Playacar Palace reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

4.5 Excellent

  • Cleanliness 5.0
  • Location 5.0
  • Rooms 4.5
  • Service 5.0
  • Value 4.5

2407 TripAdvisor reviews

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.

TripAdvisor users rated this property 5 out of 5

A Truly Wonderful Place

Candice B on Feb 04, 2025

This was our first trip to Playacar Palace. It was my parents, my husband, myself and our three kids. We had a wonderful vacation! This resort has a laid back feel compared to the Moon Palace where we have stayed in the past. If you want to be busy, you can be busy here. If you want to relax, you can relax. The ferry is super close and makes it very convenient if wanting to go to Cozumel for the day. Also, 5th Avenue is literally steps from the resort and is fun to go shop at. When we were there there wasn't much of a beach but we enjoyed the beautiful aqua, turquoise warm ocean water. My kids loved looking for sea shells. I was worried that there wouldn't be a lot for my kids to do at this resort but they loved playing water polo, water volleyball, and water yoga with the guests and staff. With the ocean right there, the pool, shopping, etc, they were more than busy and loved this resort! I think what makes this resort so special and welcoming is the staff. They do an excellent job of making your stay a wonderful one. They truly go above and beyond. Silvia works as a pool concierge and I am convinced she is an angel on earth. I dare you to find a sweeter person. She is simply the best! Aaron, Marvin and Ignacio were super helpful and always had a smile on their faces. Kevin at Trattoria was so awesome. Miguel at Momo made my son's birthday so special. Dulce at the hair salon was so sweet and wonderful. The employees in the sweet shop always had a smile on their faces and were so kind. Francisco supplied a lot of Pandita's to our room for our kiddos and was so awesome. Ivan, Victoria and Eder helped us so much with planning our excursions and services while there. Ana in the gift shop was so helpful and sweet. The pool activity people, the lifeguards, the room cleaners. I'm forgetting so many names but you get the hint. Haha! The staff is what truly make this place so magical. We hope to return to this wonderful place and it holds a special place in our hearts. Thank you Playacar Palace and all of the hardworking, happy people working there! Sincerely, Candice Butcher

TripAdvisor users rated this property 5 out of 5

Playacar Palace Resort - A Very Special Family Resort

Debra D on Feb 02, 2025

Playacar Palace is a very special family resort. The resort is small enough to make every guest feel special, but with a great variety of things to do. The pool concierges, Nacho and Aaron, take great care of you, and the pool wait staff makes sure you have drinks and sodas. Concierges, Dalia and Ivan, are wonderful! Take advantage of the outdoor seating for breakfast and lunch. You won"t be disappointed and waiters Elvia, Manuela, Alexis and David, always greet you with a big smile and excellent service. All of the dining options are wonderful! There is live entertainment every evening. This is a gem!

TripAdvisor users rated this property 4 out of 5

Playacar Palace, Playa del Carmen - family stay in January 2025

marcin_marcin_krk (Krakow, Poland) on Jan 29, 2025

We have stayed in this hotel for 10 days with family (2 adults and two kids in age of 11 and 13) in January 2025. The strengths of this hotel are as follows: 1) Very good food, variety and quality on very high level. Very good a la carte restaurants (we tried Italian and Asia). Even pool bar which usually serves typical fast food meals in this case serve really good meals. Also time of serving meals is very convenient, you are always able to eat somewhere no matter what time you return from trip, beach, etc. 2) Excellent service, all staff very polite and willing to help in case you need something. After a few days they exactly know what you like and e.g. on the breakfast you have ready tea/coffee as you like before you sit to eat (thank you David). Near pool very kind staff ask you many times if you need anything (thank you Pedro). 3) Coffee corner with cakes, absolutely brilliant idea for people who like a good coffee. You can come at any time and have a good coffee with a cake (we loved all kinds of macaroons). 4) All-inclusive wristbands which are also your room key. So simple and make your vacations very comfortable especially when you stay with kids. You don't need to remember about room card, to not leave or pass to your kid when need something from the room etc. 5) The general cleanliness of the hotel as well as the room we rate very high. Rooms are cleaned decently and everyday. Swimming pool and swimming pool area is cleaned every morning. 6) Hotel location, albeit hotel do not have own beach (as generally they are public) is located in the coastline with direct and easy access to it. In the same time hotel is just 5 minutes walk from main street of Playa del Carmen where you can find many shops, bars, restaurants etc. 7) Fridge in the room, which is replenished daily including alcoholic beverages. We have not use much but can imagine might be a nice addition to your stay. 8) Pool towels available all the time and without any problems, deposits, cards, etc. 9) Very comfortable pool chairs. Soft and pleasant to use. 10) Cool animators (eg. yoga) and ladies in the kids club, our children liked this crew very much. 11) The hotel is rather intimate, it is not a molehill, there are no crowds of guests and at the same time it has sufficient staff to service it at a high level. The weaker points of the hotel are as follows: 1) We have booked room with a partial sea view while received room without any sea view and I mean this was complete zero sea view. In my opinion such rooms should not be offered as with any sea view as only cause guest disappointment. Better to offer them as a standard rooms and in case some of them, on this part of hotel, have 10% or 20% sea view it will be a pleasant surprise for the guests. 2) Room size, ideal for 2 adults, maybe 2 adults and 1 kid, but not so convenient for 2 adults and 2 kids. We had two beds in the room with a width of about 140 cm wide. Fine for kids, but not so convenient for two adult people unless they are very thin. 3) Replacement of bedding occurred only at our request. In our opinion, in a hotel of this class, it should take place after 5-7 days without the hotel guest insisting on it. 4) The policy of reserving sunbeds was strange to us. On the one hand we saw a notice prohibiting such reservations, on the other hand the hotel itself made them, reserving the best sunbeds for VIP guests, which was a kind of inconsistency for us and we must admit that it made us feel like second-class guests. 5) Last day of our stay due to early morning departure we have ordered day before breakfast packages. Customer service confirmed our request and ensured that they will be delivered to our room at 6:00 a.m. Unfortunately, nothing like that happened, we were only left with a quickly prepared small package when we did check out. Overall, I rate the hotel above good with minor inconveniences. I would rate it at 4.5 stars on a 5-degree scale and can confidently recommend it especially to people who appreciate good food and excellent service.

TripAdvisor users rated this property 5 out of 5

Home away from home

m f (Carlisle, Pennsylvania) on Jan 27, 2025

From the time of our arrival we were greeted and welcomed like it was home. Manuel (bell hop) greeted us and took our luggage with a smile while we checked in. Karen (public Relations) welcomed us with a beautiful smile and warm welcome. Alice took our group as we checked in and made sure we all knew what all was offered to us. Frendanda (tours and Spa) helped each one of us book our tours and spa treatment, very patient and kind. Isreal (wait staff) was amazing treated each one of us as were very special, makes a GREAT Ice Coffee!!!!! Aaron and Nacho are very helpful and make our pool days perfect!!! Perla makes our pool drinks and birthday request super fun and accommodating! Sylvia serves our pool needs also very special with her beautiful smile. Miguel went above and beyond with an amazing dinner at MOMO’s. ALL of the staff is truly amazing! Looking forward to my April visit!! Blessings to ALL!!!

View All