I love you now like I loved you then! Happy 111th Anniversary Playa del Carmen! Life keeps moving and changing but the beauty of Playa del Carmen’s amazing beaches have remained. Let’s continue to keep Playa del Carmen clean and beautiful for years to come!
With our busy lives and busy schedules we must never forget to take the time to play!
-By Bea Lozano
Today’s Agenda!
Wake up, eat, go to the beach, apply sunscreen, swim, reapply sunscreen!
-by Thomas Lloyd
This may come as a shock to most of you but choice of clothing or lack thereof was not always a free choice! Imagine getting ticketed for wearing your shorts too short! YIKES! Today we make fashion and expression of who we are no matter how we choose to express it! Be happy and be who you are!
-By Bea Lozano
Sure you have likely seen many reviews about Xcaret Park but given that it is a place I love I would like to share my own thoughts and feelings about this wonderful destination!
What is Xcaret?
Xcaret is one of the biggest and most attractive eco-friendly attractions here in the Riviera Maya! And it’s no wonder since the park is filled with so many beautiful aspects to explore. I always recommend getting the Xcaret Plus package because it includes a fabulous meal and also all of your necessary aquatics and snorkel gear.
What can I do at Xcaret?
You can start anywhere in the park but for me I always prefer to start off swimming through the underground river and allow the rest of the day for exploring through the jungle, swimming in the lagoons and visiting the Mayan Village.
The underground River is a mysterious and historical experience. If you have never swum through an underground cenote cave before it can be wondrous to know that you are exploring some of the greatest nature in the Riviera Maya which is known for their underground magic! Xcaret provides a very safe and structured way to do it! They provide you with all the necessary equipment to snorkel! You will never be lost as there are lots of exits with xcaret personnel available if you get tired; but most people will enjoy the entire route. Along the way there are plenty of areas where you can have your photo taken!
After your swim you can move on to any other activity that you desire. I like to take some time to relax in the hammocks over- looking an incredible view of the ocean and crashing waves! It is pretty much breathtaking to see this area of the park. You might also decide to grab a tube and hang out in the lagoon. There is no schedule; you do as you please!
After spending time hanging in the sun and enjoying some swimming I like to start my hike or walk through the jungle to check out all the nature and history. Along a long walking path around the park you can see lots of different wild animals such as Jaguars and spider monkeys, huge sea turtles, sharks and deer! That is just to name a few! My favorite is the butterfly house where you can visit and find amazing and colorful butterflies flying all around you in their natural habitat! For me it is just incredible to see.
If you are tired of walking you can enjoy a canoe ride through the river where you can look around at all the nature surrounding you.
Wait there’s More?
Aside from all the nature Xcaret is rich in Mayan culture. It offers a great experience to visit some Mayan ruins and see what a typical Mayan Village would have looked like years ago, as well as a beautiful Mayan graveyard full of colorful and interesting gravestones!
By this time you have probably had a long day and have worked up an appetite. Although Xcaret has many food options to choose from all around the park I always like to use my included at the Mexican buffet that is located just towards the entrance. In my opinion this is probably your best food option and it has a complete selection of various Mexican dishes! If you can arrive around 5 pm you can also enjoy some nice entertainment as there is a horse show right there for everyone to see with some great Mexican attire for the riders as well as lovely music. It’s fun and the kids enjoy this part as well.
The Mexican Show is a Must See Experience!
You must not leave the park without watching the Mexican show! Xcaret includes two wonderful performances that are included in the price of your ticket and they are amazing and spectacular shows full of Mexican and Mayan Culture. Recently during low season I have seen a new show that they have created that blew my socks off. It was a show full of Music and Dancing and colorful traditional Mexican attire. Each act represented history from different states of Mexico. Immediately following that performance you are invited to see a fire filled typical ball game from back in the Mayan days! I will tell you that it is incredible!
Of course at the end of the night you can shop in one of the best souvenir stores that I have seen in Mexico. By saying this I mean that it is not cheesy cheap souvenirs. They sell things that are worth taking home. Also, you can pick up and buy your photos if desired.
The day is long but well worth it and is absolutely a must do when you arrive here in the Riviera Maya!
-by Bea Lozano
The creators of Xcaret outdid themselves when they created Xplor Adventure Park but they have gone beyond what they already created and offered a new twist on one of the leading experiences in the Riviera Maya! This new hype is called Xplor Fuego! Xplor took and extra step and decided to open its doors at night lighting up the entire park with fire and excitement! A friend of mine recently went and shared this with me:
“You enter the park just before dusk into a cave like environment! Come equipped with your bathing suit or clothes if you don’t mind getting wet. Also, it is important to bring water shoes! You don’t need to change into dry clothes until the very end. Expect to get when during all activities! You can choose to start with any of 5 adventures. You can swim through the underground river, take a paddle boat ride through the river, soar through the zip line circuit, drive through the amphibious jungle or eat in spectacular buffet.
We decided to start with the swim through the underground river. And we were glad to do so because after swimming through a magical underground cenote, lit up of all different colors, you end swimming thorough an amazing waterfall. All of a sudden you realize you are in a cenote pool with the waterfalls all around you and when you look up the view and the feeling is absolutely incredible!
