Royal Hideaway Playacar

We visited Royal Hideaway Playacar for the first time for 10 days fromMay 24th to June 3rd. As usual, I did my research and my expectations were met. We were able to make all our dinner reservations online the week before we left - that was really special. We celebrated our anniversary on the 25th at Palazzo and had a special anniversary dessert. Our room was 2518 and close to the beach as well as the lobby. The room was large with lots of storage and very clean. Yes, the A/C was a little light but by closing the bathroom doors and keeping the fan on during the day, we were cool enough. Happy to say that we had no flooding, water issues at all. Room was always immaculate every day. Yes, a little dated but comfortable. The gardens and water areas all over the resort were truly beautiful and so well kept. We felt there was enough happening during the day if you wanted to participate. Loved the sax and violinist by the pool. The water aerobics at noon was energetic and lots of people participated. We missed some of the evening entertainment that started pretty early while we were at dinner. Lots of great live music at the Allegra bar. Really enjoyed the Mexican fiesta dinner show - one of our favourite evenings. We really enjoyed the food and presentation here. Loved the ocean view from the deck at breakfast and lunch, along with the cool breeze. Spices was closed for most of the week but the Grill offered a la carte as well as small buffet. Our favourite dinner was the short rib at Ventenas. Also enjoyed the pianist there. One thing we missed was a lobby bar. The lobby area was quite nice but a waste of space in my opinion. If we had been with a group of friends, there really was nowhere to get together and sit for a before dinner drink. Yes, there was a bar in each restaurant with very limited seating. I think the resort was about at 50-60% capacity so if it was full, it would be a different story. We also felt that the lobby restaurants were uncomfortably warm for dinner. The pool chair reserving was another fail for us. We had no problem finding a chair around the pool around 9:00 am but again, if it was full, it would have been difficult. Most of the reserved chairs stayed vacant until 11:00. Also, there were days that they would not allow the umbrellas to be put up due to wind. There is no shade whatsoever without the umbrella. For that reason we often went back to our room and sat out on our patio. WiFi was good for the most part - got kicked off now and again but no problem staying connected. We really enjoyed this laid back and relaxing resort. We met some fun and interesting people which only enhanced our experience. Servers at the Deck got to know what we liked and always showed up with a smile. Please tip - we saw so many instances where no one even left a dollar. Can’t give a 5* but a solid 4.5 in our opinion and we would return. Rob and Kathy from Canada

Absolutely amazing hospitality and attention from the staff. We wanted to find a place to stay where we felt truly looked after and don't regret staying at the Royal Hideaway one bit. If any of the management reads these reviews, please commend Sr. Carlos Quintal for his outstanding service and attitude towards us as guests. I could tell he took immense pride in his work and care for guests. If we find ourselves booking a trip in the Yucatan again, Royal Hideaway will be our first choice. Agradecido por la hospitalidad.

Stay was pretty good. Food was ok- but still leaps and bounds better than other Barceló properties. The restaurants were all very hot inside. There weren't enough pool chairs that weren't "reserved".

Small and quiet place to relax and enjoy great food and service. Beach was kept up as much as possible due to the sargassum. Staff is awesome and sincerely cared about customers.

Loved my solo trip to this hotel - couldn't fault a thing. The staff were excellent - polite, helpful and attentive. The premises were highly maintained all day long. I had a wonderful concierge, Sarahi, that took the very best care of me. The entertainment staff were high energy, positive and motivating. The food was very good with great variety. Loved the night time shows. I highly recommend this resort for peace, relaxation and recharging batteries, whilst being made to feel like royalty.