Playa Palms Beach Hotel

“Location, beauty, cleanliness, service, maintenance.”

I have been coming to the Playa Palms Beach Hotel for the last 5 years straight to spend the winter. This hotel is located a block and a half away from the exciting 5th avenue and is a beach front hotel. The place is extremely neat, and the garden is always looking great. The staff is friendly and … more

I have been coming to the Playa Palms Beach Hotel for the last 5 years straight to spend the winter. This hotel is located a block and a half away from the exciting 5th avenue and is a beach front hotel. The place is extremely neat, and the garden is always looking great. The staff is friendly and courteous. Everyone speaks English and the managers speak many languages. It has no restaurant, but you can order breakfast, and it is taken to your room. You can seat at the beach and get drinks and food from the neighboring restaurant. They’ll take it to your beach lounge chair. The rooms are spacious. They have a kitchenette, TV, an extra sofa/bed, and a large bathroom with a shower. Most rooms have two closets and plenty of drawers. If you need a Taxi, they’ll call one for you, and it'll be there in minutes. There is a swimming pool and it’s always clean and beautiful. Overall it’s a wonderful hotel.

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“Right in the heart of Playa del Carmen”

The hotel’s location was absolutely perfect, right in the heart of Playa del Carmen with easy beach access. The design and architecture, especially the roofs, really capture the authentic vibe of Mexico, making the stay feel special and unique. The staff were excellent—always friendly and attentive… more

The hotel’s location was absolutely perfect, right in the heart of Playa del Carmen with easy beach access. The design and architecture, especially the roofs, really capture the authentic vibe of Mexico, making the stay feel special and unique. The staff were excellent—always friendly and attentive. One standout feature was the picture-perfect swimming pool with a takeaway in the middle, surrounded by lush greenery that made it feel like an oasis. The boat parked in front of the beach added even more charm to the whole atmosphere. It’s a place full of character and the perfect spot to enjoy everything Playa del Carmen has to offer.

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“We ABSOLUTELY LOVE this place and the value! Very charming!”

I accidentally came across this little hotel looking on maps at another. And I'm glad I did! I'm not sure why anyone would give this hotel a bad review but I guess more people report on bad experiences than good? Anyways, we thoroughly enjoyed our stay from day one, until the day we left. All staff… more

