Until a few years ago, Playa del Carmen was where you went to get to Cozumel. Only a few international visitors returned year after year to soak up the sun on its lovely beaches.
Today it’s the second most important destination on the coast. Called Playa by initiates, the town is a lively community. The beaches are perfect, if slightly more populated than they were five years ago, there are reefs offshore and jungle nearby, and the ambience is unmistakably bohemian.