12 Apr Spring Break

Not being from the United States, Spring Break is something I had always heard about in movies and on TV but never really understood. From what I knew, it was one week of intense partying, no matter where you were, whether it was Mexico, Florida or anywhere sunny. And it’s true, if you choose to go to certain places with the Spring Break packages then definitely, it’s one big party. But I also learned that it definitely depends on where you go. My Australian friends and I chose to go to Playa del Carmen for our Spring Break, just south of Cancun. We chose it purposefully, because we didn’t think we could handle a whole week of non-stop partying but we also didn’t want to miss that experience. We thought that going a little bit south, to a place we had heard was beautiful and lively, would give us the best of both worlds.

We were kind of right. Playa del Carmen was beautiful, we spent a lot of time at the beach sunbaking (which was heaven for an Australian living in San Francisco) and scouting out new places to eat. We walked up and down the main strip countless times, poking around in all of the shops and awkwardly getting used to the people constantly asking if you wanted tequila, a massage, a taxi, a hair braid, and countless others. What I noticed after a few days though, was that there weren’t really any nightclubs. Sure there were beach clubs, but there mostly closed at about six pm (prime party time) and all that was left were random bars around town. For someone who loves a boogie, it was a little bit disappointing for me. That doesn’t mean that there weren’t plenty of places to grab a frozen margarita though!

The great thing about where we were, however, was the opportunities it gave us to see more of Mexico. We were lucky enough to visit the ancient Mayan village of Tulum and explore some cenotes around there. It’s an experience I will never forget, and something I find so hard to explain. The tranquillity of the caves and utter peace when the lights went out was something unlike I have ever known before. It really is something you have to be there to understand. If you ever get the chance to visit the cenotes, don’t hesitate.

Even with the clubbing drawbacks, I’m so happy that I went to Playa del Carmen for my Spring Break. It was such a relaxing week away from the monotony of school work and muni transport. I think my only point of advice if you’re coming to San Francisco for the Spring semester, is pick somewhere warm and sunny for your spring break, you won’t regret it!

Cocktail time!

Playa del Carmen

Mayan Village Tulum

Tulum Beach