Recently I enjoyed a trip to Playa Del Carmen on the Yucatan Peninsula in the country of Mexico. The region is a beautiful, warm and sometimes rugged stretch of eastern Mexico bordering on the Caribbean Sea. Accompanying me on the trip was Kathy, beautiful wife. Please note that Kathy is not vegan.

Preparing for the trip we realized that we would be eating out at restaurants for the majority of our meals. We stayed in a lovely Air BnB nestled conveniently between Playa's main thoroughfare and the ocean. The apartment had a very small kitchen and was literally surrounded by all manner of eateries. We purchased supplies for fixing breakfast each morning (oatmeal, walnuts, cinnamon, raisins and Cliff bars) but not much else in terms of edible groceries. Our plan was to do a lot of walking and a lot of food experimenting for our lunches and dinners. What we did not know was how much difficulty or ease I would encounter trying to find vegan options.

Before discussing the vegan food options in Playa, I think it is important to say that I have never met a nicer, warmer, more welcoming and genuinely happy group of people than those locals I met in Playa and the areas around it that we visited. Truly, it was an uplifting experience to talk with nearly everyone that I met. In addition to enhancing the enjoyment of the sights and sounds of Mexico, the loveliness of the people made it very comfortable to ask about vegan options even when a restaurant's published menu did not include any. Placing my hand on my chest and saying in my horribly poor Spanish "Yo soy vegano" was responded to with broad smiles and genuine interest in trying to help find something good to eat.

Regarding places that offer vegan options, there were plenty. I estimate that 4 out of 5 restaurants with which we checked offered 2 to 3 vegan options and we encountered 2 places that served mainly vegan food. One place in particular called La Senda (or, The Path) was dedicated to organic vegan food and offered dining in a wonderful tropical courtyard. I read that La Senda's lentil burger was the best in Mexico and tried it for lunch on our single visit to La Senda. The burger was delicious and the small salad with which it was served was bursting with freshness. La Senda is a "must do" for vegans in Playa.

Some other places that I can happily recommend are Vagabond Restaurant, which has a traditional Mexican menu, but offers several vegan options and the folks who work there are wonderful. Bip Bip (Beep Beep in English) is one of the places at which we approached the greeter and asked about vegan food. The gentleman asked several questions about what I would and would not eat, studied his menu and made wonderful suggestions for adjustments that could be made to the offered dishes. He then accompanied us to our seats, personally went and explained our conversation to our waiter who, when reaching our table, was prepared with choices for me. Truly outstanding service and the vegan-modified food was fantastic. We enjoyed eating at Bip Bip several times during our stay.

As you may remember, beautiful wife is not vegan. She is however a selective eater. She does not enjoy onion nor peppers, does not like spicy, and is not a fan of most seafood. She is, I think it is fair to say, partial to a bland American diet. You might anticipate that the food scene in a coastal Mexican town may present some challenges. Frankly, we encountered more difficulty finding food that she would enjoy than we did finding food for my vegan diet. Several times we would scan a menu and she would say "did you find something that you can eat?" and I would enthusiastically answer "yes!", and then learn that she had not found anything in which she was interested. As a non-vegan, she did not enjoy our meal at La Senda. She did find a good pizza at 50 Friends, a nice open air restaurant on the main walking street of Playa, where I enjoyed a pasta dish that they modified for my preferences. She also enjoyed the food choices and people at each Vagabond and Bip Bip.

To conclude, Playa Del Carmen and the town of Tulum (south of Playa) are extremely vegan friendly, and more, are just plain FRIENDLY places to visit. Incredible history, incredible beaches, pleasant weather, great food and I am not able to say it enough - the nicest, warmest and most welcoming people I have ever met. As a vegan, and as an American visitor, you will not starve in Playa for either food or friendship.