Hotel Basico & Playa del Carmen

What can I say about Hotel Basico except that it was everything I had hoped for and more! The minute you walk through the entrance you understand why this place is winning all kinds of design awards. The theme of the design is "recycled products". This is evident in everything from the reception area floors lined with tire treds, the vertical blinds in the rooms made from recycled rubber, the daybeds on the roof made from truck flatbeds and the roof-top pools made from old oil drums.

We were warmly welcomed upon our arrival by the manager Alejandro and shown to our room called Alejandra (the rooms are all women's names instead of numbers). Light and airy, the room is white and concrete with floor to ceiling windows on the whole side facing the street. All of this induces a beach feel (thankfully, minus the typical hideous floral linens you find in most beach resorts). The king-sized bed (the most comfortable hotel bed I've slept in!), covered in the softest white linens, is positioned in the center as the focal point of the room. The shower is located in the corner in a large tub with an invigorating waterfall shower head.

Lots of kitchy design elements are incorporated under the bed - green flippers sitting waiting to be used, a white leather lined storage drawer with mirrored front, the mini-bar, a pull-out rubber reading table and mini stools. The design continues up the walls and around the room with art work consisting of a large rubber innertube to take to the beach, a neon sign and a saw handle used as the bathroom door handle.

Two of our days were spent up at the rooftop pool. There are only 3 daybeds on the roof so you've gotta get up there early to claim one. It was worth it though as the breeze up there helped to keep us cool in the scorching 90 degree heat.

Our pool boy Jacques couldn't have been more attentive to our needs (ALWAYS with a smile!), serving up perfecto margaritas and fish tacos that definitely rivaled Deborah's.

The food at the hotel was without a doubt the best we had in Playa. The restaurant was usually empty which was sad because people are REALLY missing out - especially if you are a fish-lover.

The other one of our days (the first, actually) was spent at Mamitas Beach Club (we only did this once because spending the day on the roof of Basico felt much more exclusive and expensive). Mamitas is large and extremely crowded. The hotel gave us a pass for 2 chairs and a palapa. We ended up paying a small fee to upgrade to the better chairs with more of a covering and more space around them. Smart move! The club was very typical for Mexico - mediocre food and booze served by an attentive staff and located on a beautiful beach.

Playa del Carmen is a small town about an hour south of Cancun. We liked it, however if you are looking for quiet, exotic or remote, this is definitely NOT the place for you. All of the action there takes place up and down Quinta Avenida (5th Ave.), a pedestrian-only street filled with restaurants, bars and stores. VERY touristy (at times way too much so for us)! A few restaurants I would recommend (provided you can deal with the mariachi bands that overrun the entire town at night, disturbing your meal and killing your hearing!): Carboncitos (for the best $1 tradional pork tacos) and Yaxche (for upscale traditional Mayan food).

The pool bar at Hotel Deseo (which is owned by the Basico people) is fun at night - daybeds by the pool with live dj and films shown on the wall (think South Beach without the beautiful people to keep you interested). Other than that, most of the bars we tried just felt a little too spring-breaky.

All that said, I highly recommend a trip to Basico before it is discovered. The hotel itself, the staff and the service are all top notch for a VERY reasonable price. It's great for a quick 3 or 4 day break from the winter doldrums. Would we return? We couldn't decide. Maybe we just need some time to let it all sink in. Playa just wasn't for us, but the hotel certainly was and well worth the trip, so we are torn. Why not decide for yourself?!?!?!