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Location: Playa del Carmen (Mexico (East))
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On this page you can see an overview of the location, including interactive maps, climate data, and photos.
You can also see what other divers thought, the top dive sites, what fish to see, and what wrecks there are.
We also have detailed listings of dive centres, resorts, travel agents and helpfull websites.
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Playa del Carmen has the charm of a little town with a lovely pedestrian area and not any high rising concrete buildings. While still growing a certain flair has been conserved and makes it such a great vacation spot.

A wide range of restaurants, shops, stores, bars with a long white beach and the plenty beach clubs are adding to the mix. A wide variety of activities can be done ranging from snorkeling, diving, horse back riding, sky diving, atv adventures, zip line canopy exploration, cenote adventure tours, mountain bike tours, wind surfing, kite surfing and what not can be all squeezed into the vacation or just chill in a beach chair, but don't forget to put on some sun screen lotion. Night life is great, life music frequent with good sequrity and safety for the tourist coming over here. Walking around at 1:00 am is no problem at all and you will be not alone.

The diving is ranging from beginners shallow reefs to more adventure on fast current drift dives, including some wreck diving. Boats are small up to 8 or 10 divers, service is personal. Viz is all right all year around with some 30 meters - 100 feet all year, Bull and Reef sharks we have from December to February. Lots of Turtles all the time and all year around. One of our diving assets are the Cenotes who are freswater cave entrances in the jungle some 20-40 minutes driving away. Unique to our area and no where else seen in the world. Any diver can dive the Cenotes, just show your openwater certification card and you'll have a 30 minute or so briefing with your guide ... and off you go with a light in your hand looking at natures marvels.

Bringing in your kids to Mexico or Playa is no big deal. Mexicans like kids. End of June till mid September its quite hot. Official Hurricane season is from end of June till beginning of November. October and November are the wettest month. December till February can be a little cool at night, at least for us who life here for a while. Low season is from mid April to mid June and from mid September to mid December, the rest is high season. Peak season is around X-mas and new year.

You'll fly into Cancun and depending what car you have or who is driving it takes 35 minutes or a little more to get to Playa del Carmen, direction south. Mayor airlines from the U.S. flying from almost all corners of the coninental U.S. into Cancun. From Europe a bunch of charter airlines are flying direct into Cancun including from Holland, Germany, U.K, Italy, Spain. If you don't have a direct charter flight from your European country check out Martin Air, they do little comuter planes from all corners of Europe to Amsterdam and then direct to Cancun.

Busses for $ 6 usd take you to Playa leaving every 30 minutes till 9:00 pm, just from outside the modernised Cancun Terminal. You can get a private taxi as well for around $ 65 usd or a seat in a mini van for about $ 40 usd.

All major rental car agencies have offices in Cancun. Easiest way to book is to go online and make a reservation online either direct with the rental car company or any of the traveling web pages. Drive carefull in Mexico, when you turn left on any major street you have to stop on the right side, have all traffic clear and then you can take your turn left.

Money is the Peso, change only little at the airport, better rates wait in Playa. You can try to pay in restaurnats with US Dollar or Euro but having Pesos makes it much eayer away from the 5th avenue, out main pedestrian area. Exhange offices anywher around 5th avenue. Plenty of banks of Avenida Juarez. Plenty of ATM machines close to the banks. Maximum retrieval limit is 3000 Pesos, some $ 280 usd due to fraud prevention. Most shops, restaurants and dive shops on mayor streets and 5th avenue accept credit cards ( not so much American Express ) but check it our before you order food or service.

Accomodation is in large supply ranging from small hotels with just 15 rooms to the all inclusive providers in Playacar served by all larger travel agencies.

Hope to see you some time, don't forget you are in Mexico, so just relax and have a good time, that is what we do ....

This introduction was provided by Matt who is living in Playa del Carmen for over 10 years and can be contacted under matt@protecdiving.com
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Climate Data:
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General Info:

Travel Tips:
Most visitors thought
Playa del Carmen was:
Good.
Ranked as Good by independant reviews Ranked as Good by independant reviews Ranked as Good by independant reviews Ranked as Good by independant reviews
Non diving activities: Lots to see and do!
Language:
Money: Mexican Pesos
Stability: No travelling problems expected
More Information: Country Bio from Lonely Planet