Now that I have finally caught up on the southern road trip, I wanted to write a bit about a trip we took to Mexico last month. A close friend of mine turned 40 this year and we met up with him and a few other friends to celebrate. It was our first international trip since returning from Argentina, just before things started locking down due to COVID-19 last year. We flew to Cancún on Spirit Airlines (never again) and after waiting in the longest customs line I’ve ever witnessed, picked up a brown Chevy Aveo rental car with approximately 47 horsepower and an automatic transmission. Zero to 60 kilometers per hour….eventually.

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The Aveo wasn’t particularly quick, sporty, luxurious, or ergonomic, but we did manage to arrive at our hotel in Playa del Carmen in one piece. We stayed at the Hotel Riu Palace Mexico, a pretty large all-inclusive resort on the beach. We normally don’t go for the all-inclusive experiences so this was pretty new for us. The hotel was pretty nice and all of the staff were very friendly.

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The weather was pleasant most of the time we were in Mexico. The only real downside was the large amount of algae in the water by the beach. I can’t really complain though. We spent plenty of time by the pool, sitting on the beach listening to the waves, and doing plenty of eating and drinking. All of the food was pretty solid. Aside from one drunk 20 something year old failing an attempt to retrieve a football from a palm tree, the resort crowd was mostly tolerable.

Though we spent the majority of our time at the resort, we did manage to get away a few times. We wandered to 5th street (downtown Playa del Carmen), where we were bombarded by an endless line of folks pitching everything from jet skiing to fishing trips to all of the controlled substances. We also took short trips to beautiful lagoons and cenotes and a half day or so trip to Chichen Itza.

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The archeological site was impressive and a great learning experience. If you’re ever interested in taking the trip in the summer, I highly recommend going as early as possible. The heat was pretty intense even before lunch time.

Anyways, I don’t have much to report on or review this time around, considering the “all-inclusive” nature of this trip. Overall, our time in Mexico was fun and very relaxing. Whether you’re a novice or more experienced traveler, I think you’ll find Playa del Carmen is a great place to spend a few days or a week. Thanks for reading.