Practical information

Visas for Mexico

Citizens of the USA, Canada, or the European Union do not require a visa to enter Mexico. Nationals of other countries often do need a visa and should contact their local Mexican consulate for further information.

Safety

Playa del Carmen is not a dangerous town and violent crime is very rare indeed. However, incidents such as bag snatching do occur, especially in or around the most popular tourist attractions. Students are therefore advised to take sensible precautions and not to carry large amounts of cash around with them. We also recommend that they leave their passport, flight tickets, etc. somewhere safe in their accommodation.

Illness

In the event of sickness or accident, IH will undertake to contact a doctor or hospital on the student's behalf. In case of emergency, students should make their way to the local hospital:

• Clinica Central Medisur
  Av. Constituyentes Entre Av. 50 y 55
  Col. Ejidal
  Tel. 206-1541
• Cruz Roja Mexicana
  Av. Juárez y Av. 25
  Tel. 873-1233
• Clinica Euroamericana del Caribe
  Av. 15 # 16 Entre Av. 38 y 40
  Fracc. Zacil-Ha
• Dr. Cesar Ramírez
  Tel. 044-984-876-21-75 (from Playa del Carmen)
  Tel. 01-984-876-21-75 (from another city)
  (English, French and Italian spoken)

Telephoning

The school's telephone system is in constant use. For this reason, incoming calls for students can only be accepted in the case of an emergency.

International calls to most countries can be made from any public telephone.

Food

Mexican meals typically consist of a light breakfast, a substantial lunch at around 14.00 and substantial dinner/supper at around 21.00. Lunch and dinner usually consist of 2 or 3 courses and a dessert and meals are usually served with bread/tortillas and water or a soft drink.

There are a large number of reasonably priced restaurants in the town centre which serve a "Comida Corrida" at lunchtime, which usually costs around 50$ pesos. Coffee is invariably available in restaurants but is not usually included in the price of a set meal.

Price Guide (in pesos)

• Soft drink in a bar: 20$ pesos
• Coffee in a bar: 30$ pesos
• Beer in a bar: 35$ pesos
• Milk: 10$ pesos
• Fresh juice: 20$ pesos
• Sandwich: 30$ pesos
• Mineral water: 15$ pesos
• Cinema: 50$ pesos
• Bus (to Cancun or Tulum): 20$ pesos
• Taxi (within Playa del Carmen): 20$ pesos

Insurance

Students are not insured by International House against illness, accident, theft or loss of personal effects, and IH can accept no responsibility in the event of such occurrences.

Personal insurance coverage is therefore strongly recommended.