We always like to highlight events in Playa del Carmen, and every year events of all kind – fun, interesting, international, prestigious, delicious, or simply nice to see – are more and more common.
Just last week Playa del Carmen welcomed the beautiful young women who represent their various countries for the Miss Latin America.
Over the past week, we’ve seen a couple of videos about Playa Animal Rescue and its founder, Jan Northenscold. But when we hear about an animal shelter, or pretty much any other charity, we’re often left with a bunch of questions:
Jan has taken some time to answer these and similar questions for us:
Again, it’s wonderful to see the work that Jan, Playa Animal Rescue and so many volunteers do! 150 dogs rescued each year and put into nice homes!
-by Bea Lozano
As part of our Livin’ Playa Series we are showing and capturing the real life of expats and snowbirds in Playa del Carmen!
We had the lovely opportunity to talk with Kristie Scivally from Oklahoma City Oklahoma! We were interested to talk with Kristie because she is a die-hard Playa fan who chooses to spend all of her vacation time here in Playa. We wanted to find out why! So this is her story!
(To see more real-life stories in YouTube, click here.)
Kristie lives a normal life back in Oklahoma City. She raises a 10 year old boy and works very hard. She has been coming to Playa for the past 10 years, right around the time her son was born. She likes to take any chance she can take to be here. She visits approximately 4 or 5 times per year and by this time has become a Playa expert as she has watched this lovely beach town evolve and grow without ever sacrificing its charm.
Kristie usually spends a bigger chunk of time, of about a month, here during the summer since her son is free from school during that time. Throughout the year she takes smaller trips of about a week or so whenever her son gets a break from school! And when she is not here, she is always planning and looking forward to her next trip!
So we wanted to know, Why Playa?
If you get the chance to take 4 or 5 vacations every year then why not change it up a little? This is an easy question for Kristie to answer. She simply loves Playa! We all know that when you love something you should stick with it. Kristie comes to Playa for a wide scale of reasons. The atmosphere, the beach, great food, the family friendly environment and also because of safety!
Some of her favorite things to do here are to go to the beach, lounge by the pool, take her son for a ride in the go karts or other fun kids activities, walk on the 5th Avenue, socialize with friends while enjoying nice dinners and wine! She also loves the fact that you can come here and still escape to other beautiful gems such as Tulum, Chichen-itza and many other paradise locations all within the Riviera Maya! This is all a part of the life in Playa!
Good Friends
Over time Kristie has made good friendships with expats who live here year round and she looks forward to spending time with them each visit. Playa del Carmen is, in fact, a home away from home for Kristie and her son!
At this point in Kristie’s life she is not prepared to live here full-time but knows that once here son is out of school, and she can retire, Playa is the place she wants to be! For now she will continue to escape to Playa for vacation and keeping dreaming that little dream of one day living here!
To hear what Kristie has to say please click on this link for her testimonial on You tube!
We love our town of Playa del Carmen and we want to get the word out that this is a great place to live, retire and vacation! What better way to do that than by letting you meet people who can give you the real scoop! Stay tuned for more testimonials for our Livin’ Playa series!
-by Thomas Lloyd
Do you ever imagine what life in Playa del Carmen would be like? Walking on the beach, yoga, Spanish classes, martini’s at the poolside, relaxed expat clubs …
Sounds almost too perfect, doesn’t it?
Well, people who live here can tell you that that’s what life is actually like. We have another video in our Livin’ Playa series, this time an interview with Cathy Morrison. Cathy is a past client of ours – we helped her and her husband find their ideal condo in Quadra Alea. And guess what life is like for her:
(If you can’t see the video, click here.)
Walking on the beach, yoga, Spanish classes, martini’s at the poolside, relaxed expat clubs …
Life in Playa is relaxation!
-by Thomas Lloyd
For any readers in London or nearby, a friend sent me this about Mexfest:
London MexFest is an exciting programme of contemporary Mexican cinema, architecture, exhibitions, music and gastronomy.
