Guide to Playa Del Carmen, Mexico

Every year for my birthday I try to plan something fun. Usually it is a little getaway to Key West or a weekend at Disney. But, this year was major.. I was turning 25 and wanted (needed) to go big or go home by going  somewhere to go that would totally take my mind off of my quarter life crisis (yes, I am serious). I wanted to stay at the All-Inclusive in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico!

Once I started to think of this master birthday plan, I knew I needed to get a travel agent involved. I reached out to my friends asking for some recommendations. When I have about 4 people tell me to use the same travel agent I knew I was going to be well taken care of. I sent her an email letting her know exactly what I was looking for and boom, my dream vacay was set. 

If you haven’t used a travel agent I would highly recommend it! It makes your vacation so much more enjoyable to know everything is taken care of and they always put a special touch on it. My travel agent made sure to tell the hotel it was my birthday. I opened the door to a confetti filled room. It. was. amazing.  Plus, you’ll feel SO fancy with your itinerary. 

* If you’d like to know more about travel agents let me know in the comments! 

Where to stay:

We stayed at Azul Fives Resort. The resort is about 45 minutes from the airport in Playa Del Carmen. An all-inclusive resort that we didn’t even need to leave to enjoy our time. It is a large resort, but it had the vibe of a small boutique-esqe hotel. Everything detail of this place was perfect and unique. I honestly wish  this place was closer to home, so I could.. ya know.. go every weekend. 

Other Places to Stay:
Occidential Resort

What to do: 

Lounge at the beach, play checkers in the courtyard, laze in the hammocks, rent jet skis and kayaks, order endless drinks by the ocean. Ugh. That is what dreams are made of people. 

There was so much to do at the resort that we honestly chose not to really leave other than one day. We ventured out to Xcaret. Let me just say that the underwater caves are amazing! Anytime I started to do my research on things to do in Mexico, Xcaret came up. I never really realized that it’s actually like a theme park. Think Sea World, expect with no whales.. or roller coasters… and then with caves. There are shows, animal exhibits, tours and more. It is literally an all day excursion. 

What to eat: 

The best part about these all-inclusive hotels are that the food and drinks are included, each restaurant has been given Four Diamonds and wow they deserved it. Ever their buffets  were on point. They did not disappoint when it came to the food selections. They offer restaurants that vary from Thai to French to Italian. AH-MAZING. I highly suggest the thai restaurant. Not only is the food to die for, you can sit outside on ‘floating’ tables while koi fish swim around you. Ugh. 

Start every single morning with a mimosa. Order a bottle (A BOTTLE) of wine to your room daily. Spend the entire weekend relaxing. 

What is your favorite weekend getaway?