Playacar Palace

Elaine

We stayed here over Christmas break, and what makes this place wonderful is the staff. We travel often and have stayed at many all-inclusive resorts, but the service here is incomparable. Eduardo at the front desk was very welcoming, while Jesus enthusiastically helped us with learning about the resorts and the area. We did a bike tour with Erik ( Alejandro), and he exceeded all expectations, teaching us about the area and his culture with such passion. The breakfast buffet was fresh and plentiful, and Roberto would fill our coffee mugs as soon as we sat down, with a big, welcoming smile. The service at all restaurants was incredible, making up for the average food. I can't forget to mention the hotel lobby drinks, just delicious! I can't forget to thank Dulce for the most relaxing pedicure. Will definitely be back!

Amisha Gupta

We have been to different Moon Palace resorts and Playacar Palace is among few of our top favorites so far. Its a boutique style resort in Playa del carmen and has so many positives about it. The service here is unmatched. The staff is so good and does everything possible to make your stay memorable. Whether its the staff at the restaurants, or the staff at the pool side, bar, kids day care or at the spa everyone gave their 💯% and made sure we are having a good time and getting good service. The location of this resort is unmatched. As soon as we step out of the resort, we are at 5th Avenue which is filled with amazing shops , restaurants, a nice mall and ferry to Cozumel island is steps away as well. It felt like we are right in the center of all fun. Its so safe to step outside as its all touristy area and police presence is there in that area. Car rentals like Hertz were also steps away. So we were able to rent car and do certain excursions like cenotes ourselves. If you are planning to do cenote during the stay our favorite is Cenote Azul. We also did a day trip to Cozumel and visited Cozumel Palace through ferry which was also quite easy and fun. The restaurants at the resort were nice and the nightly entertainment was also good. Rooms were good size with jacuzzi and we had the perfect ocean view from room. The pool here was not as big as other moon palace resorts as well as not too deep to swim properly so that could be considered as a small negative. But we were still able to enjoy it fully. Again the swim up bar was great and the staff kept planning some activities at the pool as well. Hot tub was nice and everyone enjoyed it. Beach was really nice and to our surprise had no Sargassam when we visited. So we were pleasantly surprised with the nice Beach. Overall if you like boutique size resorts with amazing food and service, this could definitely be a place for you. Its perfect for couples as well as families that enjoy stepping out of the resort without worrying about safety as overall that whole Playa del carmen 5th Avenue area feels very safe and perfect for tourists. We will definitely be returning back again!!

Ajay Singh

Stayed for 6 nights and 7 days , the resort is really nice and small compared to Riu or Ibrostar but the smaller resort was not an issue for us as it made it easier to move around with kids. The beach is basically non existent (feel free to look at the pics ) Location is great with downtown PDC in walking distance. Massage prices are right down stupid I. $700 USD for couples massage. You can walk out the resort and get a couples massage for under $100 USD. You also cannot use the sauna or steam room without purchasing spa services. The resort credits are a joke and honestly because of this I did not purchase there time share which is not a time share. I honestly would have but because of the nuances with the resort credit lead me to believe the elite membership would have similar stipulations in the contract. The food at the restaurant is great but the buffet is mediocre. All of the restaurants have an upcharge of something could be wine or lobster or ribeye steak. I paid extra for the lobster and it was cooked really well... The staff was great. My kids loved the play area and we even hired an external nanny service for $18 USD / hour . The entertainment was better than most other all inclusive resorts.

Brittany Cheeks

Second time visiting a moon palace location. The first one was in Jamaica and that was great and so I went here thinking this would be similar. It wasn’t bad but much smaller than what I expected and far less offerings. It gave more of an all-inclusive hotel feel instead of resort. Service was fine and staff were very friendly. The most disappointing part was the food. I’m not a picky eater but the food was surprisingly disappointing even for “resort food.” The beach/sand is a very small area outside of the pool so most people spend their time at the pool. You also can’t bring food to the pool area- you have to eat it in the designated area on the side of the pool which was pretty small. You can easily leave the resort and walk along the main town roads which was a nice break. Nonetheless it was a nice place to get away and just relax.

Jay Patel

This was a very disappointing experience and one I would not recommend to anyone. From the moment we arrived, things went downhill. Check-in took over an hour, which was frustrating, especially after a long day of travel. The property itself is quite old, poorly maintained, and has many slippery surfaces, which felt unsafe. The overall condition of the resort looked nothing like the photos online — those images are extremely misleading and make the resort appear far nicer than it actually is. As a vegetarian family, we were especially disappointed. This is an all-inclusive resort, yet the staff told us they could not really accommodate our dietary needs. That is unacceptable for a resort that claims to cater to international guests. Another major issue was the lack of direct beach access, which we did not realize until arriving. This alone was a dealbreaker, and again, the online photos do not accurately reflect this reality. We were so unhappy that our family of 12 decided to leave immediately and find another hotel. While the staff did help us check out, they were not accommodating or supportive in helping us transfer to one of their nicer sister properties and actively discouraged us from changing hotels. To make matters worse, we were charged a full night’s stay despite never setting foot in our rooms, citing a rigid and unreasonable policy. Overall, this was a very poor experience — outdated facilities, misleading marketing, lack of accommodation for dietary needs, and inflexible policies. I would never recommend this resort. Thankfully, we were able to book another hotel on our own — SLS Playa Mujerus — which was a true five-star experience with excellent service and was the complete opposite of Playa Car Palace in every way.