Royal Hideaway Playacar

This is a full review of our recent stay at the Royal Hideaway Playacar. To say the least, this was thee worst vacation to Mexico we have had in our 20 years of coming here to all-inclusive resorts. Last year, we were in Cabo twice and although I did not review those hotels, we had a lovely time, all around. This vacation, however, in Riviera Maya, was awful from beginning to end. Evening check-in with Geraldo was unfriendly and rushed. He gave us a room with a broken ac/fan/safe. They were unable to repair the ac unit and fan, so we spent the next day with the manager Roberto searching for a new room. Management moved us to a downgraded room because all the rooms in our category “were full”. This second room was on the 3rd floor and was fairly thrashed, but we accepted it so we could move on with our vacation. Unfortunately, we still could not head into vacation mode, because now we were forced to sit with the concierge and schedule dinner reservations. He acted as though for each reservation he was doing us a favor, because everything was already full (not true). He “called people” and somehow squeezed us into the Mexican Dinner Show, because it was already full, also…well, surprisingly, it was not full at all! Both sides of the theater were empty. Upon returning from dinner on our second evening the room was entirely filled with toxic sewer gases. I have never been exposed to such harsh smells. My husband and I both gathered our belongings quickly and immediately went to the front desk feeling dizzy and nauseous. We were met with frustration by the receptionists (including Geraldo) and no apologies. At this point it is after 10pm and we were finally taken to another room, which was the level of room we paid for originally, where we were met with the “Guest Experience” manager Dayna. Right from the start she was aggressive and unfriendly and let us know how smart she is and how many languages she speaks. It was very odd. After trying to communicate with her, as she kept asking questions but never let us talk, honestly she was talking in circles, we finally had to make her leave our room so we could get some sleep. The next day we were told the hotel has broken sewer pipe issues. Having guests in those rooms seems negligent. We were then met by Roberto, who tried to act as though he was doing something special for us by setting up a Bali bed…mind you the beds are free for guests to use (we asked the other couples using them) and also said we would have reserved access to it the next day…well, the next day other people were actually using it. The final full day of our vacation we had spa services scheduled. We made these reservations two days prior with a spa sales lady wandering the property signing people up. We went over everything multiple times, as well as the use of the coupon we were given by the front desk, which she said only my husband could use on his services, since I was getting a package deal. We had the receipt to bring back to our appointment. Upon arriving at the spa, we were told the coupon was already applied to the prices she gave us. This of course, was not what we were told and we planned to leave. They said they would honor the price the lady gave us (although she tried to haggle prices at the desk). We were really exhausted at this point from everything and tired of trying to constantly negotiate to get what we have paid for and promised. We agreed to have the services, but then when I was asked to come for my massage the sales lady said she was going to be the one performing my massage and facial. That was the final straw. This lady could barely walk or stand, was very large and short, and she sweated profusely while not even moving and she was the one who lied to us, and she wasn’t even a massage therapist! The actual therapist told me in her own words that they were low on staff. Are you kidding me! Of course, we gathered our belongings and left the spa. As we were leaving, a very aggressive Dayna came after us. I was crying and she was trying to make us stay and listen to her say nothing of any help. Just remined us again how smart she was and all the languages she spoke. Whenever we tried to leave, she would stand right in front of my husband. Very uncomfortable. We had thought we would have one free day of issues and enjoy our last day. We went to a late breakfast and manager Lorena came up to us and convinced my husband to meet her at 1:30pm to discuss compensation for all our troubles. Reluctantly, my husband took more time away from our last day and went to meet Lorena. All she ended up wanting was to have the issues retold to her. No compensation happened. Finally, the morning came for us to leave, and we were sitting outside waiting for our shuttle to pick us up. Lorena comes up to us and apologizes for our experience and says she would like to compensate us with a 4-night stay in an upgraded room (Sunrise view) to use anytime in the future. Not sure that’s exactly the type of compensation you want to hear after an upsetting vacation at their hotel, however, we said “okay”, to be nice. As of today, we have not received any compensation emails or phone calls as promised. Needless to say, we ended up paying top dollar for this trip booking it through Costco, somewhat last minute, and it was a waste of over $5300 for 4 nights. There were so many other little things that we could have complained about, but never did…like the ac temp not adjustable (we froze), scalding hot water in the shower that wasn’t adjustable, no hair conditioner in rooms, iron that didn’t work, ripped and dirty robes, threadbare towels, getting a metal spatula thrown at me at the Asian restaurant, bland food, etc. One positive, because I don’t feel the resort deserves any praise at its current standing and it can’t take credit for the ocean, is Carlos, the waiter at both the Grill and Mexican Fiesta. Hopefully, he is training the other wait staff (most were good). He is very professional. Now the management needs an overhaul and training, and the company needs to put serious money into the actual bones of this property and renovate to make it a healthy and safe resort.

