Royal Hideaway Playacar

Everything about this property checked our boxes and needs. We came for an adult only stay to relax and "beach out". The accommodations, food and service were as much as one could desire. If you are looking for a lot of night life this is not the place. There is a nice selection of entertainment but most everything is closed by 1am, except for room service. Relaxing, quiet and great pool and beach. Looking forward to our return.

This resort is not 4.5 stars. The resort property is nice and well maintained. The main pool is beautiful, entertainment is so-so. With the exception of the theater shows, the evening entertainment is very boring. Most of the food is good BUT dining at the restaurants averaged 2.5-3 hours. Getting through to room service and wait times were a challenge. The rooms are dated, beds comfortable. The housekeeping was sub-par and a restock in the fridge or in room coffee was almost non-existent. We also encountered two issues with our room that resulted a fall (almost two). Issues were addressed within a day but our sliding glass door was left open by staff and we had a ground floor room. We would not return to this resort. The beach is beautiful but the are better options.

We just left from our 6th stay at Royal Hideaway. I wanted to provide an objective review from the standpoint of someone that’s been frequently. We had a lovely trip, but definitely a few hiccups that leave us wanting to take a break and try somewhere else for a while. The pros: The grounds are beautiful and well kept. The beach is gorgeous and wonderful weather this time of year. The staff truly goes above and beyond to make your trip memorable (shout out to Ricardo and Carlos at the grill, Eduardo at Palazzo, Oscar at Ventanas, Oscar at Spices, Oscar and Axel at Azia, and all the pool guys-Eduardo, Luis, Javier, and Genaro). The service is always wonderful here and is what brings us back each time. The quiet atmosphere is something that we appreciate in comparison to some other larger resorts. The cons: One of the managers, Lorena, is one of the most disrespectful and rude people I have ever had the misfortune of crossing paths with. We had an issue with our rooms air conditioning that was not resolved, and asked to move rooms. The entire interaction with her felt like a game she was trying to win. She was unprofessional and accusatory, combative, and escalated the situation. Quite frankly, working in customer service myself, I have never experienced anything like it, and we almost canceled and moved resorts because of her. We did not feel valued or taken care of, and that’s not a place you want to return to. The other issue this trip was the never ending issue of finding a pool chair. Apparently there are many guests now that are “owners” (timeshare) and they get chairs reserved that now cover over half of the pool area. Our personal belongings were taken and moved after we went in for a few minutes because of the rain, and came back to find that an “owner” had taken our spot. Many “owners” were rude and entitled, and seemed to think it was okay to touch other people’s belongings. It seems management has become disorganized and unhelpful. The rest of the staff is absolutely wonderful, and it’s a shame that management can ruin the reputation of this beautiful hidden gem.

Beautiful resort, romantic, very clean, quiet and relaxing. The food was great. The beach was just perfect. Overall an amazing vacation!

Absolutely wonderful experience. The dining options are varied and so easy to book and readily available. The staff cannot do enough and look genuinely pleased to see you. Our concierge was fantastic sorting all our bookings. The grounds are beautifully kept and spot less as is the beach. Rooms are spacious a little dated in places but that adds to the charm as it gives a colonial feel to your stay. Drinks are fantastic all main brands and all made to order with little to no queuing at the bars. Entertainment is low key but high standard and enjoyable. All in all it has been a fantastic stay we are not the type of people to visit the same place twice but this hotel has changed that and we will definitely look to return in the future.