Stephanie Salisbury

Great resort with great staff! Great sandy beach, good amount of activities throughout the day and staff remember you by name. Lots to keep my 11 yr and 15 yr old kids busy. Beds in rooms are super hard so sleeps were not great. Buffet food was good with ample variety and no tummy ailments during our trip here. Overall a good trip.

Shaun Quick

Lovely place, air con a bit noisy, overall service good. Beach is really nice and good to walk to both ends. Feel very secure here. 5th avenue worth a stroll. Very friendly people. Buffet pretty good. Would recommend the Mexican restaurant at the hotel although you have to book in advance.

Richard Higgs

The only reason I haven't given a full 5 star review is because the hotel and rooms are looking a bit dated, which is understandable after 40 years. From speaking with staff, it sounds like a refurb is coming soon. Other than that, what a great place. Location is perfect, food was amazing, staff and service were a pleasure. A bit more newer modern gym equipment would also be welcomed.

Sam Nguyen

The service and location are luxurious as the people are very nice. The food was great and the employees were very friendly and welcoming. However, our room had some problems like things that not working. For example, the safe lock didn’t work, the phone line is non-functional, there was no shampoo dispenser, and the outlets don’t work properly.

Eric Best

The First Club rooms leave a lot to be desired. Not nearly as nice as we had been promised/ told. The rooms smelled musty, the water pressure was very low and the bed was very, very hard. Not comfortable at all. The food is ok. The Italian reservation restaurant was great. The Mexican reservation restaurant was good. All the buffet food that was supposed to be hot, wasn’t. The food that was supposed to be cool, wasn’t. The Buffet food was basically ambient temperature. The drinks in the first club were great. The hospitality in the first club was great. The beach is beautiful and the weather was perfect. The arrival and departure were a disaster. We had prearranged transportation to and from the airport through the resort. We waited nearly an hour for the shuttle to pick us up for transport to the resort. The departure shuttle was over 15 minutes late and we were forced to rent a taxi to get to the airport. Of course, there are no names or other contact information available for us to follow up so we’re stuck paying an extra $175 to get to the airport. All in all, I simply cannot recommend this resort. The negative experiences outweigh the positive.

Stephen Bailey

Overall Playacar has been terrific. This is our fifth visit and things are on the upswing since the COVID shut down. I was asked to write about our dining experience at the steakhouse El Gaucho. It has improved dramatically since our previous experience. The steaks were cooked well and the sides were tasty. I would not recommend the BBQ sauce as the flavors don't work well together. Other wise the service was exceptional and prompt.

Shirley Player

We are at the end of our fabulous 2 week holiday. The resort is beautiful, the entertainment staff are always around to make sure you have a fabulous time. Carlos is amazing in the shows. Great choice of food and drinks, the cocktails are amazing. The smoothie bar is great for healthy drinks. The resort is clean and very well kept, everyone works very hard to make sure of a great holiday.

Louisa Sleightholme

Rooms could use a dresser in them. That's the only complaint I had. Food was excellent, staff very friendly and helpful. Lots of different things to do on the resort. Lots of restaurants to choose from. I would definitely go back. They have some wildlife like monkeys on the resort which was really neat to see

Diane S.

El Gaucho Restaurant - We had an absolutely wonderful meal here tonight. The service was impeccable and the food was delicious.Daniela, our server, was delightful. We were a bit skeptical to order steak but were pleasantly surprised. Whatever they put on the baked potatoes I need to make at home!!!!!!

Kimberly Callaway

5 stars for Mirna at El Gaucho breakfast-Mirna was so helpful for us in navigating choices and providing options for food allergies. My 10 year old son has celiac disease and it is difficult to eat safely when traveling. Mirna was the most helpful at Sandos, making breakfast our favorite meal. She would even bring something safe to snack on while we waited for our meal and also helped us with dinner arrangements. Sandos, you need more staff like Mirna!!! Thank you, Mirna!!

al cole

Great adults only all inclusive. We stayed in a Royal Luxury view room. It was average size with a good sized bathroom and great storage between the closet and dressers. The bed was super comfortable. The resort is smaller which we really liked. The grounds are beautiful and immaculate. We only ate at The Grill, The Deck and Spices, but we had no complaints at all about the food - good options and everything seemed fresh, even at the breakfast buffet. The beach is beautiful with easy access into the water. The usual observation about chairs - not so much a lack of them, just how everyone "reserves" them for hours and hours with the early towel placement. A special mention to Sandra, who was our concierge in building #25. She is so helpful, and very friendly and just genuine.

Emmie Blankenship

Ask for Antonio Lopez he is the best waiter at the grill. He was such a great time! We had dinner there twice. Our concierge Gabriela Puente was absolutely amazing and so helpful. The entire experience was amazing from the food, the beach, the pools, and the people. I 100 percent recommend vacationing here. Thanks to everyone who made our time there the best time!

