9/04
My husband and I are regular
visitors to the Mayan Riviera. Topfree is
common in both Playa del Carmen
and Tulum and we have never been hassled either on the beach or in the
water. For first timers, Playa is
excellent since there are so many people topless you fit right in. We have never stayed at a large 'mega-resort'
- just the smaller, local places, so we can't comment on the attitude
at the
larger hotels. There are topless women
at most of these small, quaint resorts, as well as at the inexpensive
beach
clubs and randomly at the beach for those that just throw down a towel.
Around Tulum, there still are
not very many people, which is
nice if you prefer a bit more seclusion - on any given day, you may be
one of
the few or only topless people on the beach, but you will only see 10
to 20
different people the entire day.
I have also been topless at the
national park in
--
9/04
I recently had my first top free
experience! After visiting your site and
reading about the
various resorts where top freedom is accepted, I decided
We stayed at the
I was amazed at how good it felt
to be top free. No one gawked
or made me feel uncomfortable in any way. The first day, I put my top
on to
walk between the pool and the beach, but soon I was going anywhere I
wanted
without my top. I even went kayaking in the lagoon without my top! It did seem that there were other women who
wanted to be top free, and were just waiting for someone to lead the
way. My
husband and I noticed that once I would take off my top, others would
follow. I
really enjoyed the whole experience and would not hesitate to be top
free on
our next vacation.
3/03
I wasn't sure what to expect on our first visit to Playa del Carmen. I was aware that topfree sunbathing was common there, but I "knew" that that it wouldn't be for me. Well, it was a lot more common than I thought it would be. As I looked around, seeing women of all shapes I sizes, I realized that these were just normal women like me. Since women here "normally" wear something a lot more revealing that what we see on beaches back home, isn't it just a matter of what's the local "norm"? I mentioned this to my husband, and he agreed. He sensed that I was trying to prepare myself - and him - for my going topless, and I admitted that I probably was. He was very open about his feelings. He said that all the topless women were not the turn-on he expected it would be. It was very pleasant to be sure, but it was just a part of the total beach experience. What he noticed was the sense of openness and freedom he sensed that he women were feeling, and he was looking forward to seeing me enjoy that too, whenever I was ready. Knowing he felt like that really helped. From that point on, I knew that I'd soon be enjoying topfreedom, but I still had to do it in stages. After finding a nice spot on the beach, I gave my hubby a big smile as I unfastened and removed my top, but then lay down on my front. I still had to get used to other people seeing my breasts. I soon propped up on my elbows to read, with my breasts off the towel. It I really felt daring at first, compared to staying glued to the blanket like I would back home, but soon I felt somewhat silly. Here I was, half hiding behind a book, while women walked by in just thongs. I didn't feel people here had anything to hide, but I was still acting like I did. It was like wearing a bathrobe at the beach back home. So I went to the next level, and sat up in beach chair to apply lotion and continue my reading. I got a few glances, but no one really seemed to notice or care, and soon I didn't either.
Getting comfortable going topfree happened faster than I could have imagined. And I never would have believed how pleasant, comfortable and natural feeling it would be, to say nothing of the fantastic tan I got here! We're already planning our next trip down here, and I doubt that I'll even bother to bring my bikini tops. Now, if only we can bring this openness back home and enjoy the American sunshine the same way!
--Susan, Chicago
2/03
My boyfriend and I just returned from Playa Del Carmen (January 2003). I went topless, with thong bottoms, the entire time on the beach. On the beach about 40% of the women were topless and about 10% in thongs. I also went topless at the pool (we stayed at the Gran Porto Real, a great hotel I might add), but only about 20% of the women were topless at the pool. Playa Del Carmen attracts many Europeans and Aussies so topfree is widely practiced and accepted. I have been going topless for about 3 years now and I have never felt as comfortable as I did in Playa Del Carmen.
--Leigh, Texas
10/02
My husband and I arrived late in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico on a Sunday and immediately headed to our hotel for a quick dinner and sleep after our all day trip. The next morning after breakfast we headed for the beach. I was wearing a little teal tankini. I had never experienced a top-free beach, so I wasn't sure what to expect. But after only about ten minutes my top came off and I can't tell you how good it felt to have the sun on my chest. We took a walk along the beach (topfree of course) and noticed several other topfree women also walking the beach and even playing volleyball.
