Spanish in Mexico

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

If you come to the Riviera Maya and step foot in Playa, there is one thing that’s a must-see and that's a Mike Grabow show!

He's been playing all around the heart of Playa del Carmen for months now and always delivers an effortless and amazing acoustic performance. Mike's incredible voice is often compared to that of Gavin Degraw or Martin Sexton.

Mike's currently performing his original material as well as popular covers in venues on-and-around the famous 5th Avenue such as: Luna Blue, Siesta Fiesta, The Beer Bucket, Wickys, KY6 and more. You can often hear his voice from the street as you pass by when he's performing. Mike continues to expand his fan base by leaps and bounds, from the new waves of tourists that come to visit to the local people here in Playa del Carmen who catch his show several times a week. Mike continues to write new songs and develop his live performances and each show just gets better and better. Give Mike some fresh air, a little raw emotion and a guitar, and he'll show you just how good life can sound!

Find out more information about Mike and his show schedule here in Playa visit mikegrabow.com or find "Mike Grabow's Official Fan Club" on Facebook.

If you wish to sample it all — exceptional coffee, avant-garde music, relaxed yet sophisticated atmosphere, deluxe comforts, excellent service and the Caribbean sound of the tide nearby — then the trip to Coffee Café is a must.

Located uptown in Playa del Carmen, Coffee is open every day from 7am-12pm. It offers an extensive menu of specialty espresso-based coffee drinks as well as other refreshing non-coffee drinks (teas, juices, beer, wine…) together with an array of delectable international pastries and freshly-made paninis.

Coffee Café occupies is great for working on your laptop, studying, reading, meeting friends or simply hanging out day or night. The café is non-smoking but there’s a beautiful outdoor courtyard for those who need to light up. There’s also free wireless Internet service, including two desktop computers, free for customers to use.

The concept behind Coffee Café is simple: Love to live and live to love. A home for the creative and inventive community, the town of Playa del Carmen is becoming a destination for the internationally hip and Coffee Café fits in perfectly.

Coffee Café is located on 5th Ave at its junction with Calle 34 or visit Coffee Café’s Facebook page for more information.

Oh, and don't miss the Café de la Noche Radio Show, every Thursday from 8pm to 10pm, with live DJ sets by Mickaël Rolao & Mr. Fantastik. Listen in on www.zentralav.net.

Bailar es uno de los placeres de la vida… o al menos eso dice la gente a la que le encanta bailar. Bailar es muy divertido, además hay muchísimos tipos de baile, y entre todos esos uno de los más famosos en Latinoamérica: salsa

Baile tropical que nació en Cuba, ahora se escucha y se baila salsa en todo el mundo. En Playa del Carmen es un ritmo que se escucha en todas las discotecas y hasta hay lugares especializados en este género musical. Algunos de estos lugares son La Bodeguita del Medio, El Mojito Queen o Fusion donde tienen música en vivo.

Bailar salsa en alguno de estos lugares es una de las muchas cosas que debes venir hacer en Playa del Carmen y qué mejor que poder lucirte bailando después de haber tomado clases de salsa con nosotros!

¿Has bailado salsa alguna vez? ¡No esperes más!

Just a block up from the beach, at the end of Calle 38 Norte, you will find another incredibly beautiful place called El jardin de Shangri-la. As you enter the gardens, you feel calm descend on you as you as the energy of this very spiritual place ignites your spirit. This area is surrounded by nature and as you travel along the sandy paths, you will discover different palapa huts which serve as yoga and meditation rooms.

Visitors can enjoy the gardens for free. Take a stroll through the gardens and enjoy a moment of peace and tranquility or just sit and read a book.

Or for a $10 daily fee you can enjoy the yoga and meditation classes as well as Temazcal, an indigenous tradition that consists of entering an enclosed igloo-shaped clay structure where steam, herbs, spices and incenses are used in a cleansing ritual. Temazcal baths are said to be a spiritual, physical and mental cleansing experience.

For more information or a schedule of classes offered, visit Shangri-la Garden's Facebook page.

Location: Calle 38, entre Av. 5 y el mar
Playa del Carmen, Mexico 77710
Phone: 984 80 11295
Hours of operation: Mon-Sat: 7:00am-9:00pm, Sun: 12:00pm-5:00pm

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.

IH Riviera Maya students now have free access to one of Playa del Carmen's top beach clubs…

No es de extrañar que International House Riviera Maya haga cosas diferentes y novedosas en Playa del Carmen para que sus alumnos tengan la mejor experiencia de sus vidas en este paraíso, y esta vez no es una excepción. La escuela logró un convenio con el conocidísimo club de playa "Canibal Royal" para poderles dar el servicio del uso de todas las instalaciones de este club a todos nuestros alumnos de manera gratuita.

Esto convierte a International House Riviera Maya en la primera escuela en todo Playa del Carmen que brinda un servicio de club de playa para sus alumnos de forma gratuita.

Estamos seguros de que ésto no será lo único que International House Riviera Maya hará por sus alumnos, seguimos trabajando para brindarles el mejor servicio y la mejor calidad a todos nuestros alumnos. Lo único que nos queda por hacer, es ir a disfrutar de este maravilloso club de playa.

Queremos agradecer a Green Adventour por ayudarnos con este gran logro.

This week's post features Sasta, a cafe and espresso bar located on 5th Avenue. This quaint little place has a genuinely homey atmosphere, and a long list of delicious hot and cold espresso based drinks. They also have some of the best bagels, baguettes, and pastries in Playa.

You can sit inside and enjoy the air conditioning while sipping away at your favorite coffee beverage, or you can sit outside and watch all the activity of 5th Ave.

The staff are friendly, the service is quick, and the prices (about $2.00 per drink!) are very affordable. So when you're here visiting us in Playa, and you get a craving for some rich authentic coffee or a gourmet sweet, you'll know the perfect place!

This week we bring you one of Playa's best beach clubs, Wicky's [página web].

As you can see it's absolutely gorgeous! Here you can relax and enjoy a scrumptious breakfast, lunch, or dinner right on the beach! They offer new menu specials every day, along with live music on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sunday's from 1-4pm.

And if that's not enough, they also have free beach chairs, free umbrellas, and free wireless internet.

It's everything you could want, right on the beach!

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…!