No longer undiscovered but
not-yet-overdeveloped Playa del Carmen, the Yucatan destination
just 40 miles south of Cancun, is a distinctly stylish and colorful
beachside town that is quickly becoming the capital of Mexico's
booming Riviera Maya. Sure, Cancun is about an hour up the road,
but its hedonistic and frat-house atmosphere can wear thin on those
looking for charm.
Moreover, Playa
del Carmen's white-sand beaches are gorgeous, while the town's
location makes it an excellent jumping-off point for ferry rides to
Cozumel as well as ground excursions to eco-parks, cenote swimming
holes and Mayan ruins.
Consequently,
boutique hotels and refined restaurants sprung up. Today,
avant-garde, minimalist hotels; hip, retro lounges; high-design,
poolside bars; and white-washed, Mediterranean-style villas can be
found in the Old Town section of Playa del Carmen.
The Old Town
section's axis lies one block off the beach along a 20-block
pedestrian walkway known as Quinta Avenida, or Fifth
Avenue.
This red-brick
promenade mainly accounts for the town's newly born status as a
happening nightlife destination.
Although kitschy
souvenir shops and chain restaurants take up some of the
storefronts, the corridor maintains a creative, bohemian edge owing
to artists who have moved here en masse.
When the sun goes down
On a recent
visit, I indulged myself in Playa del Carmen nightlife, first
dropping by Tequila Fiesta Silvery Gallery, a crafts and spirits
shop where owner and artist Rony Eliad was more than happy to coax
me along with a generous sampling of oaky tequilas brewed from
boutique distilleries in Jalisco.
The shop carries
silver jewelry items and Eliad's cubist Mayan renderings, which
adorn both the gallery walls and Tres Mujeres tequila's
hand-painted labels.
Other art
galleries of interest include Perla, on Fifth Avenue, and Yava, at
the corner of Fifth and 10th Street, which carry crafts from
assorted regions, including re-creations of Mayan stone tablets,
ornately painted crosses from Chiapas, Oaxacan weavings and
candy-colored gourd lamps from Pueblo.
Wanting to leave
the street behind, I headed over to the second-floor terrace at the
Deseo Hotel, a member of Mexico Boutique Hotels. A deejay was
turning out flamenco fusion beats amid a young, jet-set crowd
lounging on poolside daybeds.
I sat at the
candlelit, open-air bar, cucumber martini in hand, and took in the
all-white decor.
It's a design
ethos reminiscent of South Beach, but Mick Jagger hasn't been here
yet, and neither has Shaquille O'Neal nor Paris Hilton. The
atmosphere is subdued. Playa del Carmen is exciting but not too
outrageous.
It was also still
very early. The sun was just going down, and Playa's nightlife
begins to take off after 10 p.m.
With time on my
hands, I headed over to Deseo's sister property, the
industrial-chic Hotel Basico, also a member of Mexico Boutique
Hotels. The property is one block away, on the corner of Fifth
Avenue and 10th Street.
The 15-room
Basico Hotel, as its name implies, has a stripped-down, recycled
aesthetic with pools fashioned from old gas containers and a lobby
lined with tire strips.
Guests are
transported to the rooftop bar, Azotea, by a freight elevator,
where daybeds and a deejay set a trancelike mood.
Azotea has an
excellent food and bar scene and is ideal for hipsters and young
couples looking to throw themselves in the heart of Playa
nightlife.
Like great urbane
locales, Playa del Carmen is filled with side streets that invite
exploration.
Hanging a left
down 10th Street, I found Babe's, an Asian noodle bar festooned
with 1940s pinup-girl posters. The bar's lipstick-red walls are
seductively campy and the deep, leather-padded booths lend the
low-ceilinged establishment additional design credibility. I dined
on yellow curry and pad Thai dishes, both exceptional bargains at
$6 each.
Across the
street, statues of dancing frogs hoisting cocktail glasses into the
air set the tone for the welcoming Bar Ranita, a cozy recess cut
out from the attached Hotel La Rancha Cansada.
Manager Jez
Searle proudly told me of flying in a Swedish band for an upcoming
Halloween bash. "We're like Caribbean tribal people," said Searle
of the high-spirited and friendly crowd that looked to be equal
parts local and expat.
As Abba songs
trailed off behind me, I headed back to 12th Street and Fifth
Avenue, Playa del Carmen's epicenter for late-night fun. Tops on
this strip is Santanera, a darkly lit, two-level club with kitschy
decoration alluding to Mexican wrestlers and santeria, a mystical
religion of Afro-Caribbean origin.
On the downward,
sloping portion of 12th Street leading to the beach is Diablito's
Cha Cha Cha, an open palapa-style restaurant-lounge that strikes a
retro 1950s decor and spins a variety of music, including funk, hip
and groove. Diablito's is definitely the hang-out spot for the
beautiful people of Playa.
Also worth
checking out is the relaxed Indonesian vibe at OM Lounge and Blue
Parrot, a Playa institution which turns its daytime beach frolic
into an evening dance club.
Fine dining
As for fine
dining, one can't go wrong with the Glass Bar's homemade pasta and
marinated octopus carpaccio served with an olive
tapenade.
"We don't use any
cream or butter; we use olive oil and tomatoes," said owner Daniele
Personali, by way of distinguishing the restaurant's Mediterranean
influence.
Across the
street, Glass Bar's owners recently opened Di Vino, a wine bar and
restaurant with an open veranda that comfortably spills out onto
the bustling promenade.
Together, the two
establishments lend this part of town an undeniable European
ambience, the kind where patrons are greeted with warm hellos,
where food and spirits are a celebration of life.
For those saving
their appetite for something more culturally authentic, they can
try the Mayan cuisine at Yaxche, considered by some to be the best
restaurant along the Mayan Riviera.
A fusion of Maya,
Yucatecan and European cuisine, some dishes are unchanged and
cooked in traditional ways.
Others are Mayan
with a twist, like shrimp relleno negro, a spicy black sauce
traditionally served with turkey. Or Yaxche's version of the chile
relleno, a banana pepper stuffed with a tangy pork called cochinita
pibil. Ingredients such as sour orange and achiote (a paste made
from annatto seeds) pack an unforgettably zesty and complex
wallop.
Dining at Yaxche
captured what, in the end, gives Playa del Carmen its pleasing
edginess.
The town's
greatest joys aren't concentrated in one standout restaurant or
club. They pop up in a balanced melding of old and new, bohemian
and avant-garde, traditional and fusion.
It's as if Playa
del Carmen's food, crafts and architectural design evolved to match
the tropical beach setting. And if change has greatly transformed
this once sleepy fishing village, for now the balance seems just
about right.
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