Royal Hideaway Playacar - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

9666 reviews

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  A great beach vacation!

  I highly recommend Royal Hideaway Playacar for anyone looking for a relaxing vacation. No loud partying. Great grounds. Great beach. Great pools. Room was perfect. Service all over the hotel was exemplary.

  Apr 16, 2025
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  An oasis of refined luxury and tranquility

  5 stars – A flawless escape into refined luxury. From the moment we arrived at Royal Hideaway Playacar, we were immersed in an atmosphere of elegance, tranquility, and world-class service. The attention to detail in every aspect – from the beautifully maintained grounds to the exquisite dining and warm, personalized hospitality – made our stay unforgettable. This is more than a resort; it’s a sanctuary where every moment feels intentionally designed for comfort and serenity. Whether enjoying the beachfront views, relaxing by the infinity pool, or savoring a chef-crafted dinner under the stars, Royal Hideaway exceeded every expectation. Highly recommended for those seeking a truly sophisticated and serene escape.

  Apr 16, 2025
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  Exceptional experience!

  Exceptional service, from dining to the pool concierge, Exal! Exal made sure that we were comfortable as we lounged by the pool and at the beach. He even brought us cool washcloths one afternoon, and we saw him making sure that disabled guests were well taken care of. Our every need was met, and even exceeded, every day. We will return!

  Apr 15, 2025
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  Little gem in Playacar - perfect for a relaxing getaway

