SHOPPING | SPAS | LIVE MUSIC & NIGHTLIFE
The Riviera Maya not only offers beautiful beaches, ancient Mayan ruins, amazing water activities, golf, culture & history, it is also a shopping paradise. You will find beautiful hand-made arts & crafts made by regional artisans. Flea markets selling sombreros, hammocks, colorful blankets, & local crafts. Fancy a spa day? No problemo! There are spas from budget friendly beach massage to upscale spa visits with the Mayan works! After all the shopping & pampering, you can enjoy an evening of live music, fireshows on the beach & a very fun nightlife vibe!
SHOPPING
5th Ave. (Quinta in Playa del Carmen is a shopping heaven for both shoppers & window shoppers! On this pedestrian avenue, you can find beautiful hand-made articles native to Mexico, but also glamorous boutiques, shoe stores, jewellery stores, sports stores, beachwear, art galleries & much more. There is something for every budget on or off 5th avenue in Playa.
Calle Corazon Mall: A vibrant indoor/outdoor mall with high end stores (Steve Madden, Sephora, Victoria’s Secret, Sunglass Hut, & more. Includes fine dining such as Harry’s Steak & Raw Bar, Cantina La No2, Ilios, along with Starbucks, Aldos & Sushi Roll. On 5th Avenue & Calle 12th & 14th.
La Quinta Alegria: This glitzy mall above includes Forever 21, The Body Shop, Victoria’s Secret, Columbia, Sanbourn, Oakley, Starbucks etc. It has a wonderful liquor store with a small bakery & deli. 5th ave. & Constituyentes.
La Isla Mall in Cancun sits on a lagoon, features a variety of restaurants & is home to stores like Calvin Klein, Guess, Luis Vuitton, Swarovski, Hugo Boss, Coach etc.
Plaza Las Americas in the north area of Playa del Carmen has a Sears, Pier Imports, clothing shops, food court & movie theatre, video games etc.
5th Avenue: Souvenier Shops & clothing, jewellry & shoe spots can be found all over 5th Avenue & beyond. Try shopping on the side streets (Calles) for cheaper souvenier items sold on 5th Avenue.
SPAS & SALONS
You deserve to start your vacation off right with a trip to the spa to be pampered & to release all that pre-travel stress !
Monica’s Manicure & Styling Salon: A casual salon on 5th Ave. offering mani/pedis, hair services in a cozy atmosphere. Very hygienic & offers professional services. Credit card accepted. (Prices are very fair; walk ins accepted.)
OKOM Spa at the Reef 28 – For the perfect way to unwind, you can’t beat the hydrotherapy circuit at the Okam Spa. Situated in the Reef 28 hotel you can start off in the deluxe glass fronted sauna, with views of the entire spa. Lie on the stylish curved sauna beds as you absorb the heat and sweat away impurities. From the sauna, you can head to the modern spa showers, with 360 jets to cool you off. Or take a dip in the icy pool! (Finish your day with a an exotic cocktail on their super rooftop pool & bar!)
FIVES SPA Located in the Fives Hotel, the spa is located on the hotel’s rooftop adjacent to the infinity pool. They offer a variety of services including massages, facials, body scrubs, manicures, pedicures, etc. Relaxing atmosphere with luxury touches like zen relaxation lounges, infused waters & teas, as well as relaxation baths & pools.
The Bric Spa- Mid-priced spa offering a range of treatments, from the usual manicures & pedicure, but they’re specialists when it comes to aromatherapy & massages. Their Mayan massage, which combines medicinal local herbs which have been known to ease everything from stress to muscular pains, to influenza. The also offer a range of holistic treatments too, from ear candling, sound baths, reiki, and bio-magnetic therapy.
Grand Hyatt Playa del Carmen Cenote Spa – (pictured above.) This spa’s most unique feature is the Cenote Spa, which is an indoor heated pool enclosed under a domed cave-like ceiling with twinkling lights resembling a starry sky and surrounded by relaxation lounge chairs. Modeled after the Yucatan’s peninsula sacred cenotes the space is a relaxation sanctuary and considered to be a natural healing pool.
Revive Spa at Mahekal Beach Resort – the above spa features cabins set among lush tropical gardens with several different massage therapies & is one of the only spas certified in Mayan massage techniques. All their spa products are 100% organic & offer aromatherapy and purification cleanses cultivated from native plants from the spa’s outdoor gardens.
MUSIC | DANCE CLUBS
Coco Bongo Nightclub – Las Vegas meets Mexico! A music pounding nightclub that combines a rock concert, circus and acrobatic show – a type of ‘Cirque du Soleil’ with Madonna, Elvis & Michael Jackson impersonators. 10th Avenue & 12th Street.
12th Street (Calle) – On this street right off 5th Avenue towards the ocean, you will find a lot of loud/disco/electronic nightclubs. Abolengo, Mandala, La Vaquita & more as the clubs quite often change names.
The Beach – Take a beach stroll & you’ll find you’ll find music & fire shows at a few bars at night including Fusion, Zenzi, INTI & Lido Club.
KAREN’S: If you love live music & dinner, head to Karen’ts on 5th Avenue between Calle 2 & Calle 4. Grab a margarita & sit on their swings by the far! Latin rock bannds & Cuban bands during the day into the evening!
FAH: Fun lively bar with nightly music in all forms. Offers Mexican & seafood items.
La Bodeguita del Medio:nCuban music will fill the air at this Cuban restaurant. Be prepared to show your moves! 5th Ave. & 34 Street (calle).
ROOFTOP BARS
Thompson Hotel Roof. This lively hotel has DJ’s and events on the roof over looking the city. This is a chic way to spend an evening. Some events are free and some have a cover. The entrance for the Thompson is on 12th Street between 5th Avenue and 10th Avenue.
Reef 28 Rooftop Bar:
The rooftop at this adults-only luxury hotel is your go-to lounge (hello, infinity pool!) by day and hip rooftop bar and club by night. 5th Avenue & 28th street.
Fives Rooftop: Set on the sixth floor of The Fives Hotel Downtown Playa del Carmen, this stylish rooftop is complete with an infinity pool and great cocktails to boot. The DJs start spinning when the sun goes down, so get ready for an amazing evening here at The Fives Rooftop.