How's the nightlife and entertainment in and around Yucatan: Riviera Maya, Playa del Carmen, Cancun, Merida, etc?

The nightlife in Yucatan varies a lot. My point of reference is the beach areas.  There are a lot of places at the beaches that are the gringo hangouts, so you have five or six big places where everybody goes and they really pack you in when all the snowbirds come down. There are a lot of local places here at the beach areas of Yucatan that you can go to for nightlife.
 
The entertainment places here fill up much later. People in Mexico do not even go out to start having...

The nightlife in Yucatan varies a lot. My point of reference is the beach areas.  There are a lot of places at the beaches that are the gringo hangouts, so you have five or six big places where everybody goes and they really pack you in when all the snowbirds come down. There are a lot of local places here at the beach areas of Yucatan that you can go to for nightlife.
 
The entertainment places here fill up much later. People in Mexico do not even go out to start having dinner until it’s about 8 PM to 10 PM. We have a square here in Chelem where the park is dead at around 7 PM and at around 10 PM, you will see people at out with their children. If you want to go to a totally dead restaurant, you can go to Tony Roma’s at 8 PM to 9 PM and I could almost guarantee that you would be the only person in there. At around 11 PM, you will not be able to find a table. The same is true for most restaurants in Merida.
 
In Cancun, it’s always “happening.” The last time we were in Cancun, in Playa Del Carmen, you could walk into anywhere and there would be lots of people. It’s because of the big difference in the density of population between Merida and Cancun. The beach is very quiet but in Merida, there is heavy density. Because of tourism, Cancun has a very heavy density.

 

(Blue Parrot Inn 1989, Playa del Carmen, Yucatan, Mexico, pictured.)

You can get any type of entertainment here in the Yucatan Peninsula. I will start from Playa del Carmen all the way to Tulum. Playa del Carmen is a very nice and calm place. They have small but wonderful restaurants and everything has a calm vibe.
 
As you move from Playa del Carmen towards Cancun, then it becomes a mix. You will find nice clubs around the beach that are very nice. It is just like your typical coastal town, but you also have the big nightclubs in that area. The...

You can get any type of entertainment here in the Yucatan Peninsula. I will start from Playa del Carmen all the way to Tulum. Playa del Carmen is a very nice and calm place. They have small but wonderful restaurants and everything has a calm vibe.
 
As you move from Playa del Carmen towards Cancun, then it becomes a mix. You will find nice clubs around the beach that are very nice. It is just like your typical coastal town, but you also have the big nightclubs in that area. The restaurants there are great; they have everything from franchises to three-star restaurants, and everything in between. Cancun has the same kind of entertainment. You can get whatever kind of nightlife you want there. There are a lot of big clubs and big party areas in Cancun.
 
When you move to the state of Yucatan, you won’t find that kind of nightlife and entertainment on the coast. What you will find on the coasts of the state of Yucatan are a few restaurants in the Progreso area that are open for Americans all year long but the nightlife there is not intense as in Cancun. There are not that many options for nightlife in the Yucatan state. 
 
As you move towards Merida (the largest city in the state of Yucatan). There are different options for nightlife and entertainment for every single day of the week. You can go to a place that plays romantic Mexican music or Yucatecan music. Yucatecos are well known all over the country for being romantics. They have nice love songs. You can also go to different clubs and cafes in Merida. There are also franchises and top cuisine restaurants. Merida basically has everything that you could think of, like Chinese cuisine, Japanese cuisine, American steak, etc. The variety of options that Merida offers is incredible. We have everything here.

 

(Cocktails at Arca Restaurant, Tulum, Mexico, pictured.)

There are several places to go at night in Merida, where I'm from, in the state of Yucatan. On the weekends, the government has a lot of events for everyone with music where we dance. There are a lot of restaurants with good service and good meals. We have what we call "antros" which is like a disco, not just to dance but to have a drink and get some time with your friends.
 
Cancun is different because in Cancun there’s a specific area where there are a lot of...

There are several places to go at night in Merida, where I'm from, in the state of Yucatan. On the weekends, the government has a lot of events for everyone with music where we dance. There are a lot of restaurants with good service and good meals. We have what we call "antros" which is like a disco, not just to dance but to have a drink and get some time with your friends.
 
Cancun is different because in Cancun there’s a specific area where there are a lot of discos and similar places to spend the time at night. In the hotels in Cancun, a lot of people arrive into that area around 10 PM and leave at 4 or 5 in the morning every night.  It’s similar in Playa del Carmen, but different than Merida. 
 
It's different in Merida because Merida is not a tourist area.  The tourists are more in Cancun than in Merida. "The party" is in Cancun and Playa del Carmen.  Merida has a lot of archeological sites and people like to visit the city, itself.  There are a lot of old interesting buildings.  But Cancun is different. Cancun is a modern city established about 40 years ago, while Merida is a colonial city established in the 1500s.

 

(Coco Bongo nightclub,an antros that is very popular in Cancun, Mexico, pictured.)