Trip Report Jan. 14-21

Amy Rowan · 01-23-2006

I have this worked out in my head as short and to the point but if it gets too long I'll have to do 2 installments as I have a volleyball game soon. This was our 3rd trip to Playa but 1st with out 2 boys, ages 17 and 12.

Room-We rented an apartment in Playacar, nice, quiet, resonable and the owner picked us up at the airport (for a reasonable fee) and took us for groceries at no charge, very nice guy. The room wasn't the Ritz but we didn't spend much time there except to shower and sleep.

Food-Ate most of our breakfasts at Hot Baking Co. The boys thought it was the best, their cinnamon rolls are awesome and the scrambled eggs with ham. We also had a breakfast at Java Joe's, and one other place on 5th but the name escapes me. All good but Hot was definately our favorite. Our lunches were mostly snacks on the beach but the day we arrived we had chicken fingers and grilled ham and cheese sandwich at Mimi Del Mar and it was very good. For our evening meals we ate at a different restaurant every night. Sat. night was Tequila Barrel. We shared 2 orders of ribs and a burger, kind of on the spicy side but good. Sun.-Cafe Tropical-chicken fajitas and chicken enchiladas. Mon-Idea Pasta-my husband and oldest son weren't feeling great (I think it was the ferry ride from Cozumel) they both ordered soup and my other son and I shared penne with chicken, very good. Also there my husband had a banana milk shake that was awesome. Tues.-the restaurant by Siesta Fiesta Hotel (does it have the same name?) Had Mexican plate and chicken tacos, both were very good but they charge $2.50 for a can of Pepsi!! Wed-met some friends who were staying at Mayan Palace at La Adela-I won't go into what all of us ordered but everyone's food was very good and good service too. Thurs-By this time my husband was hungry for a burger so we tried Johnny Rockets. I thought the burger was good but still not like in the U.S. The employees put on a little show and dance to some 50's music, it was fun. Fri-Ate at Bip Bip, had lasagna, chicken fajitas and another pasta dish, all very good and the pasta portions are very large. We all had something to drink also (not alcohol) and the bill was only 300 pesos, very good deal and good food. Desserts-I think every night we either had churros or chocolate cake from Sasta, both are great!

Weather-Pretty windy, a couple of days really windy but partly cloudy. Nice enough for all of us to come home with a nice tan. A few of the nights I wore long pants and a sweater. There was a rain shower now and then but nothing to stop us from doing anything we wanted to.

Activities-Mostly hung out on the beach, our boys love the large waves, although last year we went to Ixtapa and the waves were bigger there but with the wind they still had fun. Went to Cozumel one day so the boys could say they have been there. Rented a car to drive around the island. Hung out at San Fransico Beach for a couple of hours. Went to Akumal one day the it was so windy the sand was just pelting us so we didn't stay long. Later that day we found out that our friends we there but at the lagoon which is were the best snorkeling is. I never snorkeled once this trip which was very dissappointing. I just didn't want the wind to push me into some rocks. Took the bus to Tulum one day. The sun was out when we were there and it got quite warm. Took a Collectivo back to Playa at a cost of 25 pesos each.

Shopping-Every night we did a little looking but we usually wait until the end of our trip to buy anything. We didn't purchase much this year. I had read on this forum that Tulum was cheaper but I must have misunderstood. Everything there was expensive. My husband and son ate at Subway and it costs $20 dollars! My other son and I had had chips and guacamole and he had a hot dog and 2 pops and it was about $15 dollars. The shops were very expensive and they don't want to come down on their prices. Maybe we should have gone into the town of Tulum but I wouldn't advise buying anything at the ruins. We did enjoy watching the guys spinning on the pole there.

All in all it was another great trip to Playa, my favorite place in Mexico. Some day my husband and I plan to spend the winter there. It was so hard to come back to cold and snow. I just have to keep dreaming of that!!

palmtreegirl · 01-23-2006

Thanks for posting your trip report! Always nice to have those to keep up to date on whats going on in PDC.

monte · 01-23-2006

Thanks for sharing. I've yet to eat at the TB since they took over the no name bar. I use to go there for breakfast. Glad to know Link is keeping up with a Texas menu

maestranba · 01-23-2006

Thanks for the report. Hope that wind dies down soon! It's so hard to come home to the cold, isn't it? That's the only thing I DON'T look forward to!

John in DC · 01-24-2006

When people say Tulum is a cheap place to eat well, they are talking about Tulum pueblo. The shops at the ruins are as expensive as any other tourist trap shops anywhere in the world. In town, it's entirely possible for a family of four to stuff their faces with tasty comida (and have leftovers) for 150 pesos. The town is another couple kilometers south of the ruins -- well worth the visit next time you are nearby.

Bren · 01-24-2006

Thanks for the report. Learned some new things and some good advice.. Thanks...

Tommygurl · 01-24-2006

Thanks so much..

Sounds like a great time...I can't wait to get there. I will pack myself a sweater or two. Thanks for the heads up.

Melissa

Coccinelle · 01-24-2006

Great report. We also like Hot Baking Co. for breakfast too. Hubby spoiled me over this last trip by getting breakfast to go and bringing it back to hotel. We like their ham, egg and cheese on english muffin for a quick breakfast.

Isn't it great travelling by Collectivo? We usually take it to go to Tulum pueblo and hang out there for awile and then take a cab to the beach for the rest of the day. On our last trip we decided to stay overnight at Zamas instead of coming back to Playa at the end of the day. I was wonderful!

Glad you had a nice vacation.

