Category Archives: things to do

Action Packed November Events in Playa del Carmen – Golf, Food, Music and Fun!

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November is a busy month in Playa del Carmen!  As low season is nearing the end, and more people start to arrive in to the area, we have packed lots of events in our calendars starting this month!  November is a time for Golf Lovers, Food Lovers, and Music Lovers!  If you love all three you are in for an extra special treat!

What can you expect to see around Playa?


The OHL PGA Golf Tournament! Kicking off a slew of November events in Playa del Carmen is the annual OHL Classic PGA Golf Tournament at Maya Koba!  Come see the pros, and spend the day with your friends and family on one of the most prestigious golf courses in Mexico.  The PGA Golf Tournament will start off on Thursday November 14th and run through Sunday November 17th.

If you like to golf and want to get in on some golfing action, join in for the “Golf para todos” event on Saturday November 16th!  This fun event was a huge hit during the entire summer at Maya Koba!  This Saturday, as part of the PGA Tournament schedule, will be the final chance you have to partake in the fun for this season!

There will be lots of tourists flying in to be a part of the event so you may be noticing Playa a bit busier this coming weekend.  If you already live in Playa del Carmen this can be a great weekend activity to add to your agenda!

Annual Taste of Playa!  Get your mouths watering for Playa del Carmen’s annual Taste of Playa event coming Sunday November 24th at Parque Fundadores.  This is an annual event held in Playa and is one of the most popular, and geared up for, events of the year.    An incredible selection of Playa chefs, caterers and restaurants will be there to provide you samples of their best dishes.
You can pay for your samples by purchasing “Playa Pesos” which is a similar concept to buying tickets for a carnival ride.  Once you purchase your Playa pesos you can use them towards food samplings which range 2-3 pesos per sample.

If you like you can purchase VIP tickets which get you early entrance, special VIP seating and 20 Playa Pesos towards your samples!  The event will run from 3-9 pm!  This is a do not miss event if you are Playa.  Where else do you get to try the best of Playa del Carmen’s amazing selection of restaurants all one on place.

Taste of Playa Pre-Gaming!  Do not forget to pre-game for this exciting event by participating in some of the “Taste of Playa Kick off” events!  On November 16th Wah Wah Beach bar will be a hosting a Taste of Playa Pre party event!  Come and join in for National Open bar and Appetizer buffet for 450 pesos at the door (online tickets available for 400 pesos).  The party will include raffles and great live music as well.

Casa del Agua will also be hosting their yearly Taste of Playa food and wine paring dinner on Wednesday November 20th.  The dinner costs 750 pesos and can also be purchased online through the Taste of Playa Website.

Riviera Maya Jazz Festival!  All the fun and all the food all lead down to one well anticipated yearly event – The Riviera Maya Jazz Festival!  Here we will see amazing artists such as Earth Wind and Fire take the stage at Mamita’s Beach in Playa del Carmen.  This event starts off on November 28th and runs through November 30th.
This is often times the weekend that starts brining our friendly snowbirds down from the United States and Canada to spend the winter.  The Riviera Maya Jazz Festival has been an incredible success in past years and is expected to carry on the same great reputation and popularity for years to come.

If you are wondering time of year is great for travel in Playa del Carmen, November is your prime time.  On top of the fact that there are fun events going on throughout the entire month, you can also still take advantage of low season rates on airfare and hotel stays.

We, at Top Mexico Real Estate, hope to see you around town this November in Playa del Carmen!

Xplor Fuego! An Adventure not to be forgotten!

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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
Mexico Real Estate Investment Kit

Rio Lagartos is the Yucatan Peninsula’s Flamingo Paradise

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Of all the cool places to visit in the Yucatan Peninsula – and there are many! – this one is near the top of the list.  Rio Lagartos is a biosphere reserve at the north end of the Peninsula, sort of between Cancun and Merida, but north of the highway that connects these two cities.

Like the other biosphere reserves on the Peninsula – especially the impressive Sian Kaan – Rio Lagartos offers a huge biodiversity, and many activities like bird-watching, fishing, boating, hiking and nature tours.  There are also cenotes, the awe-inspiring pools created by the area’s sink holes.

But the most impressive part of Rio Lagartos is the flamingos.

The reserve is home to about 40,000 flamingos that have both their nesting grounds and year-round habitat here.

You can take a boat tour through various water water ways to arrive to the estuary where the flamingos are found.  The sight is simply amazing:

Also, take a look at some of the nature:

Be sure to get the official tour with qualified guides; there are “unofficial” tours which are entirely safe, but you may not get to see the best places.

At the point where the biosphere reserve meets the beach there is also a traditional fisherman’s village.  The village is relaxing and quaint, and a good place to have lunch or dinner.

Another amazing part about Rio Lagartos is that you can actually live here in a luxury eco home if you like!  There are eco-lots with various options for home construction available just outside of the village.

Whether it’s a weekend getaway, a vacation, or for your new dream home, I suggest that you give Rio Lagartos a try!

 

-by Bea Lozano

Kit_Ownership

The Experience of a Lifetime – Taking the Bus in Mexico!

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There are many things that we consider thrilling and exciting in this day and age, but did you ever think that taking a bus would be one of them. If you didn’t, then you have never taken a bus in Mexico.

 

The rules need not apply!

 

Buses make their own rules and take you along for the ride.

