Royal Hideaway Playacar

My wife and I just returned from a week at the Royal Hideaway and are looking at when we can go back. This was my first time on the east coast of Mexico after nearly 2 decades of vacationing on the west coast. Mostly Puerto Vallarta. I didn't know what to expect because the resort has mixed reviews but was pleasantly surprised. The staff was excellent. Thank you Fernanda, Miriam, Aurelia and Aurellio! This is a Adults only resort but we did see a couple with 2 very well behaved teenage girls (best gues is 16+). It seems like the resort guests are mainly English speakers. Americans, Canadians and British with a few Spanish speakers. The staff speaks English fairly well with several being completely fluent. Fernando told us she took lessons and watched a LOT of Friends on TV.! I will echo what some of the other requests stated. The AC is marginal in the rooms but my wofe and i had no problems sleeping after the first night. If you expect a 65° F room 100 percent of the time then you will need to look elsewhere. We found that after a day of laying by the pool and doing the activities on the resort the room was cool and refreshing. We would also recommend that you email the resort prior to you arrival with your dinner reservations for the various restaurants. We only did the first part of our week and had to eat when they had openings rather than our preferred times. Thank you again Fernanda for helping us out there. In summary, this is a nice resort with good amenities at a decent price point. If you are expecting Waldorf Astoria service then yous should probably look elsewhere. If you are looking for a nice resort with a competent staff who enjoy their jobs then this is a good choice

Many times here and never disappointed This may have been the best trip here yet. Only downside was the sargassum, and your resort cleaned up the beach as best you can

We really enjoyed our stay at Royal Hideaway Playacar. It’s a beautiful, smaller, peaceful resort with a more mature crowd. The grounds are lovely, the beach has plenty of loungers, and we appreciated that there are no wristbands separating guests by what they paid. The biggest issue was the sargassum. We know it’s a natural problem, but cleanup was inconsistent and there was often no clear path into the ocean. At one point, a dead animal was decomposing in it, covered in flies and maggots. We also met a guest who stepped into it, experienced burning, and later developed blisters. We can't say what caused that, but it was concerning. Beach vendors were also very persistent, approaching us every 5–10 minutes. A vendor-free section of beach or designated vendor market would allow guests to relax without constant interruptions. Food was good but not exceptional, and we've had better elsewhere. Dinner requires reservations and restaurants aren't all open every night. Vegan options are limited, but Chef Carlos Chay went above and beyond to accommodate me. Carlos Quintal, a restaurant manager, was also incredibly kind when I became sick during our stay. Our concierge was nice, but communication was inconsistent. A simple update when she was still working on a request would have helped. The fitness center was excellent, and we especially enjoyed the karaoke and circus-style show. Menus in additional languages would also be helpful for the many international guests. Special thanks to our housekeeper Adelfina—we left her a $20 tip when she was off on our last day and hope she received it! We loved the resort and would consider returning. If I hadn't experienced better resorts, I'd give it five stars. There is a lot to love, but I genuinely think Royal Hideaway can do better.

This was my 2nd time to stay at this resort. Again, we loved this resort and would stay here again. The only thing that I want to recommend for people who are going to stay here is get lots of pesos for tips. Front desk doesn't keep small bills if you want to exchange your $$. We missed giving some tips to the staff because of this.

Awful Hotel the biggest swimming pool was green for 4 days and the food was really below average. The worst buffet restaurant I have ever been to. Really disappointed with our holiday.