Playa del Carmen, Cozumel, and a Cenote!

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Mexico Part 3: My throwback to my Mexico trip wouldn’t be complete without another picture of Octopus!

This pulpo carpaccio from indigo beach club is a delicious lunch at Indigo Beach Club's restaurant in Playa del Carmen

This carpaccio de pulpo from Indigo Beach Club  in Playa del Carmen looks out of this world doesn’t it? Especially with the pineapple pieces and a little spicy kick from the sauce. So much yum! Lunch with a beach view is probably one of my favorite pastimes.

A view from the beach at Playa del Carmen in Mexico near the Indigo Beach Club.
Playa del Carmen’s beach. Lovely sunset views with seagulls flying over the Caribbean sea.

What’s fun about the beach in Playa del Carmen is it takes you on adventures. After our visit to the beach club, we took ourselves on a leisurely stroll along the sand until we ended up, sort of by accident, at the ferry terminal to Cozumel. Visiting the island hadn’t been in our plans for the day, but since we were at the ferry and it was leaving in 15 minutes, why not?

In Cozumel, we sipped on margaritas at a cantina along the waterfront, watched the last cruise ship take off, and researched restaurants to visit. Our choice: Kondesa. Their lovely garden setting combined with perfectly cooked seafood made for a special evening!

Cozumel's sign in the city center of Cozumel, Mexico. An island in the Caribbean near Playa del Carmen.
A view of the Caribbean sea from the island of Cozumel in Mexico.
The streets of Cozumel overlooking the cruise ships. A pretty sunset view in the island of Cozumel.
A restaurant in cozumel that serves seafood and caribbean and mexican fusion food. The restaurant has a pretty garden setting and makes for a romantic night out!

Although… that doesn’t mean we didn’t have to run back to the ferry  😂 The last ferry was scheduled to leave around 10pm and I think we made it there with one minute to spare.

A trip to the Yucatan wouldn’t be complete without visiting a cenote and that we did! My last pictures are of Cenote Azul, which are a quick taxi ride from Playa del Carmen. Cenotes are natural pools filled with fresh water and are of course, great for swimming! It was fun spending a few hours there and swimming with a few fish as well!

Cenote Azul in Playa del Carmen Mexico is one of the closest cenotes next to the city. It's a great place to swim in the Yucatan.
Cenote Azul is a great place to swim in the Yucatan. It's between Tulum and Playa del Carmen.

I bet you want to visit Mexico now! I know I definitely want to go back soon!

A view of Cancun from a plane in the Yucatan, Mexico. Cancun's strip is a sight to see, especially during sunset!

If you loved this post, you will love my other posts about my visit to the Yucatan. Check out Playa del Carmen or Bust and Tulum: Coastal Cliffs, Centuries-old Ruins, and Octopus. Oh my!

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Anne Assassi


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Tulum: Coastal Cliffs, Centuries-old Ruins, and Octopus. Oh my!

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Mexico Part 2: Tulum! Coastal cliffs, centuries-old ruins, and octopus, oh my!

Octopus at Encanto Cantina in Tulum, Yucatan, Mexico.

Tulum is one of those locales that you know is a special place once you step foot on its soil. While we didn’t have much time in town, Adrian and I were swept away.

Selfie at the tulum ruins

Not literally off the cliffs with breathtaking views of the Caribbean sea or anything.

But figuratively? We were enthralled with its natural beauty, itss rich history [the ruins are a must-see]….

…. and you guessed it, the FOOD!

Octopus tacos at encanto cantina in tulum mexico

Yep, Tulum offers coastal cuisine at its finest - like the octopus from Encanto Cantina? Oh so YUM! Or maybe you want a little turf with your 🐙? No problem. Steak gorditas have got you covered.

We’re looking forward to spending more time in Tulum on our next visit to the Yucatan. Until then, we’ll be dreaming of its warm breezes and fresh seafood!

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Anne Assassi


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Playa del Carmen or Bust!

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Adrian and I went to Playa del Carmen for Christmas, so I figured it's about time to share the pictures from our trip. Here's part 1 of 3: Tacos, huaraches, and posole, oh my!

In Playa, we feasted on al pastor tacos at El Fogon. The style is so different from what I've eaten in the US. The marinated meat is literally cut off of a vertical spit like gyros in Greece and served simply over a tortilla with melted cheese, yum!

One of the cooks at El Fogon added to the taco excitement by doing a little dance after he sliced off a piece of meat and catching it mid-air. What a pro.

We also tried the chorizo tacos, which were equally simple, and again, very different from the Mexican food I’m used to in California.

Between swimming at the beach and lounging at our pool at HM Playa del Carmen….

We managed to save room in our bellies for huaraches and posole at El Jurado!

I've only ever tried huaraches once and I knew that if the Yucatan'a tacos were so different from San Francisco's, the huaraches would be too. In case you don't know, "huarache" means sandal in a two Mayan languages (Purépecha and Nahuatl) because the dish is shaped like a shoe.

But that's where the similarities end, because these huaraches' ingredients were served on heavenly pillows of masa with refried beans. So incredible.

Last but not least, Adrian and I made friends with a lot of iguanas. This guy, I'll call him Fred, lives outside the parking lot at HM Playa del Carmen and is fed daily by staff. What a lucky guy!

Stay tuned next time for Tulum! I have so many great pictures to share 😃

If you enjoyed this post, check out my IG posts on my trips! Portugal Part 1, Part 2, Part 3. Panama Part 1, Part 2, Part 3!

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Anne Assassi


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