It had been six years since I visited Playa del Carmen for the first time. I remembered this resort town as a place with amazing white sand beaches and still a relaxt touristy vibe.

After being at the low-key Isla Holbox for a few days, I was a bit shocked by what I saw when I arrived in Playa del Carmen. The main tourist street "Quinta Avenida" was now even more filled with big tourist shops and big nightlife clubs. The beach was way smaller due to erosion. The wharf with ferries to Cozumel had gotten a large terminal with adjecent shopping mall. And the centre of Playa del Carmen was just packed with tourist (ok, I know it was high season...).  Somehow I thought Playa del Carmen has become worse then Cancún regarding it being

To find good stretches of white sand beach I had to walk 2 kilometres to the beach of Playacar that is backed up by luxury resorts.  The rest of my days in PDC I took advantage of the central location on the Riviera Maya to visit the beaches of Akumal and Xpu Ha (located between PDC and Tulum).

I booked a return flight from Amsterdam to Cancún. Cancún is supposed to be the most touristy place on the Yucatan Peninsula. Because I wanted to start my three weeks holiday relaxing on the beach I took the local bus to Playa del Carmen immediately after arrival.

The beach in Playa del Carmen was the whitest beach I had ever seen. The sand felt soft under the feet. A few days passed without leaving the beach and drinking and dining on Quinta Av, in the evening. When my skin was coloured by the sun (sunburnt...), I was ready to see some more of Yucatan, Mexico.