Hotels in Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico
481–483 · hotels
Playa del Carmen stretches along the Riviera Maya coast south of Cancun, with a walkable downtown core built around Fifth Avenue (Avenida 5) and a string of beach clubs just steps away. Our catalogue lists 483 hotels here, ranging from small hostels and boutique guesthouses to large all-inclusive resorts in Playacar and quiet luxury properties north of town. Picking the right area matters more than the star rating: a block or two can be the difference between a lively pedestrian street and a calm residential stretch.
Good to know
- If you want to walk everywhere, book on or just off Fifth Avenue between Calle 1 and Calle 34; anything in Playacar or north of town will mean taxis for a night out downtown.
- The beach in central Playa del Carmen is narrower than Cancun's hotel zone; hotels near Mamitas Beach or inside Playacar tend to have more sand to work with.
- December through April is the driest, most comfortable stretch and also the busiest and most expensive; June through November is hurricane season with a real chance of storms disrupting plans.
- A day trip to Chichén Itzá, Hubiku Cenote & Ek Balam or to Tulum & Xel-Há works better from a downtown or Playacar base, since tour pickups are easier to arrange than from the more isolated northern resorts.
- Many beachfront hotels along Mamitas Beach sit in a federal maritime zone with restrictions on building height and setbacks, so rooms are often smaller than resort-style properties in Playacar or Mayakoba.
- If you plan to see Xplor Park or take the Cirque du Soleil JOYÀ show, check how far your hotel is from the Riviera Maya attractions corridor before booking, since some are closer to Playa del Carmen than others.
