All inclusive

Playacar Palace

Playa del Carmen 5.0

Overview

Located steps away from the laidback charms of Playa del Carmen, Playacar Palace indulge a range of desires for you who wants it all. It is in this exceptional environment where you will be able to discover the true heart of the Riviera Maya, populated thousands of years ago by civilizations whose remains still remind us of its uniqueness. Rejoice at this modern retreat! Exchange privileges at select Palace Resorts.

This intimate and luxurious resort, located in the Riviera Maya, is set in the exclusive Playacar Hotel Zone in the heart of Playa del Carmen. It features 201 beautifully appointed rooms, all with double Jacuzzi, 24 hour room service, excellent dining services, a beautiful pool with a swim up bar, and exquisite bars and lounges with views to the stunning Caribbean Sea and Cozumel Island. 

Added value

Stay at 1, Play at 4 - Guests have access to the services and amenities of select sister resorts including Beach Palace, Moon Palace Cancun, Cozumel Palace and Sun Palace. Transportation to sister properties

not included, please see hotel front desk for complete details.

Other Fees: Paid directly to the hotel.

Check in

3 p.m.

Check out

12 p.m.

Rooms

201

Rooms

Superior Deluxe Partial Ocean View
  • 1 king bed, or 2 double beds
  • Partial ocean view
  • No more than 4 guests in the room
Superior Deluxe Partial Ocean View
Featured amenities
Included in all rooms
  • 24 hour room service
  • A/C
  • Alarm clock
  • Bathrobes
  • Coffee maker
  • Hair dryer
  • Housekeeping
  • Iron/Ironing board
  • Mini-bar
  • Safe
  • Turndown service
  • TV
  • Flat iron
  • Chi bath amenities

Amenities


Location

Address
Fraccionamiento Playacar "Phase 1", Bahia del Espiritu Santo, Playa del Carmen, 77710, Mexico
58 km from CUN airport

Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

4.5 Excellent

  • Cleanliness 5.0
  • Location 5.0
  • Rooms 4.5
  • Service 5.0
  • Value 4.5
TripAdvisor users rated this property 3 out of 5

