I left Chichén Itzá at about 1:30 Central time, with my ETA in Playa del Carmen being about 4:30 Eastern.

It was a very easy and quick drive on good roads. Since it was Sunday, there was no construction.

I’d done my research and knew that parking in Playa del Carmen is a nightmare. The closest parking to my accommodation was all valet, which wouldn’t work for me as I was not allowed an extra driver for my rental car, plus the car maneuvering to get as many in as possible would increase the risk of dings. I couldn’t find a better option on my own, so in a fit of desperation asked ChatGPT. By scraping the web and not caring about ad revenue, it found on a blog a mention of a self-park parkade a 10-minute walk from my hotel that seemed like a better option. With the name of the parkade, I was finally able to locate it on Google Maps and know from the reviews that it was still in operation. I’m not sharing it because I don’t want the word to get out. 😉

Navigating Playa del Carmen to get to said parkade was a nightmare of construction and one-ways. I had a vague idea of where I was going, but I needed help navigating, and Waze and Google Maps just made things worse, trying to one-up each other in finding the absolute most convoluted route just to make me “save” 30 seconds. It’s dangerous! If somebody is using a map app, they’re likely not somewhere that they’re familiar with. They don’t need to get 50 billion turns to maybe save a minute on the drive. They need to be directed to main avenues with minimal turns. I quickly turned them off and just used a static map to guide me, pulling over after few turns to make sure I was still on the correct route.

The parkade felt like an oasis, with plenty of space to maneuver and a convenient spot at the top of the first ramp. An attendant confirmed that I could park as long as I needed at a rate of only $200 per day or else I’d pay per hour if I was going in and out. I was happy to park until Wednesday morning, planning to walk and use cabs!

It was a pretty easy walk to my accommodation, tucked behind the Romeo restaurant. I’d been expecting a guest house, not to be led to a secret courtyard behind a business, with several independent suites off of it, like having your own mini apartment in the heart of Playa. Another booking.com GEM! The room had what I’d consider a full kitchen as there was a hot plate for cooking proper meals, tons of storage, and a clean bathroom. I’d definitely return here for a longer stay.

I’ve come to realise that I tend to eat locally for breakfast and often lunch as well, but then I prefer other cuisines for dinner unless I just want something snacky. This actually makes a ton of sense because the main Mexican meals of the day are breakfast and lunch. So staying in the heart of an Italian restaurant, a pizza craving after my long day made sense!

Romeo is one of the top-rated Italian restaurants in Playa and very busy, but I was quickly given a “reserved” table and told I would get 10% off my bill as a guest! I ordered a XX ambar and a Margherita pizza that was probably an 11 out of 10. So good!

I only had enough energy after for a quick walk around the block to a 7-Eleven to get some electrolytes and a chocolate bar, then I called it a night.