Playa Grande Resort & Grand Spa

We were at playa grande last week and as usual we got the best service from our long time friend and server Jose Sanchez. We had been owners since 2003 and had been visiting the resort 1-2 times per year. The property looked beautiful and well taken care of. They were remodeling some buildings but the noise was barely noticeable. Our big group of 13 enjoyed every moment of our stay. Big shout out to Miriam at the pool, she is amazing and always makes us feel right at home.

There was no indication on the booking site or the hotel's website that construction was going on. Loud noise could be heard from the room throughout the day. Could not use the balcony because of the plumes of dust coming from the buildings under construction. Some unpleasant smell occasionally from the construction as well. A/C in the bedroom was very loud. Had to turn it off at night and rely on the one in the living area. Pool chairs have signs on them tied to the frame asking you not to save the chairs with towels or belongings. I saw people flip the sign to the back of the chair. I did that also so I didn't have to rest my head on the hard sign. A staff member came by and flip the sign back onto the chair right in front of my face while I was lining the chair with towels before sitting down. I stayed 2 nights and was charged 3 nights of sanitation tax. I emailed them about it and never got a reply. I called the US number and was told I had to call the front desk, which is a long distance call to Mexican number. Front desk mentioned I checked out at 1pm, which is untrue, the folio statement clearly said I checked out at noon. They were looking at the credit card slip that showed 1pm so apparently their credit card machine is on a different time zone from their reservation system. They said they were busy and would email me back. Never received any reply. Not sure how much more effort I should spend for just US$4+. I guess that's what they are hoping for, that I would drop it if they ignored me. Good location, not too far going to town, within walking distance to many restaurants. Uphill walk back to hotel not recommended though when it's hot. If you order Uber pickup they would not let the driver through the gate, had to walk down to the gate in that case. Drop offs were fine.

They didn’t say anything about the renovations in the hotel on their website when I booked or in any follow up communications. It’s noisy from 830am to 830pm and with dust blowing everywhere. Some of the staff were very rude to us on several occasions. To the point that I felt singled out by the end as some of the things they were rude to us about, other guests were doing the same as us but didn’t get called out for it. My daughter wore a bikini to the restaurant NEXT TO THE POOL and was told to leave. Her bikini was not revealing and I saw other women wearing much more revealing bikinis who were welcomed into the restaurant with big smiles. One morning we went into breakfast right at the opening time and was scolded by two different staff for starting breakfast before checking in with the host stand. They had nobody at the host stand because when breakfast started since they were all in a meeting. We were not the only ones who went in but were the only ones who were given a talking to, making us feel like thieves. We also got stuck behind a locked gate one morning because we thought the path behind it led down to breakfast. The gate was not locked when we went in but it locked behind us and when security came to let us out they were angry, asking how we got in there in the first place, as if me and my 80 year old mother were trying to do something nefarious. It was their own door that hadn’t locked properly and there was no signage indicating it was not a regular guest area, so we got stuck but yet we got blamed for the hotel for their deficiencies. If it was just one incident, I would shrug it off, but we were repeatedly mistreated at this hotel. Some staff were very very nice so it was not across the board but they have some serious work to do. It should be noted that we were the only East Asian family there and I know that travelers from some East Asian areas have a bad reputation. Maybe this was why although it certainly does not excuse the way they treated us.

We try to come to Playa Grande every two years. We love the resort and keep coming back. We get all-inclusive for the first few days and spend out days by the pool with the amazing entertainment team (Amy, Selma, Rodrigo, Eduardo, Humberto, and a few guest appearances from Roberto). They make the day fun with activities like Water Aerobics, Ping-Pong Tournaments, Tequila Voleyball, Blackjack and Poker. They also run the Mexican Fiesta (Mon Night) and Beach Party (Wed Night) which are full of great food and fun entertainment. We have gotten to know the servers and staff here and look forward to coming back. A few buildings are under construction for a remodel but it was still nice by the pool and we enjoyed our week long trip.

Overall had a great time, everyone was so nice and friendly! Big fan of Amy, Jair, Eduardo and Roberto ( he seemed very kind). Food was great and all inclusive was worth it. Pretty much good energy the whole time. Some things that I didn’t realize or know before hand was the fact that there was construction nearby that you can hear clearly but the music covers it somewhat. Along with checking us in later than what we were told ( had to go to front desk a couple times to see if room was ready) and not the most thorough cleaning ( found a big wad of hair on our shower wall). There were also Not a lot of other couples our age (late 20s early 30s) more family’s and people over 50. Just not our preference. You also will have to walk down to order any Ubers or you have the option to pay much more for their taxi/ shuttle service.