The beaches on the north end of the island are very calm and vendors will pass by and offer you coconuts and tropical fruits. There are a some charming restaurants right on the beach. A few hotels and condos offer more than adequate accommodations, nothing quite as fancy as offered in Cancun. Playa del Carmen Playa del Carmen, a 45 minute drive from Cancun is a pleasant beach town and the home base to the ferries that cross to Cozumel, Mexico's largest island. The town center is situated so that you are never very far from the beach.
Shopping here offers incredible variety with many quaint shops.
The town square is right on the main beach and is a great place to just relax and watch the world go by. Beachfront restaurants and hotels offer an alternative to the much busier Cancun. Playa del Carmen is growing at an incredible pace, but somehow manages to retain the small town atmosphere that has made it a long time favorite for many. Playacar, an adjoining planned development with an 18 hole golf course, is more modern and seems to cater to a different crowd. Cozumel Mexico's largest island is also the scuba diving and snorkeling paradise of Mexico.