The next day, I was even more relaxed with being top-free. I was surprised how natural it all seemed within just one day of our arrival. I didn't even carry a top with me to the beach, as soon as we picked a spot I pulled my cover up off and I was topfree again feeling the wonderfully warm sunshine. I quickly moved to the next level by walking up to the pool for a drink and back with out so much as any one even appearing to notice. The hardest part was having to put my cover back on to go back to our room.
The next day I even walked back to our room topfree and then sat on the ground level porch topfree with not problems at all. I love going without my top and can't wait to go back next year. Play del Carmen is a great place and if I ever move out of the US that's the place I would go.
--Susan, New York
10/02
My husband and I visited the Aventura Palace Resort, Playa Del Carmen in late April (after the spring break crowd). They have a large free-form pool that is just steps from their beach/lagoon. At the beach, I would say that approximately half the women were topfree at any given time of the day.
The most noticeable was a beautiful young woman and her somewhat older mate. We later learned they were from Australia. They both wore only small thongs (except he wore a wide-brimmed hat) and felt comfortable sunning, swimming and strolling the beach. It all seemed quite normal even though I had never experienced a topfree environment before. Throughout the day, many women of all shapes and sizes and ages, enjoyed the beach and the water topfree. My husband said he wouldn't mind if I went topfree but it was a little too much for me that day.
The second day we started at the pool. Again we found many women both sunning and swimming topfree even here. The entire crowd was really laid-back. I began to feel very comfortable. After lunch, we found a palapa on the beach and settled in. I decided the time was finally right, so off came my bikini top. I stuffed it in the bottom of my beach bag so that I wouldn't change my mind and put it right back on. Despite my nervousness, it felt wonderful to have the sun and the breeze on my bare skin. When my husband noticed me he smiled, said "I was wondering when you were going to do that," and went back to his book.
I eventually felt comfortable enough to venture down to the water for a topfree swim. It felt great. By the third day, the only times I even put my top on were to walk to the snack bar for lunch or to the restroom.
--Stacey, California
10/02
In February 2002 my husband and I went to Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. We greatly enjoyed the topfree beaches and I went topless the entire time. This was my first topfree experience and I loved every minute of it. We strolled on the beaches and went swimming with only bottoms. At the water's edge, probably 75% of the women were topfree. Many in thongs. Fewer swan topfree but it was common. Walking along the beach and getting drinks topless were also common. We will now only vacation where topfree is acceptable.
--Amy
4/02
In January we went to Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. My girlfriend is usually a little bit shy, but it only took her about 15 minutes to remove her top on the beach, when she saw that about half of the other women in front of the hotel were "seins nus" (topless). After that she spent most of the week without her top. There were a lot of European women on the beach in Playa. No one was hassled or bothered anywhere that we saw. We were only in front of one hotel, (where everyone seemed to be American) where no one was topless.
--Francois, Montreal, Quebec
12/01
My husband and I arrived at Playa Del Carmen on a Friday and immediately headed to the RIU Playacar beach. I was wearing a little red & white two-piece bikini. I had never experienced a top-free beach, but was looking forward to "losing" the top-half of my swimsuit. Much to our dismay, there were only a few top-free women on our section of the beach. We took a walk along the beach and quickly noticed a much higher percentage of top-freeness. A short while after returning to our beach blanket, I unhooked my bikini top with some slight hesitance. What a fantastic feeling!
The next day, brought a new, more relaxed top-free crowd to our beach. I was surprised how natural it all seemed within just one day of our arrival. I didn't waste any time exposing my top half to the wonderfully warm sunshine. I had to be extra careful and use sun block due to my red-hair and light complexion. Later that afternoon, I took my new found freedom to the next level by walking down to the surf and out into shoulder-depth water. The hardest part was getting back out. I used my husband as a partial shield as we quickly made our way back to our blanket.
Along side us, were a group of 4 young women on a college reunion. One of them remarked to me about how much she enjoyed the top-freeness of the beach.
I never did get up the nerve to go the pool bar top-free; maybe next trip.
A large group of my friends and my husband's co-workers are thinking about going back to Playa del Carmen in January 2002. I don't know if I'll have the nerve to go top-free in a group like that!
--Ellen, Marriottsville, Maryland
9/01
We just returned from Playa Del Carmen. As noted in many of the reports below, the beaches are well established as topfree but many of the pools are not. We discovered that the pool at the Riu Tequila resort was excellent for topfree use (at least in August). We spent two days at the pool where the swim-up bar is. There were at least 15 women topfree each day. This included sunbathing, swimming, and occasionally sitting at the pool bar. Topfree use seemed to be most common in late afternoon (4pm) and was well accepted.
