Located in the quaint newly developed northern end of fifth avenue, this section of town lends a lot of it flare from the Europeans that have come to settle there, Café Corazon is a place for lounging, conversation, and people watching.

Ana, originally from Vancouver Canada and Fiona, originally from England, met while in High School in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. They Have remained best friends ever since. Now, how they got To Playa?

Well, that’s another story. Ana, a lovely charismatic lady with business determination and an Inviting Smile finished her university education in the great white north and went to live in Japan for 3 years as an English teacher. Upon hearing of Lifelong friend Fiona and husband Mark had moved on to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. She popped in for a visit.

Fiona and Mark have two young children their son Thai (9 years) named after the country they travel for almost 2 years (Thailand) - and Lilyana (6 yrs).

“Mark was working in the hotel vacation business with one of the Largest Resort companies in Mexico and while she enjoyed Japan very much and teaching, the allure of Mexico and re-kindling my friendships were just too strong” Ana quips.

Shortly thereafter, she packed her bags and was off to the west coast of Mexico. Where a Night of the Iguana could get you in trouble with the likes of Ava Gardner and Richard Burton. Little did she know where this adventure would lead? With Mark, Fiona, and their two children, Ana joined in and made it One big happy family again. They all worked in the hotel business. Then, the company offered an opportunity to move to their newest and biggest project in the Riviera Maya.

In a shot, they left the mountains and tropical jungles of Jalisco for the turquoise oceans and white sandy beaches of the Mexican Caribbean Playa Del Carmen.

Once in Playa, Ana and Fiona knew this was the place where they wanted to open their coffee house together. The question was where?

“The older and more touristy southern section of fifth ave just didn’t have the neighborhood feel we were looking for but once we started visiting the new end of fifth, we found it to have so much more flavor with lots of cute shops and great restaurants, it was just missing a local coffee house. Say no more we had found our location!”

Construction began in December 2003 about a week before Christmas. “It took 3 months to get it all things completed” Ana says.

“Getting it all together took longer then expected. It was slow getting started but with determination we overcame the obstacles and made it all work out.” Says Fiona.

They finally decorated their new place in the Jalisco style, with artifacts from the famous Talquepaque section of Guadalajara.

Fiona custom designed the chairs with their trademark hearts. “Jalisco has such a flare for color and style that we thought it would add a little Mexican spice to a very European neighborhood. It has and we are thrilled” says Ana.

“To add style mixed with the best coffee, we get our rich coffee from Chiapas. Shortly we will offer the beans for sale as well so our clients can take it home with them.” Ana interjects. “We also offer gourmet pasties cookies, muffins and light Fare such as bagels and delicious Panini.

When asked about starting a business in Playa, the dynamic duo recommend that one do a lot of research and asks a ton of questions. “People here are very helpful.

As it stands, 80% of their business comes from locals and 20% comes from tourists – odd for a 5th avenue café. “I think it says a lot about our location, quality coffee, service, and price. Plus, it says a lot about the changing face of Playa.

American Coffee at Café Corazon is just 18 pesos ($ 1.55 usd), Espresso is 12 pesos and sandwiches range from 30 to 45 pesos ($ 2.60 to $ 3.88 Usd) “We are here to stay and we love it here in Playa, so come on over and Join us for a little fun, coffee, and heart felt friendship.” Ana says. I say, sounds like a plan to me.

Café Corazon is open daily from 8am to 11pm for now. They are located on north 5th Avenue in between 28th and 30th.

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