Mexican and British exponents of all these creative disciplines will engage in talks and events to highlight the growing bilateral cultural collaboration between the two countries.
And the trailer video:
I think it’s going right now, but at least you’ll know for next time – and it’s always good to know that Mexican culture is gaining good exposure!
-by Bea Lozano
If you love fishing, then Playa del Carmen really would be your cup of tea!
This morning, Playa del Carmen’s annual fishing tournament was kicked off. Take a look at this video from Mexico Travel News:
This is one of the winners from last year’s tournament, I believe:
Here’s a shot of “the big catch” on a boat. (This is not in the tournament, but gives you a taste of what fishing in Playa del Carmen is like:)
If you’re around, it’d be great to head out and see some of the prize catches. If not, well you know what you can plan for the next time you’re here in Playa!
-by Thomas Lloyd
Puerta del Mar is one of the most exciting communities in Cancun – not to mention one of the best located. It is both on the oceanfront and next to the shops and vibrant life of downtown, with the upscale dining and shopping of Porto Cancun marina community right next door.
It’s one of my favorite places to visit in Cancun, whether it’s just to walk around, enjoy good food, or go shopping. Take a look at the video:
(If you can’t see the video, click here.)
TOPMexicoRealEstate.com; Mexico’s Leading Network of Specialists for Finding and Purchasing Mexican Properties Safely
Yesterday, Tom posted about the best places in Playa del Carmen to watch the Superbowl. Just to show how varied life is in the Riviera Maya, today I’m going to share a video about something very different – the self-discovery and connection with nature offered by Tulum’s ecological culture.
In this video, Lorena, one of the architects for a new natural hotel and spa in Tulum called Holistika, talks about the concept behind this beautiful spa set in the middle of the jungle and integrated into nature.
(If you can’t see the video, click here.)
Spirituality in Mexico runs deep and can be found in the rich traditions of Catholicism, in the ancient (and still living) rituals of the Aztec people, or in yoga or Buddhism, to name only a few examples. The beauty of the country’s nature and the magic of wonderful places offer the ideal setting for this kind of self-discovery.
(As a side note, Holistika also offers lots for sale where people can have their ecological dream home built to enjoy this lifestyle as every life!)
TOPMexicoRealEstate.com; Mexico’s Leading Network of Specialists for Finding and Purchasing Mexican Properties Safely
Snow is most certainly something beautiful to look at! But, after that, it becomes a little less attractive – trekking through cold, knee-deep snow, or – even worse – shoveling it off the driveway.
Wouldn’t you rather be enjoying the white sand of warm beach on the Caribbean? I sure would! Take a look at this video. The first part is probably just all too familiar, but the second part could be part of your day to day life!
(If you can’t see the video, click here.)
For me, when it comes to snow, I’ll be happy to look at pictures and videos online, safely away from any shovels or snow-blowers, wearing shorts and sandals, relaxing on the beach!
TOPMexicoRealEstate.com; Mexico’s Leading Network of Specialists for Finding and Purchasing Mexican Properties Safely
I always say if a picture is worth a thousand words, than a video is worth a thousand pictures. We’ve written about Fifth Avenue a few times, and even shared a video (see Out and About in Playa: Fifth Avenue – New Video Tour of Dining and Nightlife!). Today I’d like to share another video. A few people in the office put this together for Quadra Alea Condos, a beautiful, spacious condo complex downtown; the video is great for anyone interested in life on Playa’s Fifth Avenue.
Just remember: Everything in the video is within a short walking distance downtown!
(If you can’t see the video, click here.)
I hope you enjoyed watching it as much as we did making it … and hopefully, you will soon be enjoying Fifth Avenue in person!
TOPMexicoRealEstate.com; Mexico’s Leading Network of Specialists for Finding and Purchasing Mexican Properties Safely