Royal Hideaway Playacar

Beach, pool and grounds The beach at this hotel is absolutely stunning and probably one of the best we’ve had on a holiday. It is wide with white sand and beautiful blue water. Yes, the sargassum was an issue some days but the hotel can’t be blamed for this and they worked constantly to keep the beach clean. You could still access the sea even on days there was more seaweed. There were almost always beds available on the beach and there was waiter service, however we found this to be much slower than at the pool. The vendors did get a bit annoying at times but were easy enough to ignore. The infinity pool was our favourite place during the day, however we did have to get up early to reserve beds. As many other people have mentioned, a large amount of beds are reserved for people who hold a time share or are repeat visitors, but a lot of these people either never appeared at the pool or wouldn’t appear until midday, making it unfair on other guests. Waiter service was usually quick. We found the temperature of the infinity pool to be fine, but the other pool to be like a bath. The relaxation pools are also nice if you want a quiet few hours but there is no waiter service. The grounds of this hotel are truly beautiful and excellently maintained by their staff. People describe the hotel to be ‘dated’ however we thought it was quite refreshing seeing all the traditional, colonial designs they have kept such as the paintings and carpets, compared to some of the bland, overly-modern hotels you see now. Room While the rooms are slightly outdated, they fit in with the general decor of the hotel and it did not bother us at all as we were barely there. The housekeeping team were great, cleaning the room once or sometimes twice a day to a high standard. The king size bed was also very comfortable. The only slight issue we had was the waterfall shower wasn’t working on the night we arrived, but it was fixed the next morning. Food and drink Our favourite meal of the day on holiday is breakfast and the Deck did not disappoint. We were both huge fans of the bacon (proper American bacon that we can almost never find at home in Scotland), French toast and omelette station. They also had a great spread of yoghurts, pastries and fresh fruit. We always ate lunch at the Deck or ordered the food to our beds which we enjoyed, particularly the crispy chicken and the quesadillas. Now, probably my biggest complaint about the hotel would be despite their food quality, the size of the Deck. It is their main restaurant, where the majority of guests eat breakfast and lunch and there simply is not enough seats. Unless you eat breakfast early and have a late lunch, you almost always have to wait 10-15 minutes for a table. I would recommend extending the restaurant as people don’t want to wait to eat on holiday. We found dinner at the hotel to be quite hit or miss. The best restaurants for us were Ventanas (Mediterranean) and Azia (Oriental), and the other restaurants didn’t even come close. The picaña, lamb shank and brownie at Ventanas were to die for, and our favourites at Azia were the yakimeshi, pad thai, green curry and teppanyaki. We ate at these two twice during our stay, and only once at all the others. We actually went out for dinner one night to avoid having to eat elsewhere in the hotel. Palazzo (Italian) was mediocre. When it comes to Spices and the Grill - don’t waste your time. Our main course was good at Spices however my birria tacos to start were chunks of fat inside a soggy tortilla. The hotel is aware of the issues at the Grill, and it became the common opinion among guests that it was the worst place to eat. We had to send our steaks back due to how they had been cooked and considered leaving before they were brought back out due to the quality of the meat. I don’t understand this though as the steak in the other restaurants is great quality. A shame as we both thought the steak house would be our favourite. We found the wine to be drinkable and there were good spirits on offer but the stand out were definitely the frozen cocktails, including pina coladas and strawberry daiquiris. Entertainment We actually considered changing our hotel a few weeks before arriving as we read other reviews saying there is no entertainment and the hotel is like a ‘retirement home’. We found it to be anything but. Yes, the hotel is absolutely relaxing and not your wild environment you’d expect to see at the Riu and Hard Rock hotels etc, however there was a great amount of entertainment on offer. Everyday, there was a quiz or bingo, aqua gym and another activity. At night, there were several different activities including casino night, live music, silent disco and theatre shows but our absolute favourite was karaoke (which the other guests learned quickly about us 😂). We met some fantastic people at the hotel from England, the US and Canada who probably all played a big part in our experience at the hotel. We were definitely two of the youngest people there but we had a great time and did not get bored once. Marianna and Alexa on the entertainment team were great. Staff We learned very quickly that Mexican people are a very friendly bunch and this included the vast majority of hotel staff. I wish I could remember names however the concierge staff were very helpful with any small problems we had and great for booking excursions. As mentioned above, the entertainment team and housekeepers were also great. We found the service at the Grill to be poor but other than that, all the bar and restaurant staff were helpful and friendly. Things to do We would highly recommend a trip to Tulum, cenotes and snorkelling with turtles, as well as a trip to Xcaret park. Our excursions were our two favourite days of the trip and they are easy to book with the concierge or excursion rep. Overall, we had a great 10 day trip and met some lovely people at this hotel. While the hotel felt like more of a 4 star due to a few small things letting it down, we definitely made it a 5 star experience and might return in future.

We had a wonderful week-long stay at Royal Hideaway and couldn’t have been more pleased with the experience. From the moment we arrived, the service stood out—attentive, professional, and consistently friendly. Big thank you to Lorena. Every request was handled quickly and with a smile. The food was another highlight of our stay. There was a great variety across the restaurants, with high-quality ingredients and well-prepared dishes that made each meal something to look forward to. The facility itself is beautiful and well maintained. The grounds are clean, elegant, and relaxing, creating a perfect atmosphere for unwinding. Rooms and common areas were comfortable and very convenient. Alexsa and Marianna bring a lot of fun with water gym and beach activities. Overall, Royal Hideaway delivered a truly excellent experience. Great service, good food, and a lovely facility made for a memorable and relaxing week. We would absolutely return and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a refined and enjoyable stay.

The beach here is off the charts - and we are beach people and spent most of the day on the beach - beautiful white large sandy beach with swimmable water. Always found a lounger - unlike the pool which we didn't use much as it was small with limited loungers which were ALWAYS occupied. The only downside to the resort - so just note this if you are a pool person - vs beach. Clean all around - rooms (spacious and nicely decorated), beach, pool, restaurants, bathrooms...etc no complaints at all. Any sargassum was removed even though it kept washing onto the shore. Workers tried their best to keep ahead of it. Overall the seaweed was not a problem for us. Dinning here is fantastic, Italian, Thai, Mediterranean and Mexican - true 5 course meals professionally cooked. Variety, presentation and food quality was excellent. We did not have a bad meal during our 7 day stay.

Very nice resort! The staff were welcoming and accommodating. Carlos Quintal showed exceptional hospitality at the Grill.

nice resort, styling a little dated, food excellent, shortage of pool chairs overall nice vacation destination.