Royal Hideaway Playacar

This is my second visit to The Royal Hideaway. I truly had a great time. The staff are all friendly and go the extra step to ensure your well taken care of. I would like to recognize Irene who served us breakfast at the Deck. We were delighted to see her again on our second visit. I would also like to recognize Charli Zapata who works at Azia. He remembered our favorite drinks with out asking us which truly shows his attention to detail. Also he was very hospitable. We did have a minor incident at the hotel were our AC started leaking but the front desk team/concierge arranged a new room. These things happen but we were taken well care of which this didn’t impact our stay in any negative way. I will definitely be back for a third visit as The Royal Hideaway is truly a classic luxury resort.

Disappointed would be my main reaction to this hotel. The setting and buildings are beautiful but the actual guest rooms are dated and needing work. The restaurants are also lovely although the food could be better. The main issue is inflexibility around booking and very slow service during meals. Buffet service isn't available at all in the evening and the room service menu isn't too good. It can be difficult to get enough bottles of water and cans of soft drinks delivered to the rooms - very necessary in a hot climate where the water isn't drinkable! Several times we ran out of water. A major issue which has been commented on many times before is the unavailability of loungers at the pools. Goodness knows how one gets one of these - all are either 'reserved' or left empty for hours waiting for guests to return with nothing being done by staff to remove towels etc. Having been to Mexico many times before I wouldn't return to this resort as there are many much better and either cheaper or of a similar price.

I have given the rating I have because overall we enjoyed our holiday in Mexico iva British Airways, however, there are several things to point out. Food and ambiance in all the restaurants is very good and a great choice. The major problem is that you HAVE to book (there is no buffet) and to get a time that isn't the last sitting of the day you have to book at least a week in advance. I emailed the hotel in advance as it was my husband's 70th birthday whilst we were there. This was acknowledged btw but all he got was "Happy Birthday" written on a plate in chocolate with a bite sized cake - nothing else! The other bog issue at this hotel which absolutely everyone had issue with were the sunbeds. Unless you were in the Presidential Suite or a VIP you had to get up before 5:30am to get a sunbed as they were all reserved by 6am on behalf of the elite. New arrivals were turning up every day after 7am and could not get a seat unless they were happy to sit down on the beach where the beds were lower quality and lacking in the same sort of service from waiting staff. The hotel overall is somewhat tired and although the staff worked tirelessly all day and the grounds were truly stunning, the tiles in the pools were old and coming off. Entertainment was good and the theatre was excellent and although the sea was full of seaweed (no fault of the hotel of course) the beach was a great walk and sunrise beautiful. Each "Villa" has a concierge who is there to assist. Unfortunately, on the day we were leaving (at 4pm) we got no help whatsoever is getting to keep ours or obtain another so had to get ready to leave by 1pm and just sweat it out despite offering to pay whatever we could we were told "no"

We had a great time again this year the location and the resort are beautiful. The staff was always friendly and attentive. Our concierge Alberto was outstanding he handled all of our needs with professionalism and promptness. If you are looking for a resort that is beautiful and peaceful with great food this is where you want to go.

The reason we return is the staff. The restaurant manager, Victor, went above and beyond to make us feel valued and cared for. Also our concierge, Armondo, added extra touches and checked in with us daily to make sure we had what we needed. The pool waiters continue to be the heroes of this resort- ever attentive and remarkably remembering us from previous visits- specially Louise, Gennarro, and Javier continued to make us feel like family and are a main reason we keep returning.