 

Here in Playa Del Carmen there are many advantages to public transportation. For instance, the bus will pick you up from any location; there is no need to walk to a bus stop. Just wave down a bus and he will happily stop to collect you. The same goes for drop offs. Just remember to shout the secret word ‘bajan!”(remember the “j” sounds like an “h”) and they will stop as soon as possible to let you off.

 

The buses here also don’t worry so much about capacity. A bus is considered full when the door will no longer close. So if you can squeeze yourself on, get on – because if you don’t, someone else will.

 

 Speed is another advantage. A bus is likely to get you where you are going faster than driving. That’s because they can go as fast as they like, which offers another advantage… free window air conditioning! The faster the go the cooler you feel.

 

On a serious note every bus here in Playa del Carmen has fantastic brakes – this is proven every time someone wants to get off. So make sure you hold on.

 

So, all in all taking the bus is a win, win situation. It’s cheap, you stay fresh (most of the time) and you can spend some time relaxing and listening to your favorite tunes. I see many tourists take the bus here, and they are always smiling. It’s an adventure the locals enjoy every day.

 

For the more serious of you out there, I’d stick to the bigger buses. But for those of you that want a bit more adventure, try the little bus… I dare you!!! Where else can you get a fun-filled ride for 5 pesos?

 

-by Thomas Lloyd

Mexico Closing Costs Kit

This is the Place to Enjoy Nature Near Tulum!

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While many people have heard of the bigger theme parks near Playa del Carmen and Tulum, Xcaret, Xplor and Xel-Ha, fewer people know about some of the smaller gems nearby. Kantun-Chi is one of these places.

 

Kantun-Chi is a lower-key nature park, with focus on tours and diving in the underground caves, a small zoo, and a few cenotes to snorkel and dive in. I can tell you, the last time I spent a full day there, it was one of the most relaxing I can ever remember having – and here in Playa there are plenty of relaxing days.

 

A highlight of the park is that they have an a full underground tour where the caves are lit up with colored lights giving a very surreal effect:

 

Here are some more pictures of the park:

 

If one day you just want an active but quiet and relaxing day, where you don’t feel you have to hurry to finish all the activities, this park is the place to go.

 

-by Bea Lozano

 

Kit_Ownership

Mexico’s Two Caribbean Islands are Among the Best in the World

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There are experiences which are created and planned – like Disney World.  Some of these have their charm, but what you experience is exactly what a team of marketing experts in an office building somewhere (these days perhaps in Hong Kong, or maybe Beijing?) decided you will experience – nothing more, nothing less.

 

Other experiences are not planned or created – they simply happen.  The place you are, the people your with and what you see and feel while you’re there is well beyond the control of any corporation or travel agency.  Yes, planning is an important part of getting there and making the most of your visit, but the experience itself is defined by your own personal reaction and many random factors shaped by geography, nature and cultures that have developed over centuries.

 

Isla Mujeres and Cozumel – Top Islands in Mexico and the World

This is the case with two of the world’s favorite islands, Mexico’s two Caribbean islands, Isla Mujeres and Cozumel.  Recently, both have been ranked among the top islands in the world, for example, Isla Mujeres in TripAdvisor and Cozumel by Scuba Diving magazine. (Here is also a nice blog post of a traveler sharing their experience on Cozumel.)

 

They share the wide, soft white beaches and turquoise water of the Caribbean Sea – some of the most beautiful in the world.  They share the heritage of the ancient Mayan people and the warm, welcoming culture of their descendants.  They share warm, sunny weather all year round, and excellent diving access to the world’s second largest barrier coral reef.

 

Retire in Mexico - Islands

And, by geographical luck, they are located about an hour away from each other.  Either can be accessed quickly from the Cancun International Airport

 

Isla Mujeres

Isla Mujeres is a tiny island just of the coast at Cancun.  Coming directly from the bustling city of Cancun (where the ferry leaves) – which is quickly becoming the largest on the Yucatan Peninsula, and a cosmopolitan hub for travel and international events – the difference is like day and night.

 

You feel like you’re arriving to a different world.  Yes, the climate and the beaches are the same, but suddenly you’re in a quiet place, a sleepy island where time hasn’t seemed to go anywhere in the past few decades.

 

Retire in Mexico - IslandsCozumel

Cozumel is has ferry access from Playa del Carmen.  In addition to diving in the reef, there is deep-sea fishing, boating, sight-seeing, Mayan pyramids, golf and much more.  One of the ideal ways to spend a day on Cozumel is to rent a scooter or a motorcycle (there are Harley rentals!) and just tour the island enjoying the warmth of the open air.  The freedom to simply explore and discover the jungle, the ancient ruins and relaxing beaches at your own leisure is truly a unique experience.

 

Cozumel also has a small city (about 80,000 – a bit smaller than Playa del Carmen.)  In this city you can enjoy the shops of knickknacks, artwork and handicrafts.  There are also excellent restaurants, including many that sell the local catch of the day – fried fish is a local specialty.

 

Experience Life

Yes, on both Isla Mujeres and Cozumel you can buy tours, you can plan your day and decide what you want to see.  But here, these are only tools to make it easier to find a unique experience that is shaped by the place and its culture that you will not find anywhere else.

 

-by Thomas Lloyd

 

Awa Condos Playa del Carmen