Spanish in Mexico

Yaxche (pronounced jag-shey), the Mayan name for la ceiba, tree believed to bring good luck, is also the namoe of Playa del Carmen's Maya cuisine restaurant. It's one of Playa's most respected restaurants, serving authentic Mayan cuisine in unique style. Dining at Yaxche is to enter the Mayan world and find the flavors of the region in an amazing environment that combines both ancient and cosmopolitan elements.

The owners inherited a strong affinity for the Mayan from their ancestors. They dreamed of introducing people to Mayan culture through their cuisine and Yaxche is the fulfillment of that dream.

The main dining room on the lower deck has air conditioning and broad windowpanes that allow the sunlight to flood in. It is decorated with Mayan paintings, mixing the ancient and the modern. On the upper deck, the dining area is a terrace, with wooden floors and a sophisticated atmosphere. The whole deck faces 5th Avenue. You can come for lunch or dinner, or have a "Mayarita" at the bar.

During your Yaxche experience, you'll most probably eat something you've never tried before and be happy you did. Enjoy fish, chicken and turkey in new, native ways, using traditional spices.

Yaxche is an exceptional, award-winning restaurant with excellent service and attention to detail, a "one-of-a-kind" place and a "must" during your visit to Playa del Carmen. View the menu at Yaxche at MayaCuisine.com.

El Alux is in a truly spectacular location and the experience is unforgettable. That's not only because it's under ground, but because it's in a natural cave formed thousands of years ago, what we here on the Riviera Maya call a cenote. So rather than cave diving this is "cave dining"!

As you wander through the cavern, you'll find magnificent stalactites and stalagmites and a small lagoon lit by a blue light that illuminates the waterfall, the sound of which adds to the ambiance, almost as much as the nightly live music.

Alux has a gorgeous lounge and many dining areas with the most amazing, eclectic décor, some of them remote (even hidden!) making it a very romantic spot for an intimate dining experience.

Although some say that the food at Alux is nothing out of the ordinary and that the floor is slightly rocky and uneven (which, after all, you would expect!), the novelty of eating dinner in a cenote more than makes up for it!

It’s a must-see during your visit to Playa… at least to have a drink in the lounge and go for the experience!

Alux is on Avenue Juarez between 65th and 70th streets, just west of Highway 307. For more information visit the Alux website.

See also More cenotes on the Riviera Maya

Reina Roja, lobby bar and restaurant

Located on Calle 20 Norte (20th Street) between 5th and 10th Avenues, the Reina Roja is Playa del Carmen's newest hotel (not to mention being a great boutique!). It has a style quite of its own, with an architecture that reflects the Riviera Maya's exotic woods, exuberant vegetation and plentiful water resources.

Designed for young, adventurous, free-spirited travelers, the Reina Roja provides you with an intensely sensorial experience, outstanding service and the guarantee of an unforgettable stay in Playa.

The lobby restaurant serves affordable, delicious food throughout the day and the roof-top pool and bar provides you with such a spectacular view of the Caribbean that you might just find yourself skipping Playa's outstanding beach. It's truly an experience not to be missed during your visit to Playa!

For full information, visit the Reina Roja Hotel website.

This week's post features one of the best local Italian restaurants in Playa del Carmen, Da Gigi.

Located on Constituyentes between 10th and 15th Avenue, this family style eatery's specialty is pizza. Their menu offers an astounding 31 different pizzas! You can choose from many delicious toppings including mozarella, blue cheese, Italian ham, pineapple, tomato, artichoke, salciccia sausage, black or green olives, pear, calamari, shrimp, clam, mussel, basil, garlic, mushroom, onion, anchovies, tuna, garlic, pesto, and more.

All their pizzas are made fresh for each order, so be prepared to wait about 15 minutes or so, but the taste is amazing — and the price (around 120 pesos) is good , too!

This week's post features one of Playa's most delicious restaurant/bars, The Mayan Bistro. Located on 24th St. between 5th and 10th Avenue, it's open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They offer an interesting mix of Italian, American and Mexican cuisine that you can choose from at any meal. They've also got a fully stocked bar, which offers two for one beer and cocktails everyday from 4-7 pm.

The best part is that the food and drinks are amazingly affordable; the average breakfast costs about 50 pesos, and the average dinner is about 90 pesos. With those prices you'd never expect that it's all freshly prepared by an authentic chef, but it is.

All in all, The Mayan Bistro is a winning choice for delicious food at an unbeatable price, so when you're here studying with us at IH, don't forget to stop by and give it a try!

This week's post features one of Playa's tastiest Japanese restaurants, Sushi Ken.

Located on the corner of 10th Street and 20th Avenue, they offer all the classic Japanese dishes like chicken teriyaki, vegetable tempura, and miso soup, but their specialty (you guessed it!) is sushi.

Their menu includes a wide array of rolls to choose from (everything from salmon rolls to barbecued beef rolls!) so no matter what kind of sushi you fancy, they've got something for everyone!

This week's post features Queka 10, an truly authentic Mexican restaurant, located on 10th Avenue near 8th Street. It's both delicious and cheap! Here you can watch as they actually make your food right in front of you from the freshest ingredients.

Their menu includes many traditional dishes such as pollo (chicken) and arrachera (beef) tacos, but their specialty is quesadillas. They even have a long list of ingredients that you can choose from, so that you can enjoy a custom-made quesadilla!

And the best part? Everything on the menu is just 10 pesos — less than one dollar! Where else could you get a delicious authentic Mexican meal for that price?!

This week's post features The Glass Bar. It's a wine shop, gourmet Italian restaurant and bar, all in one. Located on 10th Street between 1st and 5th Avenue, it's owned by the same people as Di Vino, so you can be sure of its superior quality, unbeatable service, and elegant ambiance. The list of specialty wines to choose from is very impressive! So if you want something special, then you've come to the right place.

However, it's not only their delicous cuisine and fine wines that draw people here. Every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night they have great live music and offer very affordable drink specials. The place is quite up-market, so put on something nice and head over with your special someone or group of close friends.

You won't be dissapointed…!

This week's post features Playa's best Italian restaurant, Di Vino.

It's located on the corner of 5th Avenue and 12th Street (which is really close to our school), and it's open every day for breakfast at 7 am, lunch starts at noon, and dinner is served from 5 pm until midnight. They also offer a wide range of wines to choose from at their bar, which stays open until 2 am.

The restaurant's ambiance is absolutely amazing, with its soft warm lighting, elegant tables, and chic seating. The best part is the scrumptious food, which is always a beautiful spectacle in itself!

This place gets nothing less than rave reviews, so while you're here studying with us at IH, make sure to check it out. You won't regret it!

Are you feeling Kool? This week's feature is Kool Beachclub. As you can see it's superbly luxurious and unarguably gorgeous! It's located just a 5-minute walk away from the school and offers a range of very affordable services and amenities.

It has an enormous private swimming pool with VIP area, an open palapa bar that serves everything from your favorite beer to the fanciest cocktail; there are private diamond beds for two ($10 per day), and pillowed individual lounge chairs available for rent ($2 per day).

It also has a fantastic gourmet restaurant, which has live music almost every evening. What more could you want?!