Royal Hideaway Playacar

Food was great. Carlos Q and Reberto at the Grill were great. The beet salad and grilled surf and turf taco were very good and the Ribeye and Salman were good too. Love the hotel. Smaller resort that has an authentic Mexican vibe to it. Love the bands that play at night in the lobby bar. Met a lot of good people and Pickleball couples. Very nice trip.

We recently visited RH for the second time after a long hiatus. We traveled with friends that we met there 23 years ago. We knew based on reviews and current pricing that this would not be a luxury stay, and we adjusted our expectations accordingly. We stayed for two nights before moving to a resort in Cancun for the second part of our vacation. Our friends stayed for three. There are many wonderful things about this place, and we did enjoy reminiscing about our first stay. However, some very basic requirements just were not met, even considering the price point. The pros: This resort is SO beautiful with lush, well-kept landscaping, beautiful common areas and pools, and stunning sea views. Our room was spacious and very clean, and we thoroughly enjoyed our 3rd floor balcony overlooking the manicured grounds. We also loved the abundance of wildlife including birds, coatis and agoutis that we saw throughout the property. The pool chairs are comfortable, there are plenty of towels, and the sargassum was worked on daily so the beach was surprisingly clean for as bad as some in the area have been. The entertainment staff are hard working, and made pool activities fun and engaging, and poolside servers were competent and professional. We enjoyed cocktails at Bar Allegria, and some of the food was very good— our meal at Ventanas was delicious, and the highlight of our stay with excellent service from Oscar. Unfortunately that was the only food that was palatable besides a nice ceviche from room service. Cons: As many reviews have mentioned, the air conditioning throughout the entire resort is completely inadequate. Our room would not cool below 78 degrees, and had it not been for an extremely powerful ceiling fan, it would have been unbearably close. Restaurants were no better with the AC at Spices completely broken on the one night it was open. We had to ask them to open the doors to take advantage of the breeze coming off the water. Food was also disappointing, with our meal at The Grill being almost inedible— calamari was so hard and chewy that it seemed to have been fried days earlier, mashed potatoes were a pasty, rubbery lump, and our steaks were thin and not even Sizzler quality. Even the lighting was harsh and cafeteria like. Service across the board was extremely lacking to the point of rudeness from bartenders and waiters alike. One morning, when we asked for almond milk for the coffee provided at The Deck, my husband was rudely told, “Waiter”, as in, “That’s not my job”. Similarly, when asking if there would be coffee at the Deck the following day when it wasn’t out at the time it was the previous morning, we were curtly told, “No coffee”. Umm, ok? Waiters regularly had no idea what was in the food (I have a life threatening allergy), items at the buffet were never replenished, and Spices was closed for breakfast and lunch the entire time. One day a certain alcohol would be available, the next, gone. We are social and friendly people who genuinely love to get to know the staff wherever we travel, and we tip well, however all the bartenders acted put-upon and refused to make eye contact when we ordered drinks, and in general, all of the staff seemed overwhelmed and unhappy to be there. Clientele was also not what we expected, with one man spending his entire time at the pool in his boxer briefs hiked up to resemble a banana hammock. I thought maybe his luggage was lost, but alas, no— his bathing suit hung jauntily from his umbrella mere inches above where he was seated in his Pumas. Not one staff member asked him to put it on. All in all, we enjoyed our stay. It was fun to see the first place we ever stayed in Mexico again all these years later. We had perfect weather, relaxed in the Caribbean sun, and nobody needed to cook or clean. If you do visit Royal Hideaway, just remember to pack a good attitude and leave high expectations at home.

Excellent service Quite clean grounds Will be coming back for sure spa was amazing so relaxing and clean

This propoerty is beautiful and well-Maintained! Staff were all friendly and helpful. Food & Beverage was also top notch! We will definitely stay here again.

Location is very good with white sandy beach without rock. The time we visit there were a lot of see weed but we heard it happened for all Cancun and Riviera Maya area. All the restaurant were very good with 3 course à la carte meal. The service is also excellent. Chairs on the beach are easy to find. The ground in the resort is in manicure condition.