Playa del Carmen, Mexico: Sun, Sand and Style

At the end of October I took a much needed vacation to Playa del Carmen, Mexico. It was a relatively short trip but it was exactly what I️ needed… the beach, sun and a whole lot of Mexican food! We flew into Cancun and then took a car service to our resort which was located on the Mayakoba property. Mayakoba is a gated property with 3-4 hotel resorts on it. I️ honestly didn’t know much about the property prior to booking however, Trip Advisor, Yelp and Google all showed excellent reviews on not only our specific hotel but the entire Mayakoba property, so I decided why not try it out. I booked in early August when TravelZoo was running a sale promo.

Our hotel was Andaz Mayakoba and it is apart of the Hyatt Group. I am a bit OCD about hotels and I have a specific preference. All I can say is this one did not disappoint! I️ can’t say enough good things about this hotel. From the grounds, to the food to the staff, they were all exceptional. Upon booking I️ didn’t realize October was slow season for Cancun and Playa del Carmen so the hotel was relatively empty. However, that worked in our favor since we were aiming for a more relaxing vacation.

Andaz has a modern, nature-centric feeling to it. It is surrounded by lush greens, a gorgeous lagoon and wildlife. There are cool, interesting murals throughout the hotel that I loved as well.

I was greeted immediately upon entering the lobby by the helpful staff. They sat me down in a pleasant seating area and came directly to me to check me in. It is not like your typical walk-up-counter style check in. The lobby of the hotel is a circular shape with an interesting pond in the middle which I learned is fashioned after a ‘cenote’ (natural sinkhole). Another unique touch to the Andaz experience was the jewel stones they give guests to throw into the  cenote for good luck. It’s a shallow pond and you see a bunch of shimmering stones at the bottom. I thought this was such a cool idea. They give all guests a complimentary drink, ours was a tequila mixed drink that was tasty but a bit strong for me! 🙂

After check-in we were taken on a quick golf cart tour by the staff and then dropped off at our room where the luggage was already waiting. I opted for a lagoon view room which was considered an upgrade from the standard room. The next available option was a beach view.

Purse: Amazon

Lagoon view from our room balcony

Breakfast at Cocina Milagros at Andaz Mayakoba

Beach at Andaz Mayakoba

Bathing Suit: ASOS (It’s now on sale!)

Beach essentials: bamboo bag, sunnies and a cold drink

 

 

Andaz provides free bikes stationed all through out the property to use at your leisure. I read about this amenity upon booking and was so excited. The spin fanatic in me couldn’t wait to try them out! They were just the cutest things and matched the nature/mod resort vibes perfectly. Not to mention the bikes helped me burn off the breakfast buffet I stuffed my face with every morning because of course vacation=carbs. Every morning a chocolate croissant was a must have.

Shirt: Forever21 (courtesy of my Mom’s closet 😊)
Earrings: Amazon
Lipstick: MAC- Lady Danger

 

Dinner at Il Baretto

On our last night we took a break from the delicious tacos, guac and yummy Mexican queso and decided to have Italian food. We ventured off the Mayakoba property and took a taxi to Fifth Avenue, which was about 15-20 minutes away and cost about $20 USD. To be honest, I envisioned this street would look like a tacky, spring break party street and I was a little nervous. However, I was completely wrong! There are beautiful restaurants offering all types of food, tourist souvenir shops and small bars with live bands. I kind of wish we would have ventured out there sooner and explore it during the day. There was a mixed age crowd- we saw families with young kids, couples and singles of all ages. As we walked down further we did run into the party scene area but even that seemed fun although we didn’t venture inside any of them. Most of the clubs seemed to be open area spaces and they were packed!

Calle Corazon at the Thompson Hotel

Andaz Mayakoba hotel lobby

 

Jeans: H&M

Shoes: ASOS

Champagne & Pizza Party Poolside at Andaz

Sandals: They are no longer available but here is a link to a similar pair- Steve Madden

Bathing Suit: Lux Noire 

Kimono: originally purchased from ROSS two years ago! Here’s a similar one from BooHoo

Purse: Amazon

Overall, my visit to Playa del Carmen was exactly what I needed to relax and recharge. If you are looking for a quiet resort to enjoy the beach/pool, good food and hopefully good company, then I highly recommend Andaz Mayakoba. Out of 5 stars, I would give it a 4.5 only because I would love to experience and compare how enjoyable the resort is during the busy season. I can’t stress enough how friendly and accommodating the entire staff was! It was comfortable in every way. If you are aiming for a more lively resort or something close to all the downtown action, then you should opt for a hotel closer to 5th avenue. Andaz Mayakoba is perfect for a friendly getaway, family adventure or even golf trip with your girls/guys.