TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

Resort has potential to be great with some renovations. Food: I have celiac and was super disappointed at the awareness for gluten free. Breakfast was just ok, there were minimal options but none of the chefs new what was gluten free or not. No one would tell me if the chips and tortillas were corn or flour. I stuck with fruit and very minimal muffins marked as gluten free. For lunch it was absolutely awful. The chefs at the buffet came out and walked me around. Most days there was absolutely nothing I could eat. They offered to make me some pasta in the back which took 90 minutes to come out and was just pasta and tomato sauce. Nothing else. For dinners it was a little better, the staff at the restaurants were a bit better except the served me straight up gluten at the hibachi place and even though there is gf soy sauce they just contaminated everything with regular sauce. I ended up eating at the dinner buffet after. Room: was super dated. Our closet wouldnt open or close. It was jammed in the middle so you couldnt use most of it. They came twice to fix it but we gave up. The air conditioning wasnt working just in our room so the heat at night was pretty sufferable. The shower is renovated but poorly designed. The water runs down the glass and started pooling in the bathroom and into our room. We had to make a dam from towels everytime we showered. Very dangerous. Grounds: The grounds are nice. If you have mobility issues good luck getting down to the beach. You have to go out of your way to get to the elevator to take it down to the beach. The pool tiles are completely falling apart. Kids were diving for tiles and throwing them at each other and the pool lights were being held on by zip ties. A couple broke so the lights and wires were just floating. Overall we had a good time, but I definitely wont be back unless its renovated and they train their chefs better on allergies.

It was a nightmare. Please be very cautious about the inflated/fluff ratings you see on Google. My experience was dramatically worse than those reviews would lead you to believe. The few positives: the food was good, the waiters and bartenders generally provided good service, and Adelitas can be a fun/animated bar. Unfortunately, those positives were completely overshadowed by the operational problems and poor experience throughout the stay. The Bad 1. Completely Unorganized Check-In Process The check-in process is an absolute mess. There is seemingly no real system, order, or transparency. Expect to wait until after 3:00 p.m. to get your room, even when you arrive well before then. What is particularly frustrating is watching people arrive hours after you and receive a room immediately, sometimes the exact same room category you have been waiting hours for. There is no apparent first-come, first-served system or meaningful explanation for how rooms are assigned. You are essentially left waiting and hoping your room number gets called. For a large resort, the lack of organization is frankly embarrassing. 2. The “Reservation Desk” Is Essentially Non-Existent If you need to make any change whatsoever to your reservation, be prepared for an absurd amount of wasted time. My flight was cancelled, so I rebooked onto a flight one day earlier and needed to add a night to my reservation. What should have been a simple request turned into a 6-hour ordeal involving eight different phone calls before I finally found someone who could actually help. I also needed to change the name on one of the rooms. That turned out to be nearly impossible. There is no clear point of contact, no efficient process, and seemingly no ownership of reservation issues. If you need to modify a reservation, set aside an entire business day and expect to be bounced around repeatedly. 3. Restaurants Without Functional A/C. It Is Literally a Sauna. This was one of the worst parts of the stay. There is essentially one lunch option: the buffet. Despite apparently having air conditioning, the buffet is unbelievably hot. I am not exaggerating when I say it felt hotter inside the restaurant than outside. It got to the point where eating became uncomfortable. You would take a few bites, get overheated, and have to step outside. We ultimately avoided the restaurant altogether at times and ordered room service simply because sitting inside the buffet was miserable. The “steak” restaurant is located in the same area as the lunch buffet. It is somewhat cooler, but still far too hot for a restaurant at a supposedly upscale resort. For a resort in Mexico, having guests eating lunch in what feels like a mini-sauna is unacceptable. 4. Extremely Disappointing Taxi Experience This was particularly disturbing. I asked the hotel about a taxi for two people to the airport and was quoted approximately $60. I specifically asked again to confirm the price, and they confirmed it. When the taxi arrived, I re-confirmed the price before getting in. Once I was inside, the driver suddenly told me the price would be double or I needed to get out. I got out and ordered an Uber instead. The fact that this happened with transportation arranged through the hotel made the experience particularly disappointing. As a tourist trying to get to the airport, I felt like I was being put in a position where they expected me to simply accept the higher price because I had limited options. 5. Room A/C Is a 50/50 Gamble The A/C situation in the rooms was another major problem. The A/C in my first room simply did not work properly, forcing me to move rooms. I later learned that the bottom two floors had been remodeled and have newer rooms with better and cooler A/C, while the top two floors are older and have A/C systems that barely work or do not work at all. So apparently, depending on which floor you are assigned, you have roughly a 50/50 chance of getting a room where the A/C actually does its job. That is not something you should have to gamble on when staying at a resort in a hot climate. Bottom Line The biggest issue is that these are not isolated inconveniences. They point to poor management and a lack of basic operational standards. From the chaotic check-in process, to the nonexistent reservation support, to restaurants that are unbearably hot, to the questionable taxi experience, to unreliable room A/C, there were problems everywhere. I would absolutely not come back to Iberostar Playa Mita. My experience was bad enough that I would be very cautious about recommending this resort to anyone, particularly families or anyone expecting a comfortable, well-run resort experience. If you are considering staying here, do your homework and look beyond the Google rating. Based on my experience, I would be extremely cautious about booking this property. There are too many basic operational problems for me to feel comfortable recommending it. For me, this was a one-time experience, and I have no intention of returning.