01-23-2006	#1 (permalink)
Amy Rowan toe in water Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Minnesota Posts: 43	Trip Report Jan. 14-21 I have this worked out in my head as short and to the point but if it gets too long I'll have to do 2 installments as I have a volleyball game soon. This was our 3rd trip to Playa but 1st with out 2 boys, ages 17 and 12. Room-We rented an apartment in Playacar, nice, quiet, resonable and the owner picked us up at the airport (for a reasonable fee) and took us for groceries at no charge, very nice guy. The room wasn't the Ritz but we didn't spend much time there except to shower and sleep. Food-Ate most of our breakfasts at Hot Baking Co. The boys thought it was the best, their cinnamon rolls are awesome and the scrambled eggs with ham. We also had a breakfast at Java Joe's, and one other place on 5th but the name escapes me. All good but Hot was definately our favorite. Our lunches were mostly snacks on the beach but the day we arrived we had chicken fingers and grilled ham and cheese sandwich at Mimi Del Mar and it was very good. For our evening meals we ate at a different restaurant every night. Sat. night was Tequila Barrel. We shared 2 orders of ribs and a burger, kind of on the spicy side but good. Sun.-Cafe Tropical-chicken fajitas and chicken enchiladas. Mon-Idea Pasta-my husband and oldest son weren't feeling great (I think it was the ferry ride from Cozumel) they both ordered soup and my other son and I shared penne with chicken, very good. Also there my husband had a banana milk shake that was awesome. Tues.-the restaurant by Siesta Fiesta Hotel (does it have the same name?) Had Mexican plate and chicken tacos, both were very good but they charge $2.50 for a can of Pepsi!! Wed-met some friends who were staying at Mayan Palace at La Adela-I won't go into what all of us ordered but everyone's food was very good and good service too. Thurs-By this time my husband was hungry for a burger so we tried Johnny Rockets. I thought the burger was good but still not like in the U.S. The employees put on a little show and dance to some 50's music, it was fun. Fri-Ate at Bip Bip, had lasagna, chicken fajitas and another pasta dish, all very good and the pasta portions are very large. We all had something to drink also (not alcohol) and the bill was only 300 pesos, very good deal and good food. Desserts-I think every night we either had churros or chocolate cake from Sasta, both are great! Weather-Pretty windy, a couple of days really windy but partly cloudy. Nice enough for all of us to come home with a nice tan. A few of the nights I wore long pants and a sweater. There was a rain shower now and then but nothing to stop us from doing anything we wanted to. Activities-Mostly hung out on the beach, our boys love the large waves, although last year we went to Ixtapa and the waves were bigger there but with the wind they still had fun. Went to Cozumel one day so the boys could say they have been there. Rented a car to drive around the island. Hung out at San Fransico Beach for a couple of hours. Went to Akumal one day the it was so windy the sand was just pelting us so we didn't stay long. Later that day we found out that our friends we there but at the lagoon which is were the best snorkeling is. I never snorkeled once this trip which was very dissappointing. I just didn't want the wind to push me into some rocks. Took the bus to Tulum one day. The sun was out when we were there and it got quite warm. Took a Collectivo back to Playa at a cost of 25 pesos each. Shopping-Every night we did a little looking but we usually wait until the end of our trip to buy anything. We didn't purchase much this year. I had read on this forum that Tulum was cheaper but I must have misunderstood. Everything there was expensive. My husband and son ate at Subway and it costs $20 dollars! My other son and I had had chips and guacamole and he had a hot dog and 2 pops and it was about $15 dollars. The shops were very expensive and they don't want to come down on their prices. Maybe we should have gone into the town of Tulum but I wouldn't advise buying anything at the ruins. We did enjoy watching the guys spinning on the pole there. All in all it was another great trip to Playa, my favorite place in Mexico. Some day my husband and I plan to spend the winter there. It was so hard to come back to cold and snow. I just have to keep dreaming of that!!

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01-23-2006	#2 (permalink)
palmtreegirl beachaholic Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Ohio Posts: 253	Thanks for posting your trip report! Always nice to have those to keep up to date on whats going on in PDC.

01-23-2006	#3 (permalink)
monte añejo Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: dallas Posts: 12,099	Thanks for sharing. I've yet to eat at the TB since they took over the no name bar. I use to go there for breakfast. Glad to know Link is keeping up with a Texas menu

01-23-2006	#4 (permalink)
maestranba añejo Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Connecticut Posts: 2,686	Thanks for the report. Hope that wind dies down soon! It's so hard to come home to the cold, isn't it? That's the only thing I DON'T look forward to!

01-24-2006	#5 (permalink)
John in DC way into it Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 216	When people say Tulum is a cheap place to eat well, they are talking about Tulum pueblo. The shops at the ruins are as expensive as any other tourist trap shops anywhere in the world. In town, it's entirely possible for a family of four to stuff their faces with tasty comida (and have leftovers) for 150 pesos. The town is another couple kilometers south of the ruins -- well worth the visit next time you are nearby.

01-24-2006	#6 (permalink)
Bren life=playa Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Beautiful BC Canada Posts: 921	Thanks for the report. Learned some new things and some good advice.. Thanks...

01-24-2006	#7 (permalink)
Tommygurl crab killer Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: I am Canadian!! Posts: 14,126	Thanks so much.. Sounds like a great time...I can't wait to get there. I will pack myself a sweater or two. Thanks for the heads up. Melissa

01-24-2006	#8 (permalink)
Coccinelle añejo Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Ottawa, Canada Posts: 2,727	Great report. We also like Hot Baking Co. for breakfast too. Hubby spoiled me over this last trip by getting breakfast to go and bringing it back to hotel. We like their ham, egg and cheese on english muffin for a quick breakfast. Isn't it great travelling by Collectivo? We usually take it to go to Tulum pueblo and hang out there for awile and then take a cab to the beach for the rest of the day. On our last trip we decided to stay overnight at Zamas instead of coming back to Playa at the end of the day. I was wonderful! Glad you had a nice vacation.

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