Alux Restaurant & Lounge

Useful Information

Location:	Playa del Carmen.
Open:	All year daily 18-23. [2021]
Fee:	Free. [2021]
Classification:	Karst Cave Cave Restaurant
Light:	Incandescent Coloured Light
Dimension:
Guided tours:	n/a
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Alux Restaurant & Lounge, Av. Juárez, Mz. 217 Lote, 2, Colonia Ejidal, 77710 Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Tel: +52-984-206-1401, Tel: +52-984-122-7365. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

Description

Alux is a restaurant and bar, located at the tourist destination Playa del Carmen in the gulf of Mexico. The whole town depends on tourism, and this is just one of numerous restaurants frequented by hundreds of tourists daily. But this one is special, in a way which made the listing on this site necessary: it is located inside a natural cave.

The whole peninsula of Yucatán is riddled with caves, an enormous system which drains the plateau underground to the Gulf of Mexico. Caves end under the sea hundreds of meters from the beach. So it is not unusual that caves can be found right below the city Playa del Carmen. The karst caves are abundantly decorated with stalagmites and stalactites, there are underground pools and rivers. Caves are generally not very good for restaurants, as they are cool and damp. It is possible to heat caves, but probably very expensive. But in México, close to the equator, the average outside temperature is pretty high and so is the cave temperature. As a result, the cave is naturally air-conditioned to an ideal temperature.

For the use as a restaurant, the cave was developed similar to a show cave. There are concrete paths, electric light (unfortunately also coloured lights), and handrails. Numerous cave chambers were transformed into different kinds of pubs. There is a restaurant which seats 150 people. A Bar Lounge for 110 people allows live concerts. A side branch of the cave is converted into a VIP space. Bar Tortuga is a private bar for up to 50 people, which may be booked for receptions. And finally, Salón Califa is another VIP area.

The different private VIP vaults of the restaurant have been named lately. The Amor Vault, Magia Vault, Pasion Vault, Beso Vault, Secreto Vault, Deseo Vault, Inspiracion Vault, and Mayan Ceremony Vault seat between 2 and 6 persons. They may be booked online. It's also possible to book flower arrangements, live music and even a photographer.

The restaurant offers fine dining at a higher price level, main courses around € 30. The appropriate "smart casual" attire is also expected.