--Paul, Ohio
7/01
My boyfriend and I vacationed in mid-June at the Riu Palace in Playa del Carmen. At least 30-40 percent of the women were topfree while sunbathing at the beach. A smaller percentage were topfree when walking along the beach, playing in the surf, or sunbathing at the pool. I sunbathed topfree at the beach and didn't bother to put my top on to go into the water. I was less comfortable at the pool mostly due to a large contingency of Americans that tended to gawk.
--Kim, San Francisco, California
6/01
My husband and I vacationed in mid-May at an all-inclusive resort along the Riviera Maya just south of Playa del Carmen. Most guests of the resort seemed to be Europeans. At least 20 percent of the women under 40 were topfree while sunbathing at the beach, along with a few who were older. A much smaller percentage were topfree when walking along the beach, playing in the surf, or sunbathing at the pool. For the most part topfreedom seemed to be taken for granted, although there were occasionally gawkers (all of whom seemed to be Americans) and even one guy with a video camera. Women who wore thongs or went into the water topfree seemed to attract the most overt attention. I myself am 48, and I sunbathed topfree at the beach, but I always put on my top to go into the water. Also, be sure to use the tanning bed before you go and plenty of sunscreen while there, because the sun is very strong and you don't want to ruin your vacation with a sunburn on the first day.
--Karen, Chicago, Illinois
3/01
We spent much of our time in Mexico on Isla Mujeres and took a day trip to Playa del Carmen. Being topfree seems a little more open and practiced in Playa del Carmen. However the day we were there the beach seemed to be exceptionally crowded. We estimated the topfree ladies to be in the area of 25-30%. Again there did not seem to be any gawkers, and most were comfortable to lay in the sun, go out to the water to cool off and do so topfree.
We were comfortable with our tops off in Playa, but having never been topfree in public before our trip to Mexico, we only did it privately before, it did seem a little odd to us with families and children being more in abundance in Playa.
It could be that it either was an exceptionally good day to hit the beach that it was so crowded or it may have been that a cruise ship was in port. The Playa crowd seemed to be a little younger than our experience in Isla Mujeres.
Don't get us wrong we would go back to Playa del Carmen in a minute and have no problem or second thoughts in leaving our tops behind. There were no women topfree walking the streets as some reports have implied.
--Juanita and Jean
2/01
I went to Playa del Carmen, Mexico in May 2000. I stayed at the Riu Resorts and found it very comfortable to be topfree for the first time. There were women topfree at the pool and at the beach. The beaches are beautiful there and so are the resorts.
--Jenny
1/01
Just returned from a one-week stay in Playa Del Carmen. If you're looking for a place where topfree is widely accepted; Playa is the place to be. My wife went topless everyday on the beach, on a kayak, on a rental catamaran, on the beachside bar (much to the delight of the bartender and patrons!), and on the dining tables out on the beach. Except for a few disapproving shakes of the head by some American prudes at adjoining tables, there was no problem at all. I'd estimate the overall topfree ratio to be 10-20% depending on the day and the time of the day. In town, many wore thin, semi-sheer tops. In fact, a handout by the Police Department states that while nudity is not allowed, "topless sunbathing is permitted".
--John, Palm Springs, California
11/00
My wife and I have just returned
from Playa Del Carmen, Mexico and had a very enjoyable seven days.
The resort we stayed in was the Royal Hideaway and has a 5 star
rating. It's located about a 1/2 mile south of town, right on
the beach. The first day we noticed how topless freedom is accepted
and considered perfectly normal while sunbathing, swimming or
walking the beach, but not allowed within the resorts restaurants
or lobby.
My wife did not remove her top the first day but we spoke of her
doing so (I felt she wanted to, but she is usually very modest).
But on the second day, while out catching waves (and after she
had a couple of margaritas) she suddenly handed her top to me
and there she was topless!
While she didn't turn around and face the people on the beach,
there were a few men in front of us a few feet away. And while
she knew they could see her, but they were not staring at, made
her feel more comfortable as she put it "Exposing her breast
to the sun for the first time". The rest of the week (w/o
the aide of margaritas) when ever we went swimming, laying out
or even walking up and down the beach, my wife went topless and
enjoyed doing so.
