Now that we have been in Playa del Carmen (PDC) for a couple weeks, I want to share a few of my first impressions.

One caveat before I go further…

I didn’t expect to like it here.

I only agreed to travel here for two reasons:

• To see what everyone raves about (and I couldn’t diss it without trying it).
• To determine if it is a good destination for Executive Remote Workers.

Regardless of my preconceived notions, here are my initial thoughts in six different categories:

1. Travel Logistics

As previously reported, traveling here from the US is a piece of cake!

You just fly into Cancun and take a shuttle (or ADO bus or car) to Playa del Carmen.

Click here for all the details on how we traveled from Florida to Playa.

2. Accommodations

We are currently staying in an Airbnb for about $1,500 for the month.

It is a great space for two of us to live and work; it has one bedroom, two bathrooms, and two large living areas for both of us to spread out and work.

The location is excellent too:

• On the outskirts of Centro area (the popular downtown area of Playa del Carmen)
• Away from the busy, loud, and touristy area
• Within walking distance to lots of restaurants and grocery stores
• Only 5 blocks from the nearest beach
• About 4 to 5 blocks away from two highly rated co-working spaces

3. People

Playa seems to be an interesting mix of locals, expats, digital nomads, and vacationers.

There definitely is a tourist presence here – especially near the resort areas on 5^th Ave.

However, in our area of town, I see more locals and people who appear to be living (and working?) here on a more long-term basis than your typical vacationer.

In fact, we already met more than a handful of expats and remote workers from all over the world.  Almost all of them have been living here for at least a few months now.

4. Food

If you know me, you know I LOVE Mexican food – perhaps because my parents started feeding me chips and salsa at the age of 3.

Regardless, we are totally surrounded by delicious and affordable food here!

Here are some examples of menu items based on our experience & location:

• Fresh guacamole is 80-100 pesos ($4.00-5.00)
• A taco (al pastor, barbacoa, sirloin) is 20-30 pesos ($1.00-1.50 USD).
• A burrito, fajitas, mixed grilled meats, or other entrée is 125-175 pesos ($6.00-8.50).
• Bottle of Mexican beer is 40-50 pesos ($2.00-2.50).
• Bottle of purified or spring water is 20-25 pesos ($1.00-1.25).

The above examples are based on a “middle-of-the-road” restaurant (ie. not a taco stand but not a fancy steakhouse either).

We typically spend around 350-370 pesos ($17.00-18.00) for two of us at a “middle-of-the-road” restaurant.

5. Language

Language here is a mixed bag…

• There are a lot of Spanish speakers here with varying abilities to speak English.
• There are also a lot of English speakers with varying abilities to speak Spanish.

In order to improve our Spanish-speaking abilities, we enrolled in Spanish lessons based on a recommendation we received from a lovely couple we met here.

We are enjoying our lessons so far and hope to make some good progress – even if it’s only for a few weeks!

6. Beaches

Last but not least, the beaches…

After a couple visits to the beach near Centro, I was ready to give up on beaches here.

That was until, however, an expat from an online travel group suggested Punta Esmeralda.

After an hour walk north of Centro, we discovered Punta Esmeralda’s beautiful white sand beach with turquoise water and a fresh water cenote that flows right into the sea!

My faith has been restored, and I look forward to discovering more beautiful beaches here in the coming weeks.

Conclusion

 

Things here in Playa are different enough from other countries to make it interesting but similar enough to make it accessible and convenient to live and work here.

I can see why people rave about Playa and why so many expats and remote workers travel here.

It’s a nice and affordable place that offers an easy transition into Mexican living and seems to make a great destination for Executive Remote Workers.

I have so much more information and details on Playa that I want to share so you have a better understanding of what to expect if you travel and work remotely from here.

Therefore, keep your eyes out for future articles where I will dive-deep into some of these categories.

My Question for you today:  

Have you considered working remotely from Playa del Carmen?  If not, what are some of your hesitations?