Now since we were already in the vicinity we wandered over to take a little stroll through the river in the paddle boat. The ride was fun and the paddles were very easy and user friendly. Again you experience more amazement in a different route of the underground river.
Say Cheese! Or shall I say, Tequila!!! And be ready! Because there are cameras throughout the entire area of the park and underground river!
By the time we were done with the underground river, the skies darkened! We took a break to eat and enjoy a fabulous buffet including a real BBQ offering beef and pork ribs, hot dogs, hamburgers and baked potatoes. Also an incredible salad bar with fresh and healthy veggie options with a variety of dressings and toppings. Also, you can enjoy some other international items such as chicken kebobs, pizza, mozzarella sticks, and much, much more! And if that isn’t enough how about ice cream, coffee, hot chocolate and natural fruit water! And it’s all unlimited!
After filling our bellies it was time to explore the amphibious jungle with an adventurous 4×4 jeep ride! What an experience! The path is set up through the jungle with hills, water, rocks, heavy terrain and bridges. The jeeps are very equipped and safe for this kind of activity so go ahead and press the gas a little and head out in the moon light! Keep those lights on! If you turn them off you will sit still in absolute darkness! We tested it for the thrill! Stopped of course! Don’t worry, you are not alone! There are check points along the way to be sure your car is working properly and can continue with the ride! You will not get lost in the dark! This activity was my husband’s absolute favorite! Before moving on we refueled in the snack area to rest for a few minutes and enjoy Mexican sweet bread and hot cocoa. We couldn’t resist!!!
Now onto the zip line circuit! We started this adventure by walking up a very safe spiral path to the top of a tower where we took flight on zip line number one! The zip lines are truly an incredible experience and even for me who is honestly afraid of heights this was my top pick for the entire park! I have been zip lining during the day and enjoyed it but it is truly a different and unique experience to soar through the sky at night underneath the moon and stars! It is a completely different feel and I highly recommend this experience! The circuit consists of nine zip lines; the last one with a fun splash water landing!
Although this was the last of the fun filled activities, it did not end our night! Didn’t I mention that the buffet is unlimited!? Yep! All this fun called for another refuel! So we sat and enjoyed another meal and talked about what an incredible time we had! This brought us up to right around 11 pm which was perfect timing to fit in all the activities, eat and relax! Before leaving we stopped to view all the awesome photos that had been snapped of us during the adventure! You are not obligated to purchase these photos however we did! They offer different packages for you to choose from. I must say that buying the photos are always worth it for me to be able to keep for memories! And this one in particular was certainly a memorable experience!
This experience was not a one-time stop for me; I enjoyed it so much that I plan to return! I hope that everyone out there will give this a shot; you will not be disappointed.”
So, I recommend Xplor – at night! I’ll have to go check it out myself some time soon.
-by Bea Lozano
There are many places to go diving all over the world. But I don’t have to go very far. Living in Mexico gives me a great chance to keep my diving skills sharp, and my mind clear.
Off the coast of Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Cozumel is the second largest reef in the world. It’s full of all kinds of colorful animals. Fish, squid, octopus, eels, stingrays and all the extras like coral formations and structures. Its like an underwater museum that never closes, it just changes and becomes more amazing.
Take night diving for example. I few weeks ago we went for a night dive. I must admit I was pretty scared to jump into the ocean at 7pm at night, but I was also so excited to see a different kind of coral reef. The animals that you see during the day are amazing; don’t get me wrong, but at night the atmosphere changes completely.
You can see different fish and some animals that I have never seen before. The water seems so much calmer and quiet with the hustle and bustle of the day gone. The animals seem to relax back into their natural routine, like they are not on display anymore. Its almost like they are off the clock.
And don’t freak out about not being able to see, you are armed with a flashlight that helps you eyes focus on what is in front of you. During a day dive, you eyes tend to wander around, but on a night dive you are focus and everything is a new surprise.
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Is there anything better than wandering down the white sandy beaches, along the crystal blue green water? Well, yes! Flying over it, soring above looking down over the entire Playa del Carmen. No, I’m not talking about skydiving. I’m talking about parasailing.
Parasailing is a popular activity all along the coast of the Riviera Maya. You can book your trip right on the beach. The jet skis take you out to the boat and they help you out with everything you need. It’s an amazing feeling, gliding through the air, looking down.
A lot of people think that its scary, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. You are 100% supported in a harness and its like you are sitting on a chair watching the world pass by.
I remember thinking the last time we went, how everything seemed so small from up so high. It really helped me get away from it all and get a little prospective on life. Best therapy ever!
We went off Mamitas beach in Playa del Carmen. There are several boats that do parasailing. You can always find someone selling tickets. If you have trouble, look for the guys hanging around the jet skis, windsurfers and kayaks. They will happily point you in the right direction.
After they took us up to fly like a bird, we decided to take the jet skis out for a run. That was heaps of fun! Riding the waves, feeling the power. There are so many water activities available in places like Playa, that’s its hard to choose one. Well, my advice… don’t choose, try them all and have fun doing so.
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