What to know before you go

Local Climate: The climate in Playa del Carmen is humid all year around.

Season	When	What to expect
Low	1 May to mid Nov	Weather is less predictable, with a possibility of hurricanes between August and October.
High	mid Nov to end Apr	The weather is more dry and hot.

Money: Mexican Peso and American Dollar. Dollars are accepted in most places, except in smaller or remote places. Credit and debit cards usually incur an extra fee.

Electricity Supply: Same as the USA, 110 volts.

Time zone: Central Standard Time.

Language: Spanish, English and Mayan are spoken.

Health and Safety: Check with your local surgery or travel clinic regarding required immunisations. Ensure you drink more water than normal to avoid dehydration. Most hotels and restaurants use purified water. Where possible drink bottled water, as it tastes nicer. Qualified English-speaking doctors and dentists are available for health emergencies. Use common sense as you would at home to avoid being a victim of petty crime.

Clothing: Pack light cool clothing. A thin sweater or jacket is useful for cooler evenings. Some restaurants may require you to dress appropriately in the evening. For example long trousers for gentlemen.

Sunscreen: Remember that you are in the tropics, so use a higher protection factor than what you would normally use. Some places will only allow you to use biodegradable sunscreen in order to preserve the environmental balance of the mangroves and coral reefs. This is widely available in stores and chemists.

Food: When you arrive in Playa del Carmen and have a chance to taste the food, you will soon find out that Yucatan cuisine is very different to the spicy hot dishes we in the western world all recognise as Mexican food.

Eating out: There are many good places to eat in the town. Some of the best places to eat are away from the busiest parts of town. If you find a good eatery, please get a business card or leaflet and pop it in one of the pockets in the Welcome Book so that other people can enjoy it too. Most restaurants open early in the morning and offer either a set breakfast or buffet style breakfast. If this is not your thing, we recommend mingling with the locals at Java Joes for bagels, croissants, muffins as well as good tea and coffee. You can order freshly made sandwiches to take away, which are perfect for day trips or for taking to the airport to avoid long queues and costly airport food.
Food Shopping: If you walk around the town you will see many small shops that offer food and provisions to suit your catering needs. The main supermarkets in the town are Walmart, Mega and Chedraui.

Walmart: Located on 25th Ave between 8th and 10th Streets. Follow the road to the left of the church for 2 blocks and turn left. The supermarket is on your right-hand side.

Mega: Located on 25th Ave between 14th and 16th Streets. Follow the road to the right of the church for 2 blocks and turn right. In a short distance the supermarket is on your right-hand side.

Chedraui: Located on the main highway, on the corner of 50th Ave and 5th Street. A taxi may be more comfortable to get there.

DAC: A wonderful fruit and vegetable market. It is located on 30th Ave about one block north of Constituyentes Ave. They have all kinds of chiles, seasonings and spices, organic foods, a limited meat counter, and a selection of international canned foods.

HC: A butchers located on 1st Street between 20th and 25th Aves. They have a big grill out front, so you can eat there or get your meat to go. They also sell salsas, guacamole, sour cream and grilled onion and potatoes from the grill.

Casita Océano

Playa del Carmen

Reservations

Information

What to know before you go

Season

When

What to expect

Low

High