Travelling to Playa Del Carmen this week, creative things to do?

This will be our first time in any part of Mexico. We'll only be there for 3 nights and want to do as much as possible. I think one of the more creative ideas is snorkel in a cenote; is this something you can do in Tulum? We won't be there long so we don't want to spend a lot of time on a bus, etc.

The cenote at the Tulum ruins is not really suitable for snorkeling, at least not the one I saw, it was tiny and little more than a puddle. There are lots of other options though in the area for cenote swimming/snorkeling. You can try Dos Ojos cenote about 15 km north of Tulum, I've been there but didn't actually snorkel, but the pictures looked impressive.

There will be tours for sale and that may be the easiest and most time effective. You'll find lots of people willing to sell you packages, either at your hotel, on fifth ave, or at the ferry doc.

If you are on a limited budget, you can take the collectivo, to Tulum and ask them to stop at Dos Ojos on your way back when you'll really appreciate the cool waters. Alternately if you can get a car rental cheap then you could do the ruins at Tulum, Coba and Dos Ojos easily in one day.

Also, you can catch the ferry to Cozumel and snorkel in the Caribbean, the ferry ride takes about 35 minutes and costs about $9.00 one way.

Xcaret and Xel-Ha water parks are very close to PDC as well, they may be of interest and I believe there are cenotes at both but I'm not sure.

There's lots of shopping on 5th Ave in PDC but theres even more in Cancun if you want venture about 40 minutes North.

Don't forget bug spray if you are going to venture into places like Coba, Dos Ojos.

Enjoy.

We just got back in August, It was soooooo much fun. We had the kids (toddlers) though so we could not snorkel. You can swim with dolphins, go see the Mayan pyramids and stuff, you can travel to carmel for the day. You can snorkel, scuba dive (they will train you there) you can parasail. Ride horses on the beach. SO much to do. They will have a person there to tell you whats available, the price, sign you up, etc.

playa is a nice choice the other answers just about cover it good beach bars and clubs . the most important thing is get your mind in FUN mode let it all hang out you will have the time of your life player is much better than Cancun you can walk a lot watch the cruse ships come and go

You don't really want to snorkel in a cenote, they're too small. If you scuba, however, then cenote diving is an experience you won't forget. Cenotes usually go down 100 feet or more before making a straight line to the sea. Cenote diving is similar to cave diving, and depending on the cenote, can be dangerous. The area around Playa del Carmen is loaded with cenotes. Many of the less known, but most beautiful Cenotes are on the right side of the highway (route 307).

You used the word "creative" twice in your question. If I only had 3 nights in Mexico the most "creative" thing I would do is sample some of their great beer.

In Playa del Carmen, there are many beach activities, like snorkeling, kayaking in the beach, horse back riding. The beaches in the Caribbean are amazing. There are excellent Italian restaurants in the "pueblo" of Playa del Carmen. For the night life, go to Cancun. They have the most incredible night clubs in the Caribbean, and possibly in the world. Also there are many Mayan ruins near by, and you can trek through the jungle (but get a guide, because there are some dangerous snakes and other animals and even dangerous plants). You can also get a canoe and go to a cenote.

If you want great snorkeling, take the ferry over to Cozumel. It only takes 45 minutes. Then find a snorkel trip to take you to the reef there. Cenotes are dark caves. The water is really cold, and the fish life is mostly fresh water. The reefs of Cozumel are way better. ORRRRR- Go to Xel-Ha. It is a major tourist attraction and not really "creative", but you can cover alot of bases in one day. They have lots of fish and two fresh water rivers feed into a lagoon. There is a cliff that you can jump off of. You can bike through the jungle, ot take a tram. They also have an all inclusive package that includes all food and drink. I did this and I really enjoyed it, and I am pretty picky. They also have a dolphin experience thing at this place.

Go into town at night. It is a cool little town with lots of interesting shops and chic people. The blue parrot is a fun place to go dance on the beach!

With that said- if you are going to an all inclusive, take advantage of it! Use one day to do all of the sight seeing you want to do. Use that other day to relax at your resort. If you are going for three nights, you will only have two full days.

I just got back and what I enjoyed the most were taking a scuba class ($99 for a day), or Chichen Itza, which was really cool ($40 for an all day tour) or going to Cozumel for the day, renting a scooter and just stopping for snorkeling and beer drinking ($20 for an all day rental). Maybe if you bargain you can get everything for even cheaper. Have fun!