Paul Kay

We had a great time at Royal Hideaway. We arrived fairly late from the UK and after a long flight it was nice to find that we already had a dinner reservation waiting for us. You get a concierge assigned for your room and ours (Cipriano) helped us to make all of our dinner reservations at the various restaurants on site. There are two main pools which were down by the beach, so it was nice to have the option of swimming there or going down to the sea a few metres away. Food was generally good and we really enjoyed the habachi grill on our last night. It was easy to get all the drinks you wanted during the day from the beachfront bar, and there is poolside table service too. The room was excellent, very comfortable bed and the bathroom was nice and large. We really enjoyed our stay and will hopefully be back sometime in the future.

Christopher T

The bad: The dinner situation is for the birds. You must make reservations, and only one of the restaurants (the one that also does the room service orders, so long waits) are casual at dinner time, so forget being comfortable on vacation if you want to eat dinner. Collars and slacks are required! Room service food is pretty awful. Every time we ordered dinner, it took well over 1.5 hours as well. Tonight, our reservation was 830pm, and we didn't get our food until 1010pm. Our group of 8 never once got drunk from any of the mixed drinks, even when they had extra shots in them. The staff is not on the same page, often giving bad information about restaurant hours, availability, etc etc. The lunch food, and dinner desserts are mediocre at best. The good: despite the hour+ waits, dinners were delicious. Comparable restaurant quality would easily be $50-$75 per person without drinks and dessert. The pools are amazing. There are so many, you can easily find a private pool most times of the day. The rooms are great, even though we did have a pipe leak, it was fixed the same day. The last Playa Del Carmen all inclusive we stayed at, was a sales pitch 24/7. You couldn't use a restroom in the main area without someone trying to get you to buy a bracelet or a time share. This place is not like that at all, which I appreciate. Only one spa worker was pushy.

Madelyn Greco (World Champion Bodypaint)

Wonderful Winter Getaway - Royal Hideaway Playacar We came with a travel group who booked the resort in its entire capacity, so many of the guests were friends already or had a least been on vacations together before. This resort is a standout for it's exemplary service, fantastic cuisine across diverse dining options, gorgeous white-sand beach and spacious, lovely suites with private concierge service. The resort boasts beautiful bars, pools, hot tubs and lush landscaping as well, so traversing the property is a joy. We were delighted with the care taken in catering to us, to ensure our stay was comfortable. 100% recommend. As a group, we came in with our own entertainers, DJ's, etc. so I cannot speak to the usual entertainment offered by the resort. We were however thoroughly impressed by all aspects. 100% recommend.

Mehron Sherkat

This place was great for me and my family! The staff was so accommodating and welcoming and they made sure for us to have a great time! The food was great, lots of varieties for different times or foods, and the pool and other amenities were really nice and fun! The only downside was that they didn’t have laundry washing for dirty clothes, and we found a cockroach in our room one night, but it was because of when we left our balcony window open, but it disgusted us, but thankfully, the staff were willing to come and take care of the problem by spraying the room so it stayed clean. This resort was great, but the staff and service takes the cake for this place! We will definitely consider coming back here next time we come to Playa del Carmen and I loved the view! This place was amazing and I would definitely recommend visiting again and recommend it for others!

Erika H

Wow! Playacar Palace was our last all-inclusive during our trip, and we regret that so much because the food was by far the best of any all-inclusive we have been to. We wish we would have been here longer! Service, rooms, and location were also fantastic. And we stayed at some really expensive resorts before this.

John Knelsen

Well it was ok I guess. Our room was always damp. Felt like we were sleeping on wet sheets every night. Food was OK. We went up town most evenings to eat and get some better entertainment. We go to Mexico every year and this resort has been by far the worst one yet. We will not be returning to this one. There was 30 of us and everyone said the same thing. Taxi services for this resort was the worst part yet. This resort is no more than a 3 star and definitely over priced for what you get

suwanatatnina

Playacar Palace offers an excellent location, but the beach and pool area is somewhat limited in size compared to the Hilton, Playa del Carmen where I usually stay. While the pool area is too compact for my preferences, the room was nicely appointed with marble or granite floors. The proximity to 5th Avenue, shops, restaurants, and the ferry is a significant advantage. The food and service are commendable, but the restricted pool and beach area make it less suitable for my beach and golf vacations. Nonetheless, Playacar Palace presents a great value that will appeal to many families.

Lon Southerland

An Unforgettable Stay at Playacar Palace Hotel for Our Family Wedding We recently stayed at the Playacar Palace Hotel in Playa del Carmen for our son and daughter-in-law’s wedding, and it was a wonderful experience. The staff was incredibly inviting, kind, and engaging, making us feel right at home from the moment we arrived. The food was excellent—we thoroughly enjoyed every meal—and the entertainment added a nice touch to our evenings. Starting our day with a great cup of coffee from the lobby’s coffee shop became a delightful routine. Alan, the barista there every day, was amazing. He was very friendly and took great care to ensure our beverages were exactly how we liked them. Also gave us some great tips on the area!! We appreciated his warm conversation and exceptional service. The beach was beautiful with calm, clear water every day of our stay. There was plenty of room at the pool, and we had fun participating in the various activities around the pool area. The overall atmosphere was relaxing yet lively. I would definitely recommend the Playacar Palace Hotel if you are considering a stay in Playa del Carmen. The combination of excellent service, beautiful surroundings, and engaging activities made for an unforgettable experience. We’ll definitely be back!