QUINTANA ROO

On the 3th of March 2021, I arrived to Cancun.

I took the flight to Cancun from Mexico City.

Alone in Cancun

Alone, I had no plan where to live, and as usual, I didn’t know anything about the new place I will visit, live and work.

The first thing you need to do when you don't know at all your new place is to make a reservation, days before with an Airbnb, or ask a friend to sleep over for a night or two if it's don't borrow him/her. Put your stuff in the place and start to visit the maximum areas where you can feel good to live. 

My priorities were to don't pass over my budget, and to live close to everything I needed, for example, grocery, bike store, shopping market, close to the beach, and the center.

I had the chance to have a friend, I knew from another City, Guadalajara, where I lived during my trip in Mexico. He let me have the chance to sleep in his apart for a week to be able to visit some places and help me to discover good spots of Tulum.

Arriving in Cancun, I got completely lost. It was on my first trip, alone in Mexico without Salvador, a big state with weather completely different, in a bigger city, with more people and people that were reacting all stressfully.

Passing to Sayulita in Nayarit, just a little town; seeing the same people every day for 4 months to a big city with huge buildings, bigger areas, a many people's.

The biggest differences to me between Nayarit/Jalisco and Quintana Roo, are the mentality, people are more stressed, the weather is completely different, hot and humid. The prices are also different and more expensive. Really touristic.

Taking the bus to Tulum

My plan was to go see my friend in Tulum and stay the days I needed to found a room where to live.

 From Cancun to Tulum there are different options to go:
 1- by taxi bus is gonna cost so expensive if you are alone: about 1000 pesos or more.
 2- blabla car but I didn’t plan before, so I guess it was too late and anyway it will be also expensive to pay alone: 1000 pesos or more.
 3- rent a car but it was not my plan: different agencies close to the airport.
 4- take the bus: the cheaper option but full of people.

I decided to take the cheaper option. I regretted to don't plan something before arriving in Cancun and getting lost and do not be more organized.

When you will go outside of the airport, many agencies will propose you different options, I choose to go in direction of the bus and look the prices that were proposed. There were two options proposed: -1st : 3 hours at the airport to wait for the next bus in direction of Tulum - 2nd: wait 5 minutes for the next bus, in direction of playa del carmen, and then wait 1 hour there to the next bus to Tulum.

I took the second option, arriving at playa del carmen I had 30 minutes to visit 5 avenues, the famous street with all the shops and restaurants next to the beach.

You can let all your suitcase and stuff, on the lockers that you have to pay by the hour, just at the bus station.

one hour left I took the second bus in direction of Tulum.

Again, I didn’t plan for a car, bus, taxi to go to the place of my friend, bus, fortunately, he help me to come to his house next to the bus stop.

Arriving at his place, I could rest, but I still needed to find a place.

Living in Tulum

I spend 3 nights at his place with his roomies. Then my French friends from Guadalaraja came to playa del carmen, I went to join them at their Airbnb.

I really liked Tulum, It remember me of the vibes of Sayulita, but for the prices, it was not the same story.

Everything is extremely expensive in Tulum, the food, the rent, the taxi.

Back to Playa Del Carmen

I was looking for a room but also a job, and Playa del carmen were more in the budget of Salvador and me.

So I went to the Airbnb of my friends, and the next day I had a visit to a studio in Playa del Carmen in a good location.

New home

We found a studio for 5600 pesos by months (room, kitchen, bathroom) in a quiet and little residence with a private pool, one bike included, next to a lot of things we needed like a marketplace, bike shops, plaza.

Salvador came the day we found the apartment.

We were installed and we decided to discover our new city.

One the same week, I found a job opportunity as a Nanny for a Canadian family than I found on Facebook Group.

Living in Playa Del Carmen

We stay in Playa del carmen from the 3 of March until the 3 of May, between the work and the studies for Salvador, we visited a lot of places in playa del carmen but also around the states like :

I start to visit around my new area in Playa del Carmen.

Living in Ejidal, I wanted to get a bike to be able to visit and work the place.

There is many bike store around playa del carmen.

Mine was BICIPLAYA II

where you can buy every type of bicycle and fix it when you need it.

The day I get my bicycle, I went to the center with Salvador to visit the different main Street:

There is everything you need or want to have in this place. Restaurant, shopping center, markets, coffee/bar, clubs, museum, gym, pool, beach.

Literally EVERYTHING.

Even if you don't have the bike, by foot isn't too far to make all by walking.

You can also ask to the taxi. between 30 pesos and 100 pesos to go all around Playa del Carmen.

Beaches of Playa Del Carmen

There are three different beaches in Playa del Carmen, the main one is in direction of the center of the city with a lot of people but close to the restaurant and shop center.

The second one is Playa Esmeralda and the spot called "la Punta de la playa Esmeralda". The last one is called Playacar more private and difficult to access by the private residence.

The one I loved the most was called ''La punta de la playa Esmeralda'', on the left of the center accessible by car, bicycle and by walking. This spot is full of street art, close to restaurants.

My best advice is to go during the week and in the early morning.

https://www.instagram.com/tv/COB3ze0jJ7z/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Shopping

The best place for a shopping day is the '' Quinta Alegria Shopping Mall'' on the Main Street of '' 10 Avenida Norte'' and at the end of the street is the ''Paseo del carmen Shopping Mall''. Restaurant and all types of brands

My favorite store of Playa Del Carmen is Caravan:

https://www.instagram.com/caravanplaya/?hl=en

Full of cheap clothes, accessories, decorations.

Quinta Avenida 5, Centro, 77710 Playa del Carmen, Q.R., Mexico

From Playa Del Carmen to Tulum

We lived in Playa Del Carmen but most of the time we were on the road between Playa and Tulum. Taking the ''Colectivo'', a public minibus that you can take on the ''50 avenida''

the big highway near Chedraui:

 Av. 45 Sur Esq. Calle 3 S/N, Centro, 77710 Playa del Carmen, Q.R., Mexico

Many buses bring you to Cancun or in direction of Tulum.

Cancun takes more time and is a little bit more expensive.

But for Tulum is one of the cheapest options to get there.

Between 15 to 50 pesos depending on the bus stop and destination.

Travel Guide

https://www.instagram.com/johannaghem/guide/tulum-playa-del-carmen/17919307591841591/?utm_medium=copy_link

On my Instagram @johannaghem, I will share all my destinations around Mexico. I already share the places I did around Quintana Roo.

I invite you to check, and if you have any questions, do not hesitate to send me a private message.

I described my experiences and my opinion on every place I visited.

Thanks to subscribe and liking if you enjoy my blog and Instagram.

I really enjoy sharing this with everyone to love traveling as I do.

I wish one day to share all this on Video.