Papaya Playa Project

“Papaya Playa @ NYE”

We had a wonderful stay at PPP for New Year’s Eve. The property is located right on the northern edge of the beach road which is quieter than the south, with a great beach club and venue for DJ sets in the evening. Ariane in particular was very pleasant and helpful in booking last minute reservatio… more

We had a wonderful stay at PPP for New Year’s Eve. The property is located right on the northern edge of the beach road which is quieter than the south, with a great beach club and venue for DJ sets in the evening. Ariane in particular was very pleasant and helpful in booking last minute reservations. Would definitely be coming back!

less

“Staff is the reason for 5star”

Would have given it a 3star as a hotel overall but the staff was one of the best you could get and specially Ariane is the reason we giving it a 5star thank you for being so helpful and making our experience the best in the hotel and would definitely come again for the experience.

“Not worth the $$”

So much hype on this resort that we wanted to check in out ourselves. Family of 3 stayed here 6 nights. Upon arrival we were greeted by security who directed us where to park. We were than greeted by another gentleman who assisted us with our luggage. Reception desk is located in a hut setting wh… more

So much hype on this resort that we wanted to check in out ourselves. Family of 3 stayed here 6 nights. Upon arrival we were greeted by security who directed us where to park. We were than greeted by another gentleman who assisted us with our luggage. Reception desk is located in a hut setting which is kinda cool. Angel was assisting us without our check in. He was great. New to the property himself. We were there early so our room wasn’t ready. So, we walked around and ate at the restaurant which had the best view in the resort, overlooking the beach. Drinks were kinda watered down but oh well. Received a text at 3pm our room was ready so headed over to the reception hut. While we waited a gentleman was there complaining how he had sent messages via whatsapp 3 hours go for some assistance and no one has responded. There were two other employees at the reception desk who didn’t even move to assist him, so we were a little confused. Angel assisted him and then got us checked in. All guest communication is done via whatsapp but didn’t sound like the staff were responding to the txt messages promptly. We got to our room which was a very rustic feeling room with a tree branch that gave me the Flinstone vibes. Room was gorgeous and different. Shower is located behind your bed, but the divider bar is high enough to give you some sort of privacy if you have kids sharing the room with you. Outdoor pool located is useless, as it was dirty with tree branches and leaves, water was cold, and it is in the shaded area so zero chance for warm swim unless you enjoy a cold plunge. I read reviews of room being dirty but ours was clean. Had two robes, mini fridge, towels, and all amenities. There are food nooks outside/inside so you can place your dirty dishes from room service, but you must be very careful to close it well to avoid racoons getting inside your room. Few reviews complained about this, but this can be avoided with some attention. We waited an hour for our luggage no one came so we walked back to the reception and were told the person who was supposed to deliver your luggage left for the day. Glad we walked back to check if not we would be waiting for a while ! Restaurant service is good. Food is yummy but limited. The entire stay they were out of Fish, so no fish tacos, fish, or chips which was odd. Beach club service was ok, we had Otto and Antonio, and both were awesome and hardworking. Made sure we had everything we needed while lounging at the beach. They do run out of towels or things to cover the cabanas. Which again was odd. Cocktails were so watered down that we opted for wine. Every Saturday the resort has a party and there are over 100+ people that come to attend it and it gets crazy busy and loud. Music goes on thill 3am and who can hear it. There are SO MANY staff on this resort but surprisingly the service is VERY SLOW. Slow enough to test your patience. We went out of the resort to dine most of the time. You are 5min walk to some awesome restaurants on the strip with good drinks and food. The resort itself is beautiful, the jungle vibe, early morning Yoga classes, disconnecting form technology was perfect for the mental health. WIFI and network is very weak here. They have it but it is weak. Walking around this resort gives you a blissful feeling which I loved. The have gratitude trees everywhere, peacocks walking around, iguanas chilling but nothing too scary. Our room was closer to the restaurant etc so we didn’t have to walk far to get to places. It is dark when walking around so can get a little scary. The resort amenities are worn out and need some attention so from the other reviewers, I agree for the price you pay to stay here you expect quality which this place lacks. If you don’t like wildlife or to be disconnected this place is not for you. Not sure if I would return to this property, I liked it but it needs improvements.

less

“nice place - but also frustrating”

The hotel itself is very nice - rustic fancy tulum style - cozy and quiet - without the druggie party feelings that are so common in tulum.... but this hotel is also lacking some of the basic hotel management things that you would think would be pretty easy for a hotel of this cost. This was our s… more

The hotel itself is very nice - rustic fancy tulum style - cozy and quiet - without the druggie party feelings that are so common in tulum.... but this hotel is also lacking some of the basic hotel management things that you would think would be pretty easy for a hotel of this cost. This was our second time at the hotel - we retuned because our first experience was magical - but some things definitely need tightening up... I don't really blame the staff - it's clearly a management issue. There is a HUGE staff - most of whom seem to be sitting around doing nothing - or breathing in the wood smoke that the hotel insists on burning by the checkout area(seriously - after the insanely long checkin process - you will smell like you went camping) The hotel is ravaged at night by racoons - they can smell food - and they are certain to come on your terrace (or even open the sliding door if it's not locked) in search of dinner. The rooms do provide a tiny "nook" to put your dirty room service dishes in - and yet they don't come pick them up (even if you text them that you've put the dishes there) - so you're certain to be woken up in the middle of the night by racoons searching your leftovers and making an absolute racket) Toilet paper was not replaced - leading us to ask them for more - which inexplicably took 45 minutes. That wait was too long, so I headed to the common restrooms closer to the restaurant - which were also missing toilet paper. One of the guys that cleaned our room took at least an hour to sweep the tiny terrace (which was not especially dirty), but didn't replace the filtered water or the toilet tissue. The rooms are rustic - yes - but rustic doesn't have to mean absolutely dirty. I don't think mopping has to be done every day - but at least before a new guest checks in... the hammocks are absolutely filthy - ours smelled like cigarette smoke. Unless you get up early - the hotel coffee bar will be out of most of their delicious juices and milk alternatives by 10. Yoga is ostensibly each morning - unless the instructor decides not to show up... the food is good - but i seem to remember it being much better. Fries crispier, juices less sweet, and it seems they've started adding oil and other strange things to the guacamole(calamari? why??) The staff is friendly - but not particularly helpful. Also curiously lots of the staff is from Argentina. not a bad thing, i just found it odd. i won't say i had a bad experience - but it could have been SO MUCH better - with just a little more attention to important details. won't stay here again.

less