 2015) - https://www.google.com/maps/@20.3665093,-86.8872736,3a,75y,298.53h,73.94t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sgwpZmv0EskWvh4DuVnsHag!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 FINAL THOUGHTS If I've had no other impact on yelp, I hope I have encouraged families to spend more time together traveling. Take the off beaten path, get away from the touristy hot spots and find a new tradition. So much awaits you in this world we live and you can gather a basket full of memories if you'll just drive! 2016/61

8/5/26 My family…read moreand I had a wonderful day trip to xcaret. We got the tour plus plan with the photo package. It included one buffet meal in that day. We took as many photos where all the camera eyes were which made the photo package super worth while. They don't look like much but the resolution and clarity is amazing. Especially when it captures you in the natural rivers. I originally planned to do two rivers but dang, after spending 1 hour floating in one, we were done for the day. One tip for your is bring some shampoo and body wash to use after the rivers. I didn't think to bring this and could only rinse off in the outdoor showers. Felt a tad bit icky all day. Lots of walking in our water shoes but enjoyed the butterfly sanctuary, jaguars, waterfalls and parrots. Lots of photo opportunities. Beautiful park. I now see why they charge you an arm And a leg. Gift shop was great. We spent about an hour in there and got some nice things. The night time show was two hours with a 10min intermission. I loved learning about the Mexican culture. All the dancing and music was beautiful. We had a lovely day here

Omg!! The best experience I have ever had in my life…read moreperiod.... Now I'm not even coming close to embellishing The park itself is literal heaven on earth If your into water,animals,pristine beaches, and great service come check this Goliath of a waterpark out You can swim with dolphins Swim with sharks Snorkel Natural lazy rivers Total jungle theme all around They are centered around the myan culture I will be coming back every year if I can Please if u are in the playa del Carmen Mexico area come see it..

Up early again for our 2nd excursion organised by Kay Tours Mexico, this time was to Isla Mujeres,…read morevia a luxurious catamaran with a snorkelling tour in the world's 2nd largest reef, beaten only by the great barrier reef. Never seen so much colour under the sea before, felt so privileged especially when an inquisitive turtle swam up to have a nosy at us. On Isla Mujeres, instead of staying in the north of the island (where we docked), John was excited to rent a golf cart and so we toured the less touristic, south part the island. The north also had it's own charm, street vendors, Playa Norte (rated in the top 10 of the world's best beaches) plus it was also home to a phenomenal dulce de leche icecream, so much so I had 2 of them in about half hour

I would highly recommend Kay tours. It was easy to book, and change the booking when more of our…read morefamily decided they wanted to come. We took the tulum/cenote tour and it was great! David was our tour guide, and on the ride to tulum gave us a lot of history about the mayas. At tulum, he took us around and told us about each site. The cenote was awesome. Again, David had tons of information about the ecobiology of cenotes, led us around, helped my son when he got scared, etc. highly recommend! Great tour and easy company to work with.

We were looking for the perfect place to spend our last day on the Riviera Maya, and we found it in…read morethe charming little beach town of Akumal. Although, finding the actual beach club was NOT an easy feat - but well worth it in the end. The Akumal Beach Club is managed by the Lol-Ha restaurant, and entry includes a palapa, loungers, access to restrooms/showers, and service from the restaurant. We had quite a bit of trouble finding the place, so here's the lowdown: When you arrive in Akumal, vendors lining the road will try to sell you their tours and parking. You aren't required to stop, although they may make you feel obligated. A simple friendly wave and "gracias" will get you past them. Soon, you'll pass a 7-11 on your left, and a little farther down an OXXO on your right. Take a hard right immediately past the OXXO (there's a small-printed sign that's easy to miss) and let the parking attendant know you're heading to Lol-Ha. You'll drive quite a way, down the very bumpy road and past the charming cottages of the Hotel Akumal Carribe. You'll maybe even think you've gone far enough, but you don't want to park until you get to the very end, where there's a short path to the beautiful, open-air Lol-Ha restaurant. You've arrived! At the restaurant there's a booth where you can buy your admission to the beach club. See, I told you it was a bit complicated - but worth it! During our visit, it was $700 pesos (about $35) each for a palapa for two, plus $275 pesos (around $14) each for additional guests in your palapa. We were given wristbands (which allowed access to the on-site restrooms and showers) then shown to our absolutely humongous palapa! It easily fit the four of us and kept us shaded all day. Soon, the waiter from Lol-Ha arrived and took our orders. We enjoyed a variety of tropical beverages and a couple of buckets of cold beer under the palapa, took a swim in the incredibly shallow and warm waters of the Caribbean, then grabbed a table at Lol-Ha for a final day feast that included some of the best food we'd tried on the trip. (Note: the food/bev isn't included in the beach club price.) We stayed as long as we could, until the sun finally started to fade, and were sad to leave. But also felt quite lucky to have found this incredible gem of a spot in lovely Akumal.

Very nice FREE beach! You only pay $5 pesos to use bathroom or shower. (Quarter in usd)…read more Very safe with locals and free parking as well. Great beach on a budget. They also have a small hidden cenote at the beach. Great place to take pics.

Very local or once was! Beautiful beach with a small cenote. Gets very busy on weekends especially…read moreSundays. There's a food truck with good tacos& beer.