Best Time to Visit Playa Del Carmen, Mexico

Looking for the ultimate vacation destination in Mexico? Look no further than Playa del Carmen! If you’re wondering about the best time to visit Playa del Carmen – here’s what you need to know.

Playa Del Carmen is the diamond of vacation destinations in Mexico. It has everything from beautiful beaches, incredible natural wonders, scenic parks, and archeological digs!

The fun never ends in Playa Del Carmen, but timing is critical. You wouldn’t want to be rained out of your beach vacation or experience heat exhaustion while exploring the Mayan ruins.

If you’re looking to experience the beauty, culture, and history of Playa Del Carmen but want to know when is the best time to do it, this article is for you.

In this article, we’ve provided all the details on the best, worst and cheapest times to visit Playa Del Carmen and some helpful tips for your journey.

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Why You Should Visit Playa Del Carmen

Playa Del Carmen was initially a fishing town. However, tourists were drawn to its beautiful white sandy beaches and relaxing atmosphere. In contrast to the hustle and bustle of Cancun, Playa Del Carmen offers a peaceful small-town charm.

Playa Del Carmen has tons of cenotes in and around the town. Many cenotes can be accessed by public transport or local tour groups. Tourists love to visit the cenotes for scuba diving, snorkeling, or swimming. In addition to Cenotes, Playa Del Carmen is also home to Rio Secreto, a labyrinth of flooded caves that tourists can explore.

Playa Del Carmen is also close to multiple archeological sites, where tourists can explore the ruins of the ancient Mayans.

Being close to the beach, Playa Del Carmen is home to plenty of water sports activities. Many excursion groups take visitors snorkeling, scuba diving, jet-skiing, parasailing, and much more.

Play Adele Carmen also hosts plenty of unique and affordable restaurants. While in Playa Del Carmen, try some incredible local dishes like Elote, Tostada, or Chilaquiles.

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Best Time to Visit Playa Del Carmen

The best time to visit Playa Del Carmen is in the winter months, between December and April. During this time, playa Del Carmen experiences gorgeous beach weather.

During the daytime, The temperatures stay at the high 20°C (low 80°F) and drop into the high 10s Celsius (mid 60°F). The average rainy days are far less during this time than during the warmer season.

Humidity also dips down in the winter, making exploring the town much more bearable. Overall, Playa Del Carmen experiences near-perfect weather from December to April.

Unfortunately, this time of year also tends to be the highest season in Playa Del Carmen. Fortunately, even during the high season, you can still find some great deals for visiting Playa Del Carmen with a bit of Internet research.

Cheapest Time to Visit Playa Del Carmen

Great deals for Playa Del Carmen are available year-round. There is a lot of discussion and disagreement about when is the cheapest time to travel to Playa Del Carmen; it’s generally agreed that between May to November, you can find significantly lower prices on resorts and hotels.

We took a look at resort properties in playa Del Carmen, one luxury and one budget-friendly. At the luxury resort, where rooms were priced over $1000 per room, The off-season prices were roughly $100 less than the regular price. On the other hand, at the budget-friendly property, where rooms were priced under $100, we saw a savings of about $10 in the off-season.

Worst Time to Visit Playa Del Carmen

Like other Caribbean areas, Playa Del Carmen experiences a hurricane season from June to November. Wild, the risk of actually being struck by a hurricane is low; the hurricane season does bring high winds and intense storms. The highest risk of storms occurs between August and October.

During this time, The beaches will also be afflicted by higher amounts of seaweed. As the water warms from May to October, Seaweed grows in nutrient-rich waters. Mexico has many seaweed barriers set up to prevent the seaweed from reaching the coastline. However, some still make it through.

Things to Consider When Visiting Playa Del Carmen

Playa Del Carmen is extremely hot and sunny. Always protect your skin when going out, especially during the day. If you are prone to burning, You should also take added precautions and add light layers over your skin and a hat or umbrella to cover your face. Be sure to bring ointments or creams that will help with burn relief.

Sun protection is considered a luxury item in Mexico. As a result, sunscreens can cost as much as US$30 in some stores. It’s best to pack sun protection and burn relief with you. Some areas, like cenotes, prohibit sunscreens that are not eco-friendly. Make sure that whichever sunscreen you pack is biodegradable and eco-friendly.