  After reading through several reviews, I was a bit nervous about a few things - specifically the comfortability of the rooms and dinner reservations. We did a last minute booking through Costco travel and got a great deal on 5 nights with flights so we took the chance! Overall, we were pleasantly surprised by this resort all-around for this price range. We have done several all-inclusives throughout the years in Mexico - giant resorts, and very small ones too. This one had a small resort feel where you felt right at home and all of the guests were friendly and pleasant. Check-in - We were offered drinks and check-in was a breeze. We made our dinner reservations for the entire stay at check-in. They had a reservation already set up for us at The Grill which we adjusted but it was nice to have that already secured. We were flexible and took later dinner times around 8-8:30 so if you are wanting prime times like everyone else, you might have to be a little flexible. But no issues for us. The rooms - we were in room 2112 and there were no issues with AC at all. There is no concierge in that building - but there is one next door. The rooms were very clean, the bed was comfortable, the pillows were not good at all. Only real complaint. Our housekeeper kept our room nice and clean and stocked for our stay, which was minimal to begin with. Some beers, water, sodas, and a couple snacks. The grounds - beautiful and well maintained. We saw the resident iguanas and agoutis, daily. There are little pools and spots around the resort if you're looking for a private spot for a bit. It's definitely a bit outdated around the resort but it wasn't terrible. The pools were very nice and they are situated right next to the beach which I loved. Many other resorts it's a jaunt to the beach and here you could enjoy the vibe in both spots. Pools were well maintained, several chairs and umbrellas could use replacing, but they did the job. The beach was gorgeous - one of the best I've stayed on. Beautiful sand and no rocks. They do a great job maintaining the sargassum as well. Overall a very clean and well taken care of resort. The pool chair fiasco was a bit of an annoyance. We typically were able to find a couple chairs at some point in the day but they could fit several more chairs around the pool area. I don't mind people saving chairs as this isn't a new concept - they just need more of them. The beach chairs were basic and fine with umbrellas to cover, if needed. The beach typically provided enough shade without them, for us. The food - it was great for what we expected and food is relative. We tried every restaurant but did not hit Spices for dinner. We had lunch there and it was good. After reading reviews I wasn't expecting The Grill to be very good but it ended up exceeding our expectations. I had a very fresh and well cooked piece of salmon and my husband had the steak which was very thin but cooked perfectly and flavorful. We also had the ravioli that were delicious and french onion soup which was good - it's hard to mess up french onion soup. We hit Spices for a la carte breakfast a couple days as well as a for a lunch. The spicy margarita I had there for lunch was the best drink I had the whole trip and the food was good. I had a chile relleno that was not hot - food temperature has been mentioned by other guests so this was unfortunately true for me as well. Everything else, including my husbands enchiladas, were great. Ventanas was good. My husband had beef that was well prepared and tasty and I had chicken that was also cooked perfectly. We had octopus for an appetizer and that was overcooked. The chocolate mouse was great. Azia (Thai) was our least favorite. We did not do the hibachi option and maybe that's great. The food was fine. We had the fried veggie fritters, curry soup, and each had curry dishes. It was average for us. Palazzo (Italian) was our favorite. Bread service was delicious. I had shrimp risotto that was super hot and decadent with the shrimp perfectly prepared and my husband had the parmesan chicken which he loved. All hot and fresh. The desserts were excellent too - chocolate cake and I never pass on a tiramisu. The deck and pool side food was also great. Their wings are awesome and so are the pizzas. Actually my husband had mahi-mahi for lunch that was one of the best things we tasted. So fresh and cooked perfectly. The breakfast buffet was good - excellent omelets of course and a good variety of sides and fruit. Check out their bee hive in the restaurant with fresh local honey - pretty cool. Breakfast at Spices was also great if you want a quiet, a la carte breakfast. We also ordered room service snacks one day and it was great - hummus and nachos. Came fresh and hot. The drinks - our drink choices consist of tequila, beer, and sparkling wine. The margaritas were excellent 90% of the time (on the rocks) - just ask for the tequila you want. The blended drinks were too sweet for me but the blended margs were good for an iceberg. They have a good beer selection so my husband was happy. The sparkling wine was excellent and I had my fair share of delicious mimosas too. Yum! The service - fantastic. We had excellent service everywhere and rarely had to get up to get ourselves anything throughout the day. Of note were Jorge and Eduardo for day service by the pool and beach. Also, Yessica on the Deck and Isis at Spices. All the bartenders at the pool bar were awesome! Carlos was super fun too, handling all the pool entertainment! Restaurant service was also great, sometimes they take a while to start your table but once started, we always had great service everywhere. Also goes without saying - take tip money and tip for great service. I should also note that we did not have a concierge in our room block so we only stopped there once to make a reservation. Can't speak to that experience too much as we mostly helped ourselves. Night-life - there's sometimes live music in different areas. We enjoyed having a cocktail at the sports bar watching some musicians play violin (very good) and sax. We played pool in the pool hall which was fun. Sat outside on the patio for a drink or two which was nice before or after dinner. We didn't participate in a lot of the nightlife but people seem to get into the karaoke (we could hear that one late at night which was the only late night we had) and the Michael Jackson show seemed to be a hit. There's always something for someone if they want. We did go to casino night and it was a total blast. I wish I could remember our dealer's name because she was sooooo fun. Anywho, do that if it's happening while you're there - it's fun. Overall we loved this resort for a quick getaway. We are a couple in our mid-40's and I'd say we were in the younger 1/3 of the resort. It is pretty quiet and not a party type atmosphere. If you want to relax amongst friendly people, sip good cocktails by the beautiful pool or beach, dip into the ocean with soft sand and calmer water, and have lovely dinners before or after having a cocktail at a little bar on the patio - then this is your place. What would make this a 5-star experience - for a 5-star resort: more toiletries in the rooms for convenience (hair conditioner and lotion), more chairs around the pool, updated padding on pool chairs, better pillows, general updates around the resort, atmosphere in the restaurants (mainly the lighting/ambience) food always being well-prepared, fresh, and consistent.

  Apr 15, 2025
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  We Keep Coming Back

  Eight years ago our adult daughter recommended Royal Hideaway and we've now visited four times. We've also visited Imperial Valentine, Sandoz Caracol and The grand Palladium. In our opinion each one is good but Royal Hideaway just fits best for us so unless we're bring kids and grandkids we'll always come back to this resort

  Apr 14, 2025