September 7, 2022First time at this resort with my wife to celebrate my birthday. We’ve heard great reviews about this property. Price point is a bit lower than some of the other resorts in Cancun, but nonetheless a 4-diamond award definitely means something in my book thanks to AAA.
The Royal Hideaway Playacar definitely has its own level of charm and luxury. The resort is relatively smaller than then ones we’ve visited in the past, but that came as a big plus in our experience. Adults-only means less crowds, less kids running around, and less noise overall. The resort is gorgeous! Decors scream simplicity and elegance, accenting nature’s perfect backdrop of white sand and turquoise waters.
Talk about a vacation getaway, this is the perfect place to go. There’s plenty of places to lounge, relax, and get your Caribbean vibe on. Because this is a smaller resort, getting from the lobby to your room, to the restaurants, means a short relaxing walk and not having to wait for a golf cart so you can cruise through buildings upon buildings of seemingly endless hotel rooms.
Service is phenomenal. At the lobby, we were greeted with some treats and sparkling wine. No lines whatsoever. They’ll come to you as you are seated comfortably and get the check in process done in no time at all. Then, they’ll take you to your room with virtually no delay. There’s also pleasant scent on the lobby that smells vaguely of incense that makes it hard to forget.
Our room was spacious with a decent sized bathroom and an outdoor veranda. Everything smelled clean and fresh with complimentary treats and a refrigerator filled with all kinds of refreshments. Shortly after, we were greeted by our very own concierge who is very willing to help us and answer our every question. Now that’s great service. Housekeeping staff were all very friendly and do a commendable job each time. We were even asked how often we want our room cleaned to best meet our schedule.
This is the first time we booked an all-inclusive resort and went out without paying $$$ for those expensive excursion packages. Playa Del Carmen is awesome especially at the resort area. Getting to Quinta Avenida (5th Avenue) is a 20–30 minute walk, and much shorter by bicycle. The place feels very safe during the day and there’s always people jogging, walking or riding their bikes. Bicycles are available at the resort for their guests to use. You can take them outside the resort but be very careful not to get them stolen. I think there’s a $100 fine for each “stolen” bike. They provide you with a lock to secure your bike outside the resort. Our only complaint is that the bicycles are old and not in good condition. The seats wobble, no tools are available to adjust the height of the seats. Plus, they don’t have hand brakes. You have to pedal backwards to stop the bicycle. Message to Royal Playacar: Considering how cheap bicycles are, I think they’re worth the upgrade considering the comfort and safety of your guests.
The resort has one main pool, with maybe 2 or 3 smaller pools. Some of the smaller pools are heated and bubbles like a jacuzzi. Pretty chill to stay in there under the palm trees and enjoy the shade from the hot Mexican sun. We call it our “introverting” time and we love that a lot.
Now for the food. One of the main reasons my wife and I travel a lot is to find great culinary discoveries. We’ve been to resorts that we consider “culinary giants” like Hotel Xcaret and The Grand at Moon Palace with much higher price points. Admittedly, we set our expectations low thinking Royal Hideaway Playacar might not meet our gluttonous desires, but thankfully we were dead wrong!
During our 5-day stay at the resort, we were able to book a reservation for each of their restaurants. Dinner reservations are required, and you can’t have multiple reservations per night unlike bigger resorts where you can simply walk in, give them your room number, and enjoy. This resort focuses on ala carte dining with restaurants like Spices (Mexican), Ventanas (Mexican/Caribbean), Azia (Asian), Pallazo (Italian) and The Grill. Only buffet option is breakfast time at Spices.
The food is definitely a high 4 out of 5. Service is good but could be a little faster especially at Spices. Food quality and presentation is spot on. ALL seafood items are exceedingly fresh. Catch of the day, superb! We’ve had red snapper, mahi-mahi and seabass. What stands out was our experience at Azia.
We had a late reservation for Azia at 9:30pm because of our little side trip to Tulum. Since we got back earlier than planned, we asked the concierge at the lobby if we can come in earlier. Azia accommodated us and for some reason we were seated in a private room. Large table with Japanese style seating. Great ambience. Alejandro was our server that night and he has given us THE BEST service by far. He was super attentive to our needs and even anticipated them before we ask. Thanks Alejandro! The food at Azia is a 5 out of 5. My wife and I are both Asians. Of all the all-inclusive resorts we went to, Azia at the Royal Hideaway Playacar was able to pull off authentic Asian flavors from the amazing Tom Yum soup packed with flavor and spicy coconut milk, to different offerings like Pad Thai, Green Chicken Curry, Hibachi Beef Steaks, and Catch of the day with Sichuan sauce. We have such high praises for the food that Alejandro invited Chef Victor to chat with us. We called him a fake Mexican (no offense intended) because not a lot of Mexicans can create such a delicate balance of flavors that only those who have eaten a lot of good Asian dishes can appreciate.
At the end of great meals are decadent desserts fit to pleasure your palate to a climactic ending. While all of the different desserts we’ve tried are all great, the one that stood out for us was the Chocolate mousse at Spices. Thankfully you can have them at lunch too, so you don’t need a reservation to try them. Breakfast and lunch are only available at The Deck and Spices. The rest are dinner only restaurants.
Nightly entertainment is great but more suited for the 30+ crowds in our opinion. Nothing wrong with that but for guests who need a more Cirque de Soliel type entertainment with costumes, loud music and dancing, you might find it a little sedating. They used to have a dinner theater where you can order food while enjoying the show. Now, you can only order drinks.
Overall, we had a very fun time at this resort! Royal Hideaway Playacar really surpassed our expectations especially when it comes to our insatiable appetites. Service is top notch, and we love how there’s a concierge attending to our every need. Even brought us sparkling wine, cake, chocolate covered strawberries and a handwritten note for my birthday. Highly recommended.