A solid choice in Playacar, great location, needs a little TLC in areas

KKJACKS (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) on Feb 10, 2025

Generally good stay, clean, but showing signs of need for TLC and feels like it has slipped a bit since our last stay 6 years ago. We had a shorter stay this trip of only 4 nights Jan 31-Feb 4. Upon check-in, they offered to allow us to pay and upgrade our room to ocean view category for a reasonable amount. We ended up in room 523, which is near the center of the hotel overlooking the terrace and pool areas with a straight view to the ocean. We traveled as friends of members, but were not traveling at the same time. I feel our experience was pretty standard and comparable to those who would be booking through a 3rd party agency like Expedia, Travelocity, etc. We had more resort credits booking through a member, but with a shorter trip only $150 available at spa, however it allowed me to get a treatment for close to 75% off the listed price. I have enjoyed Palace resorts and will likely continue to do so, but you’ll notice a lot of improvement opportunities mentioned in my review. I’m naturally a critical person. But I’m also a person who can appreciate a trip to a nice warm location in the winter where staff work hard to make sure you have a pleasant stay. In general we had a good stay, the property was clean, employees helpful and friendly and food was good to great at all meals. But I was concerned about a few things. Our first arrival afternoon (Fri 1/31) we went to sit around the pool around 3:45 or so. We stayed until around 5:30 without anyone acknowledging or asking us if we wanted a drink. Yes, we could walk up to a bar and get what we needed, but the normal Palace standard was not evident at that hour of the day. Not the best first impression. Luckily the pool service improved on the other 3 full days we were there. The outside of the building looks like it hadn’t been painted in quite some time. Usually they stay on top of this due to the salty air and humid conditions which require that timely maintenance, but there were black areas on quite a few sections of the building. The booths that are in the buffet have multiple rips and the booths in the Asian restaurant had many ugly and obvious stains. If there is air conditioning in those restaurants, it is rarely used or set to a very high temperature making it hot and uncomfortable for dining. These observations made me feel like I was at a Hard Rock resort instead of a Palace resort. (I’ve always thought Hard Rock properties and services appear older and generally “cheaper” and less cared for than Palace properties.) At all Palace resorts they use fragrance machines. They are very strong. They used to have light fragrances in warmers that were pleasant. The current Aromaria machines and fragrance offerings are too potent for sensitive people. There were several times I could not sit in the lobby bar because the smell was too overwhelming. (As a side note, we didn’t find the scent a Le Blanc overwhelming, just the ones at Cozumel and Playacar.) Room – balcony was slightly larger than the side room balconies and had a lovely straight view to the pool and ocean. Room was clean, but furnishings outdated. The bed was comfortable enough. Housekeeping was great – on the 2nd day they realized one of our suitcases was on the floor. We came back to the room and they had found another luggage rack and put our suitcase up for us. Little things like this do make you feel well taken care of. Everything seemed to work, but with nuances. Water pressure was very low in the sink and in the shower. I did not report the low pressure because we figured it was a purposeful use of low-flow technology in faucets or the fact we were on a higher floor. We did not appreciate the rain shower head in a room with low water pressure; it was on the side wall instead of directly overhead so felt awkward standing real close to the wall to get within the stream of water. The room overlooks the terrace outside the lobby bar and there are bright lights that remain on until the very early morning hours (I’m guessing between 2-4am they may turn off). There is light pollution coming around the sides and top of the blackout curtains. The room can be noisy if you try to sleep earlier than 11pm. Some evenings the lobby bar has events and the music can be heard. Also, the walkway to the room overlooks the tree in the lobby/motorcade area, so when some vehicles arrive and back in to a parking spot, they make the “beeping” sound which can be a nuisance. Our biggest concern with the room was the air conditioner thermostat. It turned itself to “OFF” at least 3 times. I didn’t report it the first time, but the 2nd instance was when we woke up to it showing OFF one morning and the floor being slippery from condensation. On that day I reported it at front desk. They sent someone quickly and he took the unit off the wall, did something, and then said it was fine. The AC itself was great, super cold when it was working and not turning itself off! However, the unit is likely programmed to turn itself off at random times (energy savings settings??) but this is unacceptable when people are in the room sleeping, as well as being a safety hazard. The 3rd time it happened was while we were at dinner. We came back and the unit clearly said OFF. The room had raised 5 degrees in a short period of time for dinner and entertainment. For a 2nd time I went to the front desk and reported it. I asked what the notes were from earlier that day when maintenance had already been to the room for this issue. She didn’t answer the question. On both occasions I specifically asked if the units are pre-programmed to override guest settings but nobody acknowledges or answers this question and just “apologizes for the inconvenience”. This was very irritating to me. That evening (2/3) she said she would send someone. We waited over 1 ½ hours and nobody came. It was late, we wanted to rest, so we crossed our fingers and hoped the unit would run correctly all night. All employees should be trained to be forthcoming with information regarding any energy saving attempts from the resort