Playa 88
- Blue Flag certified
- Toilets and changing rooms
- Showers on site
- A few free thatched shade shelters
- Ramp over the sand, wheelchair accessible
- Lifeguard on duty
- No vendors, bring food and water
- Pedestrians and bicycles only
- Quieter than the centre
Overview
Playa 88 sits at the seaward end of Calle 88 Norte, in Colonia Luis Donaldo Colosio, about three kilometres north of the centre of Playa del Carmen and just south of Punta Esmeralda. It is a free public beach with more facilities than is usual here: toilets, showers and changing rooms, lifeguards and free palapas for shade. A small fee has sometimes been charged for the toilets and showers, so carrying a few coins is sensible.
The approach is a paved pedestrian corridor rather than a road. Cars cannot reach the sand, so the last stretch is walked or cycled, with bicycle racks and motorbike parking at the entrance and a deck path over the sand for wheelchairs and pushchairs. There are no hotels, restaurants or beach clubs on the sand, so the crowd is made up mostly of people who live nearby, and food and drink have to be carried in.
The free palapas near the entrance are taken early on a busy morning. Staff clear sargassum from the sand, and the beach is signed as smoke-free; pets are not allowed.
Our current condition score for this beach is .
Our photographic record
Each photograph is published unedited and in date order, and is retained so the record builds rather than resets.
Photographs are published unedited and in date order, so what appears below is the most recent view of the beach rather than a promotional image.
Position relative to the Atlantic sargassum belt
Playa del Carmen faces east into the open Caribbean, and the sargassum carried north along this coast reaches the town's beaches directly. Playa 88 shares that exposure with every access in the town.
The northern end of the town has not fared better than the centre. In September and October 2026, our photographs and drone flights often showed more sargassum from Playa 72 and Playa 88 to Punta Esmeralda than on the central beaches between Mamitas and Calle 38.
Because staff clear the sand at the entrance, cleared sand there is not evidence of clear water: look at the waterline as well.
The sargassum season
The Caribbean sargassum season generally runs from spring into late summer, with the heaviest arrivals between April and August and a slackening through the autumn. The belt itself sits far offshore in the Atlantic, and what reaches any given beach depends on wind and current in the days beforehand rather than on the month alone.
For this beach the practical consequence is that the season determines the odds, not the outcome. A single settled week in June can leave the water clear here while a windy stretch in October brings a mat ashore. The regional pattern is covered in our guide to sargassum season in the Riviera Maya.
It is worth checking a recent photograph rather than assuming that the facilities mean a clean waterline.
Choosing a hotel on this stretch
The blocks behind Calle 88 are residential rather than resort, made up of low-rise condominium buildings and small boutique hotels rather than all-inclusives. Staying here means walking or cycling to the beach through a neighbourhood, and a taxi or colectivo ride to the restaurants and nightlife of Quinta Avenida in the centre.
The trade is quiet against convenience. Anyone whose priority is stepping from a room onto cleared sand with a lounger waiting will find the centre or Playacar a better fit; anyone who wants a beach without a sound system, and does not mind carrying a cool box, is better served here.
Access and getting there
The access runs east from the junction of Quinta Avenida and Calle 88 Norte, and is closed to cars for its final stretch. Parking is on the surrounding streets, free but limited, and it fills early at weekends. Motorbikes and scooters can generally be taken further in than cars.
From the centre of Playa del Carmen it is a long walk north along Quinta Avenida, or a short taxi ride. You can also walk along the beach from the centre.
Check live conditions before you go
Sargassum on this coast changes from one day to the next. Our live card for Playa 88 carries the current condition score, the most recent contributor photographs with their dates, and any webcam pointed at this stretch.
See live conditions, photos & cams →