The grounds and setting of this hotel is just gorgeous. As Star Prestige members, we had wonderful interactions with Michell and Cesar. They were very kind and anticipated our needs. Breakfast servers Isobel and Lolita were friendly and caring. The cleaning staff was consistent and went above and beyond! The rest of the Star Prestige staff was very lacking. I took my 82 year old mother. I wanted to limit the requests for assistance for personal support. Twice I reached out for assistance for my mother for a ride and they said yes but never came. The Club did not provide the minimum provided in my contract. I was very disappointed to say the least. When I expressed my disappointment, I was told by Estephanie that I would receive a follow up email. That email never came. I am left disappointed. Go for the beauty, but don't go for the service.

The hotel's room service was NOT GOOD, it has a very limited menu and they do not send any kind of beverage, plus it is not 24-hours. The pools were great but they could have used some ice. The room had a nice view and it was clean. Overall the atmosphere was pleasant, it was nice to relax. Because of where it was located it was quiet. Everyone was very friendly and the price was adequate.

Just got back last Tuesday after a 7 night stay. Our 3rd year there! Enjoyed the beach for 5 days until a storm afar in the ocean changed the tides and washed a lot of it away. A quick walk down the beach and you’d easily find a spot (no chairs or towels unfortunately). Room was updated but the first room they gave us had a huge leak upon opening the door. They quickly moved us. Pros: strong drinks at the beach bar, excellent waitresses, serene/basically private walk 3 miles round trip down the beach to the rocks, Asian night at the buffet. Great coffee shop with pastries, beautiful waves to jump, warm ocean. Breakfast at Mexican restaurant was outstanding. Snacks by the pool are great for midday. Rooms were nice and cool and very clean. No need to get up early to save beach chairs beach workers bust their tails getting chairs and umbrellas up. The sunset….wow! Cons: Reservations should be made upon arrival, buffet line is loooong (go at opening), buffet food gets a little monotonous. If you want to stay at the pool get up and reserve chairs by placing towels on them. Rooms are very damp (bring socks), floor can be slippery and it’s easy for sand to be tracked in and make a mess on floors. Vendors can be pushy but usually recognize you by day 2-3 and leave you alone. Tip: Grab a cheap Uber and head into Sayulita (fun little town but somewhat busy) or San Francisco (also called San Pancho). Our first visit to San Pancho this year. Surfers to watch and more of a traditional Mexico feel a lot less busy. Maybe not a 5 star hotel but darn close!