“Xcacel” One of the best spots in Playa del Carmen its a post from Cass Aragón, Méxican Blogger, with very good content if you want to travel in México.!
I had a lot of emotions rising out of my skin. My flight was Cancún – New York – Dubai. I wanted it, I could not stand it longer, you know, it worth to mention that I am a very impatient person in case you haven’t noticed. I had barely a day and a half in Playa del Carmen (city 45 minutes away from Cancún) and I wanted to do things I really missed from the time I was living there. I decided to record them to include it on the video blog, which I hope you liked it, but if you haven’t seen it, here is the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0EZXMR2OsQ&t=26s
As they say out there “happiness is only real when shared”. If you are thinking in doing stand up paddle or willing to go to a “non touristic place” like Xcacel, here I leave some information so you can enjoy it too, and seriously, im not kidding when i say that this is one of the best spots in Playa del Carmen but im hoping another chance to show you more wonders that the Riviera Maya has to offer.
SUP = STAND UP PADDLE
This sport is a combination of surfing and paddling. You can practice in rivers, lakes and sea; with or without waves its soo fun. Also, it’s a great way to stay in shape. Do not expect to keep the balance the first try, it takes some time to get used to the board, but once you do it, you will fall in love.
In Playa del Carmen you can find many companies that offer tours, classes or even just the service of board rental. I know one which its Aloha Paddle Board, from my Dutch friend Sanders. The prices of the boards vary depending on if you are a member of the club or not, still not very expensive. For more information about prices contact him he is a good lad, and when you get your board go paddle to see the sunrise, I know its early and hard to wake up but if something I can recommend its see “el nacer del sol” in the Caribbean sea… its magic.
XCACEL Y XCACELITO
If you want to know one of the best spots in Playa del Carmen and also see what the beaches in the Mexican Caribbean were like before the five-star hotels appeared, you’ll love Xcacel. This beach is located 40 minutes south of Playa del Carmen and is undoubtedly one of my favourites in México.
Xcacel it’s more than a beach, it has been a protected natural reserve since the 90s and thanks to people that have taken care of it it’s why it has remained the way that its now. The beach has amazing reefs so don’t forget to bring your snorkel and visor; It is also a sanctuary for protecting the sea turtle that comes to México every summer to lay eggs, so please, if you see any, don’t disturb them.
But the most important part is How do I get there?
Well you can get into the reserve everyday from 9 am to 5 pm and to the “cenote” which is located 2 minutes walking through a path that you can easily find by walking to the right when you get to the beach, from 10 am to 4:30 pm the cost its 20$ (1 USD) money that is used to the maintenance of the place.
Public Transport
If you don’t have a car, don’t worry, its very simple to get there. If you are in Playa del Carmen go to St. 2 between St. 10 and St. 15, on that street you will find all the vans that go to Tulum, doing stops now and then to drop workers from the hotels on the way, the only thing you have to do is to tell the driving that you want to get down in Xcacel (“queremos bajarnos en Xcacel”), he know perfectly where is the place. He will tell you when to get down, once you do it, you have to cross the road, just be careful, there is no traffic lights or anything like that, the road has no pavement and the only sign it’s about to fall. Well, you are now in Xcacel, so you just have to walk about 10 minutes to get to one of the best spots in Playa del Carmen, the beach.
By Car
If you rented a car, it is much more comfortable but perhaps more difficult to get to the place, because there isn’t a driver to tell you “it’s here” so you have to be well aware, you could also ask for help to big daddy “Google” so I’ll leave a link to google maps (click here). If you are coming from Playa del Carmen you have to do a “U” turn just after a town called Chamuyil. After the “U” turn, the entrance will be on your right, look for the half-fallen sign, once you hit the road to the beach, just keep going straight and don’t worry about the parking, you will find a place.
Via: Wanderlust by Cass Aragón
Best spots in Playa del Carmen is translated and verified by HousingBMG
