Playa del Carmen has changed a lot since the time I visited it almost 22 years ago. The last time we were in the Cancun area (about five years ago now) my wife and I thought about going but as we passed the exit on the highway headed to Tulum, it just didn't look the same. I think there was some kind of construction going on.
Funny thing is, though, a friend of mine and I stayed at a small motel called La Bamba in Playa del Carmen back in 1996. We slept on raised concrete slabs with a thin mattress and thread worn sheets. The walls seemed paper thin, as if we were out in the street. When we got up the next morning I went to take a shower and there was barely a trickle, so we waited until later in the day when we were at Coba.
After checking in, I immediately went to take a shower. There was plenty of water this time, but it was ice cold! It took my breath away, and I could only stand it for about a minute or so.
That's got to be the faster shower I've ever had.
Then, I debated whether or not to tell my friend about it, and decided not to. Somehow he managed to scream when the cold water hit him! He wanted to know why I didn't warn him, and all I could answer was, "How did you manage to scream?"
Fun times. Loved that trip through Quintano Roo into the Yucatan. Look forward to doing it again some day.
hahaha that's awesome! I wouldn't have told him about the cold water either!! You never really know what to expect here, but that's part of the adventure! We've been coming here for a long time and have watched it getting bigger and bigger. Can't say that I'm a huge fan of the growth because remember how 5th ave used to be so quaint? Now there's a huge shopping mall and a casino being built. A lot of the little vendors have been shoved aside. We live outside of the touristy area, way more authentic. In fact, our neighbour lives in what sounds like your first experience here! Having said that though, there is still a lot of fun to be had here :) Thank you so much for the reply! Cheers!