Hi everybody,
After telling you in the last post about our stay in Playa del Carmen, today I am going to tell you about the reality of the Mexican Caribbean in general.
- Accommodations
The accommodations, for the most part, are of very poor quality. They look good in photos, but then they are old and unkempt. We paid almost $ 1800 for a month and the apartment was disgusting. Also, the internet is unstable and there is always something wrong.
- Harassment of tourists
I had never experienced such harassment on either of the two trips we made to Mexico. It reminded us of countries like Vietnam, Cambodia, Egypt, and Morocco.
They chase you; they don’t let you pass, and they yell at you. The worst thing is that when you ignore them, they say phrases like “Keep bored”, “How bitter”, “Unfriendly”.
I loved Mexicans on the two trips we did, but in Playa del Carmen they are completely different. They just desperately want to get the money from the tourist. We could also see it with the real estate agencies and the agents would kill each other for the commissions.
- Food
The two times we were in Mexico we were not vegan, so we could eat tacos anywhere without a problem. Also, we were on vacation and never had to cook.
This time we realized that there are very few vegan options and what there is, is expensive (European prices).
On this occasion I noticed the null hygiene measures that exist in the handling of food, and it took me away from wanting to eat anything outside the house.
On the other hand, in Playa del Carmen there are no typical Mexican markets where you can find all the fruit and vegetables you can imagine. There are only the Walmart and Soriana type supermarkets that are very poorly supplied. In addition, all the products are messed up and the prices are misplaced.
I realized that all food has MSG and other carcinogenic ingredients. So, I couldn’t buy anything that was prepared like a pasta sauce, for example.
- The streets are full of pharmacies, American junk food and tour stands.
Playa del Carmen has no identity, it is a place that is designed for Americans. In Playa del Carmen you don’t feel like you’re in Mexico. In fact, a local told us that there it was not known when it was Day of the Dead or when it was Christmas, as in the rest of the country.
Pharmacies have giant advertisements with deals on pain killers, anabolics, and Viagra. The only time we went out for a walk at night, we also realized that on the street they openly sell you drugs without any problem.
The restaurants are mostly American fast food. The typical Mexican food does not exist there.
- Environmental disaster
In the Mexican Caribbean, mass tourism has destroyed everything because what matters is money.
The streets in Playa del Carmen are disgusting with garbage, used condoms and even underwear. The beach is also littered with garbage. At the resorts at 8 in the morning the trucks go by cleaning the sand, and even then, there is still garbage.
To this must be added that the tourists who go to the Mexican Caribbean are the worst that humanity can have, and they pollute in an atrocious way. Everything is thrown on the floor. The locals are not far behind and fervently contribute to polluting everything.
When the tide brings out the sargassum, it is even more appreciated because tons of garbage also come out with the algae. Something curious is that in the areas that have not been touched by mass tourism, the water does not turn brown, which suggests that what they call sargassum is more brutal pollution than anything else.
Also, there is no recycling.
A SUPER IMPORTANT THING: In almost two months that we spent in Playa del Carmen, only one day the beach was idyllic and with crystal clear water. So, you must bear in mind that those beaches are always troubled, with algae and garbage (especially in inhabited areas). The perfect beaches that you see in the photos are only like this for a few days a year.
- Problem with sewage
In Holbox we already realized that there was a very serious problem with sewage and in Playa del Carmen it is the same. Everything smells like a sewer and in many parts of the beach, too. Even at the resorts.
This is a problem for the entire Mexican Caribbean and surely all drains go to the sea.
In addition, you can see the difference of the sea in the resort area and in virgin areas.
- Tourism with animals
Added to the environmental destruction is tourism with animals. In that regard, Mexico is far behind.
All hotels and resorts have captive wildlife and do shows with animals. Also, in all tourist sites you find people with monkeys and other animals asking for money.
- Very expensive
The prices are absurdly expensive. Visiting tourist sites is a luxury reserved only for tourists.
The prices of the cenotes go from $8 and can reach $40 or $ 50 depending on how famous they are. Parking in Tulum costs you around $15.
In places where they do not charge you for parking, you must make a minimum consumption that starts at $25.
Also, since everyone must get money from the tourist, apart from the entrance to the sites, you must pay for parking separately.
We had planned to go to Cozumel, but we discarded it because it cost $50 round trip by boat and on the island, to rent a bike costs $25. Imagine the rest of the prices.
The inflation of tourism prices is outrageous. They go up 25% in 3 or 4 months.
Clothes, personal care items and supplements cost much more than we paid in Spain.
The prices to rent a car are more expensive than what we have paid in Europe; between $40 and $50 for the most basic cars. In addition, there is the problem that they do not accept reservations and you must ask for availability the same morning.
- Mafia and corruption
Tourism in Mexico is pure mafia and corruption.
Everything is privatized, but apart from that, you go to a place and must pay for parking because it belongs to a town, then pay another fee to the aborigines who “take care” of the reserve, then later on you have to pay to another town so they can let you pass. So disastrous.
In addition, what we saw on our first trip is that there are many indigenous communities that the Government has not been able to organize, so each one charges what they want to the tourist and if you don’t pay, they may get aggressive.
- Unsafety
In our two trips to Mexico, we never felt unsafe, quite the opposite. But in Playa del Carmen the first day we went to an idyllic beach that we found, and a tourist came running to tell us not to leave things alone because there were always people stealing.
On another beach a local came to tell us not to leave things so far away because they were going to rob us.
Also, in many reviews I read that they opened the cars and stole everything; both in tourist sites and in supermarkets.
During our stay, we saw two pieces of news in which it said that groups of people had entered the resorts to shoot.
- Police
The same police constantly scam tourists.
On my two trips to Mexico, I found the police super professional, but while in Playa del Carmen I read many stories of people who the police had threatened to take money from them.
- Access to the beach
According to the law, all Mexican beaches are constitutionally and legally free. In reality, It is not true at all. Everything is privatized and they want to charge you for everything.
You may have a public access, but then the resort puts a fence and cuts off the beach.
- Noise
Playa del Carmen is not the right place if you want tranquility. There are always construction noises, music, trucks, etc. In Cancun and Tulum, it is the same.
- Racism
Mexicans are racist with themselves. If you look closely, in Mexico celebrities are all white and blond. On this trip I learned that among themselves they are racists. I got tired of reading reviews in which Mexicans complained that they were treated badly at tourist sites, that staff only treated tourists well.
- Obesity
We had already realized that in Mexico there is a very serious obesity problem. People eat junk food like Doritos and sodas all the time.
This time I saw that most of the tourism was from incredibly obese people. In the resort area you would see them lying like walruses in the sun with their mouths open. In addition, all with skin colors that ranged from red to mahogany brown.
- They’re slow
One thing that makes me desperate about the Yucatan area is that people are extremely slow to answer. Even when you ask them a price, they spend like 5 minutes thinking to answer you. I do not know if it is the heat that affects their ability to reason.
In conclusion, I do not recommend the Mexican Caribbean at all, much less if you love nature and you like cleanliness. Mexico has wonderful and almost virgin places, but the Caribbean area is destroyed by massive tourism. In addition, going as a digital nomad helped me to totally rule out that country as a possible place to invest and live.