So….    how was my very first Christmas in Playa del Carmen?

Christmas in Playa del Carmen is a festive time.  Having never been in Mexico or the Caribbean during the holidays, I really didn’t know what to expect.

Let’s back up for a bit…   my name is Steve and my family is all in Minnesota where I grew up but I’ve spent the last 16 years in Las Vegas so for the years that I couldn’t make it home for Christmas, I at least got used to it being warm.  I always had the traditional white Christmas as a child and that did take some getting used to when I moved out west.

I just moved to Playa del Carmen about 5 months ago from Las Vegas, and only took the position of Chief Marketing Officer here at American Realty and Development about 2 months ago.

I’ve been really wrapped up in work, both here working on the marketing for the Caribbean Living project and on my own internet business so I knew I wasn’t making it home to be with my family for Christmas this year.

Christmas in Playa

The neat thing about Playa is that the people that live here are, by and large, extremely nice and welcoming.  This goes for both locals and expats.  I guess there is a certain type of person that ends up living abroad and all the expats I’ve run into here are incredibly helpful and eager to help a newbie get acclimated.

All that goes double for the crew here at American Realty – the owner and his wife are some of the most genuine and giving people I’ve ever met in my life and everyone who works here has welcomed me like family.

Since I wasn’t going home and don’t have any family here, they made sure that I was occupied all through the holidays, from the office party to Christmas Eve and all day on Christmas Day.

The Food…

On Christmas Eve we all went to a restaurant on 5th Av called Sur with a few clients and friends.  Now, this blog post isn’t a food review but I wouldn’t recommend this particular restaurant based on the 2 times I’ve been there. Service is challenged to say the least and the food quality, especially the steaks, is adequate at best.  But that being said, it’s more about who you are spending time with and it was a great time.

On Christmas Day, we went to Wah Wah’s Beach Club for their annual traditional Christmas buffet and that was amazing.  The smoked turkey was incredible, as was the stuffing.  As a matter of fact, pretty much everything was top notch and the service was impeccable.

A special shout out to Ivan for getting us a great table near the buffet line but over looking the entire beach at the same time.

After stuffing ourselves senseless at Wah Wah’s, we made our way over to Leah’s house.  Leah is the lead broker here at American Realty and her and her significant other Phil had an amazing spread made up – duck, filet mingon, stuffing, drinks…   my food coma was starting to kick in and I can’t even remember everything that we ate.

Holiday Spirit

Playa evenings in December are the best – still warm but with a refreshing cool breeze.  Leah had guests there from everywhere…  Mexico, Canada, Russia, the United States – people from all over the world coming together to celebrate Christmas and the spirit of the holidays with friends old and new.

All in all, my first Christmas in Playa del Carmen was a memorable one.  It is a strange feeling wiggling your toes in the sand and seeing the beautiful blue water while eating turkey and stuffing, but the true spirit of Christmas lies with the people you spend the time with and the memories you make – that is what makes the holidays special and Playa del Carmen already has a special place in my heart.

Merry Christmas from American Realty

Feliz Navidad to you and yours from the whole crew here at American Realty here in Playa del Carmen!!  I hope your holidays were filled with joy and good cheer…    Be safe on New Years and we look forward to seeing you down here in Paradise sometime in 2014!