company and notify guests if the rooms will not cool to the desired set temperature at any point during their stay. When asked if the patio door was closed, we assured them it was fine. We’ve traveled to Mexico over 20 years and know the routine with the door. But is it that difficult to give straight answers to the guests? Public Bathrooms – the one down the stairs and below the pool bar/outdoor eating area felt awkward when you went down the dingy stairs, but it was always clean. My husband commented that it was difficult to use the facilities as a tall person because the ceiling was low and an even lower section of the ceiling jutted out over the facilities. He saw the foam above the stairs, but didn’t notice the lowered area above the facilities until he bumped his head. He refused to use that particular restroom because of it. The other side of the pool area had a restroom near the Asian restaurant which was better. All restrooms felt like they could use an upgrade. Pool area – we did not actually get into the pool, but used the loungers in a couple different areas due to the beach not being deep enough during our stay for loungers out in the sand. Note, you will need to get up and locate your chairs early, I would recommend by 7:30-8am. There will be quite a number already marked for the diamond and residence vacation club members, but each day we were able to find a spot. Spa – very well done. I really like the Playacar spa (better than Sun Palace’s) and the hydro circuit is quite nice. I enjoyed a citrus massage. If you have credits (or if you don’t and just want to spend a lot of money) I recommend some time at the spa. **Note – I used the women’s shower facilities and the middle stall has a drainage problem. The water pressure was great with the rain shower, but water pooled in the bottom of the shower floor and quickly gathered 2-3 inches worth of water. I forgot to report this upon leaving the spa, hopefully this will be seen and fixed. Dining – With our shorter trip, we didn’t have a chance to reserve the Lahna option or the special Italian experience. As a note, if you are not a diamond or higher member of their vacation club, you can only reserve dining after check-in. And you can only do it up to 3 days prior to any given night. I did this as soon as I could after checking in. The options will likely be limited on your arrival day, so try to be flexible or plan for the buffet, room service or off-property dining. Room Service – used it for breakfast one morning by using the order ahead option in the app and all arrived perfectly – great job! PS, I only drink decaf coffee and have found it much better from room service than at the buffet. I think it must be brewed for room service, but in the buffet either prepared with instant granules or in an espresso machine which wasn’t nearly as good. Sweet & Coffee – you really must try the honey/pecan ice cream on days they have it! We tried it in the form of a milkshake and it ranks as good as the coconut for us. Madre Mia – new since our last visit and my favorite meal of the trip. The servers have great comradery and the vibe is hip and fun. The menu may seem small, but everything we had was delicious. We also sampled many of the specialty drinks on the cocktail list. Many were standouts, including our favorite, the “akalarre”. Make sure to reserve this one for dinner! Italian – it was pretty good. Service was good, it was warm in the room. The minimal charge to upgrade to Kataifi shrimp was worth it for my husband. The carbonara was very salty, even beyond the salty bacon. The duo cream soup not as good as it could be and tasted even saltier than normal. Lasagna is a standard - a good standby and consistent option. Asian – it was also pretty good. We like being able to try so many different smaller bites/appetizer/rolls and I thought the bulgogi was good and the sweet/sour chicken. Another in our party loved the wagyu ishiaki option and felt it was worth the room charge. Again – it was quite hot in the restaurant and only rarely did we feel the air. Buffet – had many breakfasts, lunches here. Buffet at lunch does vary, but after 5 days I think it would get tiring. But they have many options for many tastes. There seemed to be a little trouble with some of the items being replenished. The lettuce leaf options were minimal to near empty on several occasions. Also, many of the waffle/pancake bar toppings were placed into the wrong position based on the names on the display. We’ve been to most of the Palace resorts and they all have something to offer. Playacar is a decent choice for the price range. Would we return? Possibly, after they do some expected renovations. And we would also request a room in a quieter section away from lights shining in the room overnight and for a room that has AC that doesn’t shut itself off.

TripAdvisor users rated this property 5 out of 5

Back to this location after a few years - great decision!

JaneDavidL (Guelph, Canada) on Feb 04, 2025

Normallly, I would wait until my vacation was over before reviewing the entire stay. This time, I felt that I had to leave a review before the good feelings left. We have not been at Playacar for a number of years but had good memories (which is why we came back). First night here, went to the new restaurant (to us) Madre Mia. Well! Impressed! I was alone for dinner this night but the staff took great care of me. Couldn’t decide on which steak cut, so they suggested I get a 1/2 serving each of the two I was considering. What a fantastic idea! I went for it. What a great decision. Picked out 3 Diamond wines to drink, asked for a recommendation, got one, no waffling, full of confidence, and I could not agree more with the recommendation. They decided on a dessert, which I was very happy with. Sadly, I can’t remember the server’s full name but I believe it started with Rig. Delighted so far. On a minor, niggly note, was not thrilled with the steady drumbeat of the venue’s music track. Still a five-star experience.

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    Cancun, Cozumel, Riviera Maya, Ocho Rios - Runaway Bay, Montego Bay

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