Playa del Carmen Vacation Rental condo

My wife and I stayed here in Jan 2009. The apartment is the roof top of a three story house. The first floor is a rental and the owners live on the second floor. The penthouse is small but plenty big for two adults. Everything was clean and well maintained. The patio is a really nice place to relax and have a drink. The pool is basically the size of a hot tub but without heat -- and we weren't very interested in it. It also rained nonstop for our whole trip-and while this isn't anyone's fault, some water did leak into our room from outside, soaking some books an clothing that we had on the floor.

The Tohoku interior, where this house is located, is a very cool residential development outside the touristy part of the strip. There were lots of children and families out and about at all time. Walking to the strip, the beach, and other parts of Playa is really easy (as are the buses). If you don't want to walk or take an occasional cab, then you may want to consider a more touristy place to stay near the strip. However, the distance from the center of everything was a big benefit for us. At first, it seemed a little sketchy walking to and from Tohoku into town but there was absolutely nothing to be worried about. Tohoku and the surrounding areas were very safe at all hours.

Nearby restaurants were a big plus. We walked to Cuevo Del Chango every day (per the owner's advice) and it was our favorite place in Playa. Just past Cuevo was the public beach which was cheap and just as nice as the touristy ones. Also, we ate dinner at Taqueria El Fogon on 30th, a very memorable place that I would recommend as well--just a short walk from our front door.

The big benefits of this rental are that you get a little more of a "real" playa experience without all the tourist madness at an affordable rate. Also, the owners were very pleasant people who gave us lots of really good suggestions for unique, non-American things to do in town. Staying here was the key element that drove our ability to discover new things off the beaten path in Playa and I would recommend it to anyone else who's looking for a little adventure in Playa.

My wife and I are from Ontario and stayed here in March of 2009 for 1 week. The accommodation was very spacious and clean with a really comfortable king size bed. The roof top patio with jetted soaker pool and adjacent seating area was very private, a great place to eat breakfast or relax with a cold one after a day at the beach. Fifth Avenue just a short walk away and grocery store across the street. Helene and Victor, our hosts, speak perfect English and were both charming and helpful. Would certainly stay there again.