I accidentally came across this little hotel looking on maps at another. And I'm glad I did! I'm not sure why anyone would give this hotel a bad review but I guess more people report on bad experiences than good? Anyways, we thoroughly enjoyed our stay from day one, until the day we left. All staff was very nice, helpful and prompt on everything. Yes, they are a small hotel, so staff times are limited from 8am-8pm but they do have security from 8p-8am. Speaking of security, I read where security gave someone's mom a hard time because the mother wasn't a hotel guest? Well, I see that as security doing there job. On our first day, when we came back to the hotel after 8p, we were stopped and questioned. I didn't take offense, I felt more safe that he wasn't just letting anyone walk around the property. Once he got used to our faces, he would just say hi and didn't bother us again. When we arrived, the check in process was seamless. If you book directly through the hotel website, continental breakfast is included with your stay. But if you want a hot breakfast, you get it (if I remember correctly) for 50% off; which breakfast is only $6 or $7 so yes, 50% off that if you book directly with them. Maintenance: I thought we had a sink issue. I called front desk and maintenance showed up within three minutes. Carlos, the activities gentleman, was very helpful on booking tours for us and crafting them to our needs (as much as he could). He came in on his day off on one day and came in earlier than his shift on another, just to ensure that everything went smoothly for our pickup times. When we first arrived, he helped us with our luggage to our room on the second floor. Oh, for another tour, he walked us to our pick up location. He became our buddy. Rooms: The rooms were clean, bug free. The patio had a table chair and hammock, and a beautiful, peaceful view. Housekeeping: I don't let housekeeping come into my room at any hotel anywhere. But on day three, I allowed her to come in. I had just got done doing dishes but ended up getting something to drink just before I left the room so she could clean without us hovering over her. When we got back, she had washed that one little cup. We only wanted her to change our bedding and sweep the floor (because of the sand) but she completely cleaned everything. Just for clarification, I asked for towels every other day. I just didn't let house keeping in every other day. We aren't gross. lol **There are stations at every entry to the stairways to wash your feet off from sand. There are also shower stations to rinse off before returning to the rooms as well, but those aren't at every stair entryway. No, there aren't elevators. So if you have knee issues, stay on first floor. There are a couple of steps (maybe 5?) to climb just to get into the resort. Just FYI. We stayed on the 2nd floor only because it was hurricane season and I was a little worried since the hotel is right on the beach. But next time, we will come when it's not hurricane season and will be staying on first floor in one of the rooms that open right onto the beach. :) Beach area: For lounge chairs, they are first come, first serve BUT we never had a problem finding some to sit in. Also, they have extra in the corner if none are available on the beach. The staff will get them and set them up for you. As for the sea grass/ sargassum: people who complain about this, need to do their research. The peak time for this is April/May to August but sometimes to October. But it can appear at anytime throughout the year. Staff does clean the beach but sometimes the grass can be so bad that it is hard to keep up with. Boats: yes there are fishing boats that are parked there but most are gone in the morning so you are able to wade in the water at that time. Other than the view, the boats weren't much of an issue for us. Drinks on the beach: there is a bar right next door. The staff from that bar actually walk over with a menu for you to order food or drinks. They then bring the food to you. The location is perfect! It's within walking distance to Walmart or Mega, maybe 10-15 minute walk. It's about a 2-3 minute walk to 5th Avenue (where EVERYTHING is). There is a dive shop (Phantom divers), just up one block (1min walk). My sister in law wanted specialty coffee, so we walked every morning to a coffee shop (Carlota Home Bakery) about a 4 minute walk. Pharmacies are everywhere. One just seconds from the hotel. lol Sorry for the long read but wanted to try to be thorough about our stay here. I loved everything about this small, clean, attentive, very reasonably-priced, charming hotel! We will be definitely be back! :)

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“Excellent value -- nice/cute/clean hotel very reasonably priced.”

Ok, first for reference, I've stayed at hotels at both ends of the spectrum -- Hilton Hawaiian Village in Oahu (luxurious) and a Knights Inn in Cincinnati that would make your skin crawl. So having said that, this hotel is a great value -- clean, good aesthetics (palms trees and tropical plants in… more

Ok, first for reference, I've stayed at hotels at both ends of the spectrum -- Hilton Hawaiian Village in Oahu (luxurious) and a Knights Inn in Cincinnati that would make your skin crawl. So having said that, this hotel is a great value -- clean, good aesthetics (palms trees and tropical plants in the atrium), nice balconies with hammocks and a view of the ocean (all have this nice view) and about 4 blocks from the main tourist avenue -- all at a very reasonable price versus AirBnB or the big resorts. No, it does not have an elevator (do you really need an elevator to go up 2 flights of stairs???). Yes, the 2nd and 3rd floors have gentle circular staircases (NO, they are not metal and are NOT difficult to walk up). And yes, the tourist boats do anchor in front of the beach -- you're not going to wade into the ocean here -- but that applies to many of the beach-front hotels in this part of the city. What it does have is very charming, clean, updated rooms (marble countertops) with kitchenettes and refrigerators, nice TV's (I watched Netflix while my wife was getting ready), very roomy balconies (just like the pictures), and very pleasant/helpful staff (yes, reception does close at 8 pm). I found the pictures to be completely representative of the hotel and was very happy with the balance between luxury and reasonable nightly rates. I highly recommend this hotel if you're not in an All-Inclusive mindset -- spend the extra money on fun meals/drinks on the tourist avenue, then come back to your room and relax in the hammock and listen to the ocean. Oh, if you have a rental car, get a LOT of coins (pesos) -- like every other place in this part of the city, the only parking is on the street and you have to feed the meter from 10 am to 10 pm, in 6 hour increments.

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