Condo shopping by the beach
Playa Del Carmen Mexico, the Yucatan Peninsula, Quintana Roo, east coast, with sunrise over the Caribbean.
We were scheduled to go to St. Maarten, but then hurricane Irma did too much damage. The only cost effective airline reschedule option we had for the Caribbean, was to fly into Cancun. So, one big upside to this area, is that there are a lot of cost effective flights!
The ride from Cancun airport to Playa Del Carmen is about 90 minutes. Easy to book the ride ahead of time, or at the airport. We chose to go to Playa Del Carmen rather than stay in Cancun partly because we have stayed in both before, and partly because there are more Condo-Hotel properties in Playa.
I found some rental availability through a well known vacation rental site, inquired, then booked directly through the owners management company. We stayed in a two bedroom penthouse condo in Aldea Thai Luxury CondoHotel by Mistik. The condo units surround a very large and lovely pool area with swim up bar, one of the only ones in Playa, according to them. 
The unit had a rooftop patio and private pool, fabulous! The units seemed a little dated, no dishwasher, no laundry in the unit. We send laundry out, it came back clean and folded. The Aldea had some resale condos that looked very interesting.
Playa Del Carmen
We love 5th Avenue; a pedestrian street lined with shops and restaurants.
There is a plethora of restaurants to choose from and interesting shops that go way beyond t-shirts. Saw some ladies getting a fish pedicure, the little fish eat the dead skin off your feet….
We went on a guided walking food tour and learned that Playa Del Carmen is a fairly new city, a growing melting pot of residents fro
m all over the world. We really enjoyed the wide selection of cuisine! Bonus: Because PDC is a newer city, it is built to handle a hurricane!
Lots of new construction in PDC. The architecture has gone from the traditional Mexican wood pole, plaster and thatched roof, to a European sleek and modern.
Oceana Residences
We toured a new construction condo complex Oceana Residences. The entire complex is not very large, but the location is great with some nice views too.
The location of Aldea and Oceana are wonderful; a block from 5th avenue and a block from the beach. Mamita’s Beach Club is a great place to enjoy the sun, surf, and lunch.
The Beach!
The beach is beautiful! Powder sugar sand and great surf. A lot of local boats moored to the shore. There were piles of sargassum too, that can get a little stinky. The snorkeling is wonderful, warm clear water, lots of reef and sea life. We enjoyed a fabulous lunch at Fuego Cantina at the Mahekal Beach Resort. Then moved on to cocktails at Diablito Cha Cha Cha.
The parks that are located near this area are wonderful. A great place to bring active kids. So much to do and see!
The process of Americans purchasing in Mexico has gotten better and easier. Much more common than when I first went to Mexico 20 years ago. Made some Real Estate connections and will continue to consider purchasing here.
Playa Del Carmen, Mexico, September 24 – 30, 2017
Would you like to tour property during your next vacation? Please let me know if you have any further questions or comments!
Why own a vacation rental?
Can I afford to buy a vacation rental?
Where should I own a vacation rental property?
Why would I want to own property outside of the USA?
I have a second home, why should I rent it out?
Thank you!