Air Conditioned, Cozy and with Comfortable Seating
Working from cafes sounds quite romantic until you have sun glaring onto your screen, mosquitoes biting you and the heat making your thighs stick together. Yes, all of this happens quite regularly if you are based in a tropical Caribbean paradise! But in Playa del Carmen, there is definitely no need to despair because you can definitely find some lovely places to work from without being exposed to the elements.
My Top 5 Cafes to work from in Playa Del Carmen
1. Ah Cacao
I’ll start with my favourite one which, comes as no surprise, is also a favourite of many others for exactly the same reasons. I call it the ‘Mexican or Playa del Carmen version of Starbucks’ – Ah Cacao. It’s a wonderful coffee shop that has 4 locations in total and they are all on the 5th avenue in Playa del Carmen. The coffee shop has it’s own branding and sells cute merchandise as well as chocolates and cacao products. It’s wonderful to go to a place that has that familiar western vibe but that is owned and run by the locals. An important note is that the temperature in Ah Cacao whilst with air conditioning, does not get to freezing zones. The actual Starbucks cafes here in Playa definitely have more powerful air conditioning that makes me want to put on a sweater. As I mentioned there are 4 Ah Cacaos in Playa and only 2 with indoor, air conditioned, seating. The photos above are from my favourite one on 5th avenue with 38th street.
2. Marley Coffee
Marley is a very cosy cafe dedicated to Bob Marley. The decor and the music is all about reggea, which surprisingly makes for a very comfortable working environment. The music is very neutral and mostly instrumental which makes it very easy to focus on work. The seating is designed for relaxing so you will not have a comfortable working position with your laptop, but if you are happy to work with that, then the air conditioning, good coffee and a relaxing atmosphere is definitely worth it. One of my favourite things about Marley is that you also get to enjoy a beautiful hotel lobby when going to WC. The cafe is part of the Fives hotel and so the bathroom facilities are in the hotel lobby which is gorgeous with a small pond and lots of greenery.
3. Lali Pasteles
This is one of the most beautifully decorated cafes in Playa with a lovely french cafe vibe, vintage style decor and pastries to make you zag (using Tony Robbins language of having a ‘cheat day’ on your diet). To be fair, unlike the other cafes mentioned here, it is the only place that has some vegan, gluten free and no refined sugar added desserts! That is a rare find anywhere and is also one of the reasons I cannot visit it as often as I would like to as the temptation is just too strong! Lali has some of the most comfortable seating for my liking in regards to table and chair height on the days when you do want to spend some productive time on that laptop companion. The branch that I go to on 8th street between 15th and 10th avenue is a small place with just 4 tables so it has a very cosy feel and normally does not get very busy. Ah Cacao or Marley, both get busier which I prefer for the purpose of working as it gives me that busy office feel and keeps me from relaxing fully and just people watching instead of working!
4. Zo’Zen
Here’s another place that in addition to a lovely work environment provides temptations that are hard to resist. Zo’Zen is a frozen yogurt cafe that also serves coffee and has lovely bright decor. The cafe is quite big and has large tables that are designed with workers in mind (charging ports available). It has a lovely Scandinavian style decor and is open till very late. The best part for sure is that they have vegan frozen yogurt options and all of the yogurts are sweetened with dragon fruit. So it’s a place for treating yourself to a healthier treat. The cafe does not get too busy and so you are most likely to always get a table of your choice.
5. Vika
**Disclaimer- the two photos above are not from Vika – real photos to be added shortly.