You might remember that our “road to nowhere” trip a month back literally led to nowhere as our little Honda Civic just couldn’t make the final 10 miles to Punta Allen. We were determined to eventually complete the trip. A couple of days ago, we grabbed a rental jeep, our friend Antonio, and lots of water and some sandwiches (just in case), and headed down the Boca Paila road once again. Although the shocks in the jeep were not quite as good as our Honda’s, making for some sore backs, the extra ground clearance allowed us to quicken our pace. We made a quick stop at the tourist information center to show Antonio the amazing view from the scary lookout tower and another stop to cool off in the ocean. But this trip was more about making it to our final destination rather than the road itself. We made it to Punta Allen in about 3 1/2 hours.
Punta Allen is a tiny fishing community 75 miles south of Playa del Carmen. It is a quiet and charming town, known for its fresh seafood, particularly lobster. The main “strip”, their version of Playa’s 5th Avenue, is just a sandy path lined with palm trees, cabañas and seafood restaurants. We only had about 2 hours in town before we had to head back home. Those pot holes are much more difficult to avoid when it’s dark! We went for a quick swim and snorkel. Antonio found a manta ray! He was just a few feet off shore, and we were all able to just walk right up to him for a closer look. Cool!
We lunched at Muelle Viejo, where Antonio had a very large whole fried fish, Libby opted for a much smaller fish fillet and John lucked out with the chicken fajitas option. In a fishing village such as Punta Allen, you expect to eat very fresh seafood. Unfortunately, Antonio, whose family runs a seafood restaurant in Veracruz, determined that our fish had been frozen. Lesson learned. Don’t assume. Always ask. Libby’s fish left much to be desired, but her sample of Antonio’s snapper was muy rico (very tasty). Next time, she’ll get the whole fish. Maybe she can convince them to cut off that nasty fish head before they serve it to her. 
After lunch, we took a walk around town. That didn’t take long. So we decided to drive to the very end of the peninsula to see the lighthouse. Okay, we thought the road was bad before. Now, we were on a rocky one-lane road with the jungle closing in around our open-air jeep. Kinda cool, kinda creepy. As it was getting late, we chose to turn around as soon as we had enough room to do so. No lighthouse. Maybe next time.
The ride down to Punta Allen was fun and exciting, so we definitely recommend it to the adventurous traveler. Make sure to start with a full tank of gas (no gas station after Tulum), bring plenty of water and some snacks. There are only 3 spots between Tulum and Punta Allen where you MIGHT be able to purchase food or drinks. The road can be unpredictable. If there’s been a lot of rain, the dirt road may well be impassable. If your car breaks down, it could be hours or even longer before you get help. Don’t expect your cell phone to work. The day we went, there was a construction crew laying down new dirt on the road. (Guess the old dirt just wasn’t up to the job anymore.) The crews held us up both on the way down and the way back home.
We’d like to spend more time in Punta Allen, so the next time we head down that way we’ll hopefully be spending the night in a cabaña on the beach.
View our Punta Allen pictures here.