My husband and I visited this resort for the second time in February, 2026, and found it as nice as before. In particular, we love the beautiful manicured grounds and peaceful ambience, as well as excellent and genuinely nice service. We greatly appreciated being moved upon check in to a room with two beds, due to my husband's medical issues which affect sleeping. All of the service was efficient as well as friendly. In particular, our waiter in the Spices restaurant, Godoy, stands out as really especially helpful and friendly. The only thing which prevents me from giving the resort a 5 star review is the perennial issue of people reserving chairs at the pool beginning at 7 in the morning by placing their belongings there, and then spending most of the time not using the spaces. This is in spite of the clearly posted prohibition for this. We declined to play that game and just hung out at the beach or at one of the smaller (unheated) pools. The resort needs to take this issue seriously.

We absolutely loved our vacation at the Royal Hideaway. It's located in the Playacar section of Playa del Carmen, an attractive gated community within walking distance to the downtown and main pier (for visiting Cozumel, etc.). The hotel is set on a pristine section of beach covered in beautiful white sand. The ocean temperature was about 80F every day and calm enough for swimming. I'm an avid swimmer so this was important to me. The hotel also has two main pools (and several smaller ones) and two hot tubs. We also loved our very clean room, located in the building closest to the main pools and buffet eating area. We were on the second floor and had a balcony looking out at trees. Since we sat looking at ocean most of the day, we enjoyed this alternate view. It was peaceful sitting out there and seeing birds along with the Mexican version of a raccoon. Our bed was very comfortable and the nights were very quiet for sleeping. This is an adult-only resort and probably aimed at those who prefer a quieter hotel experience as opposed to a loud party scene. We felt they had just the right amount of daily and nighttime activities to provide fun diversions. Aqua-gym, trivia contests, and tequila tasting were some of the daytime activities. There were high-quality shows in the beautiful theater during most evenings, including a Michael Jackson tribute show, a circus show, and a traditional Mexican dance show. The performers were impressive. After the shows, there were often live music acts at the bar in the main building. We particularly loved the two-woman band and enjoyed the other bands (jazz, rock, and salsa) as well. This is an all-inclusive hotel and the food offerings were amazing. There are five restaurants offering buffet-style dining, a steakhouse grill, a Japanese habachi, plus Mexican, Asian, Mediterranean, and Italian food. Something for every palate and of a higher quality than we've experienced before at all-inclusives. Outside of the hotel, there's a small shopping area across the street in easy walking distance that has a full pharmacy, a Starbucks, money exchange, and some clothing and souvenir shops. A 20-minute walk takes you to a lovely aviary. There's a small charge to enter. We enjoyed seeing a variety of birds, from bright-colored parrots to flamingos and other water birds in a peaceful wooded setting. Another 10 minutes from there and you'd be in town, where there are many shops and restaurants. We enjoyed walking through there though it's quite touristy. Eventually we went off the beaten path and discovered a couple of restaurants frequented by locals that had better food. One standout was Lexi's Comida y Cafe. Delicious lunch and breakfast food with fresh bread every morning. Lastly (but not leastly) I'd like to commend the staff. From check-in to check-out, we were treated to welcoming smiles and friendly greetings, constant offers to be of help, and first class levels of service. I'd like to particularly mention Andres Lupe, Carlos Quintal, and Oscar at The Grill, our concierge Sucel, Yomara at the wonderful spa, and activity coordinators Roberto and Adriana for their friendly outreach and service that went above and beyond. This was our first trip there but will not be our last.

Carlos Quintal in the “grill” restaurant was superb. I observed him meticulously setting up tables that looked absolutely perfect initially. He pandered my sub par Spanish and provided a perfect experience for my spouse and I. Give this man a raise!!

Overall the experience was wonderful. We cannot say enough about Mary-Ann, Alexa, Carlos, and Roberto on how engaging and welcoming they were. They really helped make our experience fun. The atmosphere with so many people from different countries made it fun and interesting. The activities were fun as well. The beach and pools are great except the temperature of the endless pool could be warmer. Our room was amazing and very clean. The food generally was good. My wife has allergies and she limited options is the only issue. However, you did have more gluten free desserts than other resorts we have been to which she loved. In all we enjoyed our stay and will most likely return.