Despite the change in people’s reading habits due to the widespread use of cell phone and tablets, nothing beats a reading a book. Whether hard or soft cover, it’s far more convenient to take with you and very satisfying to take to the beach with you and read in a hammock or beach chair. But if you are arriving to Gate48 and forgot to bring some reading with you, fear not. The Riviera Maya has a fine selection of book stores that we recommend. Here are a few of our favorites.
Quinta Cavalieri
Playa del Carmen has its own used book shop conveniently located just west of the highway on 1st street south, across from Parque la Ceiba. They also have a sister shop further west, but this one is the most easily accessible. This place is great for trade ins and exchanges, offering a 2 for 1 deal on paperbacks and hardcovers. If you aren’t exchanging don’t worry, as the prices are quite cheap, with many paperbacks selling for as little as 10 pesos. Their English language selection is quite good, with fiction and non-fiction books coming and going constantly. Literature, self help, spiritual and historical books can be found here, with separate sections for Spanish, French, German language books. They are open Monday to Saturday, but close early on last day
Librerias Ghandi
This is the newest addition to the book stores in the Riviera Maya, having opened recently. It’s located inside Calle Corazon in downtown Playa del Carmen, just off 5th avenue and the corner of 12 street. You won’t find any used paperbacks or trade ins here, rather a large and well stocked selection of new and old books in English and Spanish. There is a mixture of classic literature from well known authors and the latest best sellers, along with a mixture of art and history books. This is the ideal place to purchase a gift for the book lover back home.
Alma Libre
Located in Puerto Morelos, this shop was originally opened 20 years ago by an author named Jeanine Kitchel, who wrote Maya 2012 Revealed. It has changed changed quite a bit since then, recently undergoing a restock of material by new owners Joanne and Rob.
Finding it is easy. Once you arrive in the downtown area of Puerto Morelos head over to Avenue Tulum, which is located on the south side of the main square. Once inside you will find over 12,000 books, mainly in the English language, along with a selection in Spanish, French, German, Dutch, and even Swedish. Kids books in can also be found here, so bring the whole family with you, along with any book you might wish to trade in as store credit. They are open seven days a week from 10 am – 6 pm, but close at the end when low season kicks in late April, re-opening in late October / November.
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