Playa del Carmen was absolutely beautiful. The small port area was surrounded by shops that reminded me of nicer shopping areas in Miami. There were fountains all over the place to combat the aridness of the weather and the beaches are gorgeous. The prices that we saw advertised were fabulous ($28 for an hour long massage?!?). We all really wanted to shop here but in order to make our excursion we were really hustled through the area with no time to look around. The buses used by this tour company were several steps up from those in Jamaica, with good air conditioning and larger seats, more like a European style of tour bus. Our guide was interesting and knowledgeable about the history of the area and of the Mayan people. This trip was also approximately 45 minutes each way but passed much more quickly than the trip in Jamaica.