We highly recommend that for anyone wanting to enjoy "Top
Freedom", especially for the first time, to go to Playa Del
Carmen. We're both looking forward to going back very soon and
my wife won't be packing her tops, she'll be going topless. We
both enjoyed her "Topless Freedom".
--Ron, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
9/00
Just south of Playa Del Carmen is a large resort complex called "Playacar." It consists of at least ten all-inclusive resorts and several miles of beach. My wife and I walked the area and found that the entire beach area is topfree, with at least some topfree use at every resort's beach. Topfree use varied from about 10% to 40% depending on the resort and time of day. Topfree use included sunbathing, swimming, beachcombing, etc. This is a very mellow place and my wife was very comfortable going topfree there.
--Michael, Ohio
9/00
My wife and I just returned from our second trip to Playa Del Carmen. During both trips (April and August 2000) my wife went top free all the time. It is absolutely accepted and she felt quite comfortable as about half the women were top free as well. The best spot is El Tucan Beach Club, about 1.5 miles north of the pier. Just ask because there is no sign and there are a couple of other beach clubs near by.
--David
4/00
Earlier this month I, my husband
Greg, his co-worker Tom, and Tom's girlfriend Ellen went to Playa
del Carmen for a week and I would like to report that female
toplessness
is very common and accepted there as well as thongs.
When we were planning the trip Ellen confessed to me that she
was thinking about wearing a thong bikini on the trip and would
this bother Greg and I. I said no that in fact Greg had suggested
that I wear a thong bikini but we were worried what they would
think! Here in Colorado I had been too embarrassed to wear a thong
anywhere in public.
Well when we got to Playa del Carmen and checked into our hotel,
not only were we surprised to find thongs on most of the females
but that 50% were also swimming, sunbathing, and some even walking
around completely topless. Well after about 20 minutes at the
pool that first day after my nervousness about being seen in a
thong had worn off, Ellen said she would go topless if I would.
I was worried about going topless in front of Tom, but when the
guys said that we wouldn't have the nerve to go topless Ellen
and I both took off our tops at the same time and after a few
minutes of total terror I relaxed and Ellen and I even got up
and walked to the pool and swam topless and it felt great.
Later that afternoon, after we had all showered we walked down
the street to some shops and we got another surprise. Here I thought
I was being daring walking around bra-less in a skimpy sundress
when along the street adjacent to the beach there were some women
actually shopping and browsing and eating at the beachside snackbars
topless.
--Cindy, Denver, CO
2/00
My wife and I just returned from Playacar, Mexico yesterday. Playacar is made up of 10 all-inclusive resorts about 1.5 miles south of Playa Del Carmen. The first day we were there, my wife wore her bikini top for all of about 15 minutes. After that, she went topless for the rest of the week. Most days she just wore a thong bottom. At our resort, she was one of about 7 ladies that never wore their tops. Even when they went out to play in the surf in front of about 100 fully suited people, they remained topless. Other women went topless as long as they were laying on their lounge chairs, but put their tops on before they got up. We even saw several ladies each day that were walking down the beach topless. (One young woman was actually running). We took several walks up the beach to Playa Del Carmen where we saw several other topless sun-worshipers along the way. It seems that topless sunbathing is totally accepted from Playa Del Carmen to Playacar. In the town of Playa Del Carmen we saw no one shopping topless. My wife wore a very small bikini while shopping and the looks she got made her feel very uncomfortable. As long as we were at the beach, she didn't seem to mind if anyone stared at her because there were other topless women around too. Most of the men that walked by us on the beach did not make a big deal of there being topless women around. Most men would glance quickly and go on by. My wife did catch two different guys taking pictures of her. One even had a video camera. I thought that this may keep her from going topless but it didn't seem to bother her too much.
--KC, Colorado
2/00
My husband & I went to Playa del Carmen over Christmas break. I had never gone topless before but when we arrived at the beach and saw that many women were tanning with exposed breasts, I decided to remove my shirt. It felt GREAT! From that moment on, everytime I stepped out on the beach, I wore just my bikini bottoms. Later in the week, I even joined in on a volleyball game where all the women were topless, showing off their no tan-line boobs. Let's just say that husband didn't have any complaints. However, I never did see anyone go completely nude. We've been back in the city (NY) for a month now and my breasts haven't seen the sunlight since---I can't wait to go back to Playa!!!
