I must-ache you a question: have you ever been to Mexico?
Playa del Carmen sits on the Yucatán Peninsula in the state of Quintana Roo, about an hour south of Cancun where most visitors fly in. It’s one of the most popular beach destinations on Mexico’s Caribbean coast, and after spending extended time living there, filming restaurant videos around town, and accidentally committing to a mustache for far too long, I picked up a few things that most Playa del Carmen travel guides don’t really explain.
Here’s what I cover in this post and in the video below:
- Do you need to know Spanish to get around?
- What’s actually on 5th Avenue and should you bother?
- What should you drink if tequila isn’t your thing?
Read on or watch the video below for seven practical tips before visiting Playa del Carmen.
Tip #1: Ignore Your Phone's Weather App
Should you trust the weather forecast in Playa del Carmen?
Playa del Carmen is hot and humid for most of the year, with cooler evenings in December through February when a light jacket comes in handy. But the weather detail most visitors get wrong is the rain forecast.
Your weather app will often show rain every day, and technically it’s not wrong: afternoon showers are common, especially in the summer and fall months. But those storms usually roll in fast, dump rain for 20 or 30 minutes, and then clear up completely. A forecast showing rain doesn’t mean a lost day. It means bring a small umbrella or duck into a restaurant for a drink and wait it out.
One thing worth knowing: Playa del Carmen falls within the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs June through November. Serious storms are relatively rare and the area has solid infrastructure, but it’s worth checking conditions if you’re traveling during those months and buying travel insurance accordingly.
Even a 40% chance of rain means a 60% chance of no rain. Don’t let the forecast talk you out of a good day.
Tip #2: Politely Decline Street Vendors
How should you handle street vendors in Playa del Carmen?
The main strip in Playa del Carmen is 5th Ave (Quinta Avenida), where most stores, restaurants, and tourists are concentrated. You’ll walk a lot, and you will get offered drugs, hollered at, and pulled toward storefronts. Some favorite lines from the vendors:
“I got crap for sale. Want to buy some crap?”
“Hey, you remember me from the hotel? I was your waiter!”
These are ploys to get you to engage so they can steer you somewhere. It gets annoying, genuinely annoying, but just say “no gracias” and keep walking. They’re trying to make a living like everyone else.
If you do engage, you’ll likely end up in a jewelry store sipping tequila while someone shows you rings in gold, silver, and gemstones priced like a bargain compared to back home. Two weeks later the stone falls out and you realize what you bought was fake. If you genuinely love something, go ahead and buy it, but your baseline assumption should be that it isn’t real.
The only gold or silver I’d buy on 5th Ave is the tequila, and even then I might regret it the next morning.
Tip #3: Get Off 5th Avenue and Out of the Tourist Zone
Is it safe to leave the tourist zone?
The main tourist area of Playa del Carmen centers around 5th Ave (Quinta Avenida). The avenues run roughly north-south and the streets (calles in Spanish) run roughly east-west, making the whole area a straightforward grid that’s easy to navigate. Anywhere from the beach west to 30th Ave, and arguably all the way to the highway, is safely within the tourist zone. Unless you’re a budget traveler or staying longer term, I’d recommend basing yourself within a few blocks of 5th Ave.
That said: get off 5th Ave.
You’re going to walk past colorful restaurants with live music and tables full of tourists and think they look great. They might be fine. A Dos Equis tastes the same anywhere. But when the overpriced tacos arrive and look like microwaved chicken on a tortilla, you’re going to wonder if this is what Mexican food is actually like. It isn’t.
The restaurants on 5th Ave cater to tourists, charge tourist prices, and turn over fast. There are exceptions, but most of my favorite spots in Playa del Carmen are not on the main strip. Street carts on 30th Ave will have better tacos for a third of the price. And if you have a car, go even further west. Other than a few areas on the far edge of the city you’d have no reason to visit anyway, there’s nothing to worry about safety-wise once you step off the main drag.
Tip #4: The Salsa Might Be Spicy
Is Mexican food spicy?
Most meals at Playa del Carmen restaurants come with free tortilla chips and a selection of salsas. The most common are a red salsa and a green salsa, and the green one is usually the spicier of the two. Start with a small dab on a chip to test it before going all in. Otherwise your tongue may be numb before the tacos arrive.
Beyond the salsa, Mexican food in the Yucatan is actually milder than many visitors expect. You won’t find the heavy, cheese-smothered dishes you might know from Tex-Mex back home. The local cuisine leans toward fresh ingredients, citrus, herbs like cilantro and epazote, and regional chiles that add flavor more than heat. Dishes like cochinita pibil, huevos motuleños, and sopa de lima are aromatic and complex without being spicy at all.
That said, if you want heat, you can always find it. Just ask.
Tip #5: Burritos Are Not Very Common, But Get Tacos Everywhere
What food should you try in Playa del Carmen?
You might grab a chicken burrito at Chipotle back home and think you can’t wait to try the real thing in Mexico. Here’s the thing: the burrito, which literally means “little donkey” in Spanish, isn’t really a traditional Mexican dish. It’s more of an American-Mexican creation that evolved along the northern border. You’ll find them occasionally in Playa del Carmen, but they’re rare and not something the local cuisine is built around.
Tacos are a completely different story. You can get them everywhere, from street carts to sit-down restaurants, at any hour of the day, for almost any budget. Fish tacos, cochinita pibil tacos, al pastor, carne asada: the variety is nothing like what you’ll find at home. Order them wherever you see them.
Tip #6: There Is More to Drink Than Tequila
What should you drink besides tequila?
Tequila is everywhere in Playa del Carmen. There are dedicated tequila stores lining 5th Ave and it will be offered to you constantly. You should try some, and not just the Jose Cuervo you might know from home. The quality range is enormous and a good reposado or añejo sipped slowly is a completely different experience from whatever you drank too much of on spring break.
But if tequila still isn’t your thing, you’ll be fine. Mexican craft beer has grown significantly in recent years and is easy to find alongside the standard Dos Equis and Corona. Mezcal is worth trying too, especially in the Yucatan where smoky, complex varieties are common and often cheaper than you’d expect. Cocktails, spirits, and even micheladas are everywhere.
Mexican wine is also finally making a name for itself. Most wine by the glass at restaurants will be the cheap stuff, but if you visit a shop like Off the Vine on 38th Street or pick up a bottle at Chedraui, you can find some genuinely good Mexican bottles. Casa Madero, worth knowing by name, began planting their vineyards in 1597 and is the oldest winery in the Americas.
Tip #7: You Don't Need to Know Spanish, But Learn a Few Words and Phrases
Do people in Playa del Carmen speak English?
You don’t need to know Spanish to get by in Playa del Carmen. Most people working in restaurants, hotels, and shops speak English well, and there’s typically an English menu available. When you look like a tourist, they’ll often bring it without you asking.
That said, making even a small effort with Spanish goes a long way. Locals genuinely appreciate it when visitors try, even badly. At minimum, greet people with “buenos dÃas” in the morning or “buenas tardes” in the afternoon rather than walking straight into English. And learn the important one: “una cerveza más, por favor.”
Here are a few basic phrases worth knowing before you go:
Buenos dÃas / Buenas tardes / Buenas noches: Good morning / Good afternoon / Good evening
Por favor: Please
Gracias: Thank you
Lo siento: I’m sorry
¿Cómo está?: How are you?
¿Cuánto cuesta?: How much does this cost?
¿Dónde está el baño?: Where is the bathroom?
La cuenta, por favor: The check, please
No picante, por favor: Not spicy, please
