Monday in Playa del Carmen was a lazy start. My friends K&T, whom I visited last summer in Ontario, were expecting me around 10:00am, but I was up around 8:00. Since I was doing a short stay, I hadn’t planned to make my own coffee, so finding some was the first task of the day.

As it turned out, Shalala Cafe, a few doors down from Romeo, had an excellent Americano. This coffee might look too milky for my taste, but it was so strong it was perfect!

I had a pleasant day catching up with my friends and enjoying the rooftop pool of their rental condo. They are not in the tourist part of Playa, so it was great to see a typical neighbourhood.

For dinner, K wanted to take us to Alux, an upscale restaurant IN A CAVE. He’d been there years prior and it had really made an impression.

The venue is absolutely breathtaking, and one of a kind, and an absolute must if visiting Playa del Carmen. But it’s not just a gimmick. The food was sensational!

I started off with the pineapple, passionfruit, shrimp, and hamachi aguachile. So fresh and bright.

Picking my main was a really tough decision, and I changed my mind several times.  I ended up going with the poblano risotto that had all of the ingredients in traditional rajas poblanas, including corn, and then adding Parmesan for richness, but topped with a sweet, charred, tender langoustine tail topped with chimichurri. This meal was an excellent idea of how even humble everyday ingredients can be elevated.

For dessert, I had the mint chip and passionfruit topped vegan brownie with coconut cream and almond crumble. The white layer was very strange with little flavour, but everything else on this dessert was incredible. The brownie was almost like fudge and the coconut cream felt as decadent as dairy whipped cream.

After dinner, we took a tour of the massive cave complex. It’s just grotto after grotto, offering intimate dining experiences.

This area was clearly a cenote once upon a time.

Altar to the alux, mischievous Mayan nature spirits akin to Leprechauns.

The menu at Alux should have something for anyone’s palate and is reasonably priced for the quality and experience. Just don’t take the offered ride at the exit and get your own taxi (or walk, as I did) — 200 pesos was highway robbery!