--Stacy, New York, New York
1/00
Many Europeans have settled here and now days own and attend restaurants, bars, hotels & huts at the beach and along 5th street (main street walk). Thus topfreedom is quite common here and even nudity is accepted about 1 mile north. An Italian girl relaxed in just her bathing suit bottom at a small hotel we lodged. It's a quiet village (no motor sports at beach) but traffic increases when cruise ships arrive, hundreds invade the place, and some girls even shop and stroll throughout the streets and restaurants going topless. We stayed there 5 days, went topless most of the time and enjoyed 5th street. We spent most of the time at the beach in only bottoms. It is the place to be!
--Laura, Ruth, Silvia & Paty,
Tijuana, Mexico
11/99
I've been at Playa Del Carmen in 1993 and 1996.
The first time me and two girls stayed 5 days at a hotel and the second one rented a house for a week. Sometimes only a few women go topless, but other times, one can see most of them going topless everywhere.
The first day we decided to go topless, but only at the beach. After a while we got comfortable, and challenged ourselves to go to other places. Since the third day we went topless to the hotel's pool, streets, wearing nothing but thongs, and even didn't wear any top at the outdoors restaurants...and didn't have any problem at all.
That really was a big deal to go farther every time. I don't want to pass unnoticed any more, what I like is to be seen and admired because of my courage when going topless in every place where men go.
--Norma, Mexico
11/99
My wife and I have made 3 trips to this area, she always wanted to go topless, and this is the place. First day no topless. Second day a cruise ship stopped for the day and there were topless girls and women everywhere. The ship left at night but the next day the women of the resort stayed topless the rest of the week.
--James, Oklahoma City, OK
9/99
After some days at Cancun, including one tour to Chichen Itza and another to the Tulum ruins, my husband Marco and I took a bus to Playa del Carmen in order to board the Cozumel Island's ferry, where we have planed to spend 4 days in July. Once at Playa del Carmen we changed the plan and decide to spend these days there, so we lodged at a hotel some steps north of the dock and close to the beach.
I immediately put my bikini on and went out of the room. Every woman goes topless at the beaches and hotel's facilities, so I took my top off, and didn't put it on again any more. It's just the way things are done. While at other places I could sunbath topless only for a while, here, except when going through the village's streets, I was topless all the time, night and day, sleeping on a hammock freshened by the breeze. Additionally, that afternoon I went swimming and taking very long walks through the lone beach north of the hotel, completely nude. These experiences gave me an incomparable and hard to describe feeling of comfort, relaxation, and freedom, which I'll try to get every time I can.
Greetings from Spain
--Solange
9/99
Hello-
My wife and I just returned from Cancun, Playa Del Carmen and
Isla Mujeres in Mexico. My wife went topless at all three locations
but primarily only on the beach.
The percentage of topless is estimated as follows:
Cancun (at Fat Tuesday's on Playa Tortuga Beach and just west
of there 1/2 mile) 30-45% topless
Playa Del Carmen (From Cozumel ferry pier north about a mile)
40-50%
Isla Mujeres (Playa Norte) 25-35 %
Please note that there were NO full nude persons at any location.
These observations were made the week of September 17-25, 1999.
Many of the topless ladies were from Europe.
--G, Nashville, TN.
9/99
I have just past 4 days at Playa Del Carmen, in Yucatan, Mex. I already know that Playa Del Carmen is a topless resort, so I didn't pack any bikini top. Being topless is feeling really free.
It is a very nice place, the water is warm and the prices are really low. There are some big hotels, but in the north side you can find lots of small places to stay, some of them just in front of the beach. I couldn't get a room in them, but there are more hotels along the street which runs parallel to the beach. At last, I got a room (no air conditioning) two blocks from the beach.
In the beach, topless is common. In fact, only few women wear tops, and those wearing one piece bathing suits, loosen the upper part. As one walk away the north, the place became more deserted, but the few people one can find there, included some families with children, go completely nude.
From the moment I leave the hotel room, I preferred going topless. I didn't carry shoes, clothes or sunglasses, so I had not to take care of them while swimming. The only thing I carried was a towel, a sun lotion and some money. I had to walk in the streets without top and shoes before reaching the beach. The first day I felt very ashamed and apologized, but the lady who sold me water in a store told me that women frequently go topless in their way from the hotels to the beach. That made me feel fine.
I did many things in the beach: wind surfing, snorkeling and sailing around Isla Cozumel on a glass bottom boat, where other three women and me took our bottoms off and layed out nude in a quiet beach.
Visit Yucatan
--Pilar