Playa Del Carmen is incredibly humid. During the summer months, humidity can reach above 100%. Even in the winter, when humidity dips down, you can still expect it to be in the 90s percentile. For this reason, you should take precautions when exploring Playa Del Carmen. Dress in light, airy clothing, always carry a water bottle and invest in some anti-frizz shampoo before heading to Playa Del Carmen.

Generally speaking, Playa Del Carmen is safe for tourists to visit. Play Adele Carmen is safe for solo travelers, female travelers, and families, As long as the travelers exercise reasonable caution and don’t veer into shady downtown areas after dark. For travelers, the highest risk is scams and petty crimes.

Types of petty scams that tourists can come across are at airport transportation and restaurants. At airports, taxi cab services present outside of the arrivals gate overcharge tourists for their service. At restaurants, tourists get scammed with higher prices and declined card statements. Always look at your menu prices, receipt prices, and credit card statement carefully.

A cartel is present in Playa Del Carmen, but tourist-related incidents are extremely rare. Tourists are advised to avoid extreme intoxication or recreational drugs while in Playa Del Carmen. As long as you stick to the central tourist locations and avoid being out late at night, you should be fine. Resort guests don’t need to take many added precautions, as a resort has high security and is generally very safe.

Tourists should avoid drinking tap water while in Playa Del Carmen. While the tap water is okay for the locals to drink, tourists may not be accustomed to the cultures in the tap water in Mexico. The tap water in Mexico can make a tourist violently ill and induce nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

It’s advised that tourists in Mexico take precautions while brushing their teeth or showering. If you need to rinse your mouth, do it with bottled water.

Additionally, tourists are warned against ice in their drinks while eating at restaurants or food stalls. This is because you can never be sure if a restaurant uses tap or bottled water for their ice. This is not a concern when staying at a resort because ice at resorts is purchased from filtered water distributors.

For further precaution, It’s advised that tourists bring antacids, antidiarrheals, and other stomach medication, like Tums Imodium and Pepto-Bismol, when traveling to Playa Del Carmen.

FAQs About Playa del Carmen

Is the ocean safe to swim in at Playa Del Carmen?

Absolutely! The ocean water is safe to swim in. Most beaches in playa Del Carmen have lifeguards on patrol. Even so, you should stay close to the shore while swimming in the ocean. Playa Del Carmen doesn’t generally get large waves, so you can swim almost daily.

How far is Playa Del Carmen from the airport?

Playa Del Carmen is roughly 55 km from the Cancun airport and about a 50-minute drive. Cancun airport advises passengers to ignore transportation offers from solicitors outside the arrivals gates.

The airport also requires you to prearrange your taxi or shuttle service from the airport to your destination. Prearranged taxi or shuttle services also receive a discount. If you book your taxi online, the fare from The Cancun airport to Playa Del Carmen is estimated to be around US$45 or more. On the other hand, the regular fare for that distance is US$70 or more.

Do I need to learn Spanish to visit Playa Del Carmen?

Not really. Almost everyone in Playa Del Carmen speaks or understands English. However, it is polite to try to use the native language when you’re traveling. It’s a good idea to brush up on some basic Spanish skills. Even so, it’s not needed.

Do I need to use pesos in Playa Del Carmen? 

The currency in Mexico is the Mexican pesos. However, in Playa Del Carmen, the US dollar and credit cards are accepted in restaurants and most tourist destinations. Even so, it’s best to be on the safe side and have at least some Mexican pesos. Banks offer better exchange rates than hotels and airports.

It’s best to avoid ATMs, as ATM fraud is a risk in Playa Del Carmen. If you need an ATM, it’s best to use one at a bank rather than in your hotel.

If you’re looking to exclusively use Mexican pesos during your visit, you should bring US$100 in pesos per person per day.

In Summary – Best Time To Visit Playa del Carmen

The best time to visit Playa del Carmen depends on whether you want to avoid high season when this small town overflows with tourists from all over the world.

Between December and April the weather is great – and not too hot, but this means it’s also the most popular time for travel to this beachside town.

August to October are the worst months to visit, unless you like hurricanes, rain, and stormy weather during your vacation!

Deals can be found all year round in Playa del Carmen – so in terms of affordability, you should always be able to find accommodation that suits you.