Royal Hideaway Playacar

rachelgA2434NL wrote a review October 2025

Food Poisoning outbreak

My review of the Royal Hideaway is, unfortunately, an overall negative one.
The hotel itself is slightly on the dated side. The check-in process took forever, and wasn’t particularly welcoming. The drinks are absolutely watered down – they barely taste of alcohol, and it got to the point where I couldn’t stomach much more fruit juice and syrup, without actually getting any of the desired effect of the drink. Each villa is supposed to have its own concierge – we only saw ours once in a 10-day stay, which wasn’t terribly helpful when we required assistance for a three-day bout of food poisoning, which I will come to later.
As well as giving us food poisoning, the food here overall is bang average. Do not trust a single other review that says the food here is good – it is not. It is genuinely some of the blandest and least interesting food I have eaten. We didn’t have any difficulty booking into any of the restaurants, as all times were available, but certain restaurants were shut entirely on certain days. The hotel was only at 50% capacity when we stayed. The only food I can genuinely compliment here is the hibachi cooking at the Asian restaurant, and the lunch menu at the Mexican restaurant. Everything else is either completely plain (I was genuinely expecting a bit of Mexican flavour or spice) OR the chef had just learned what a jus or a gel was and decided to splatter it all over the plate in an attempt to be refined. Given that we heard multiple, verbatim, quotes from other (primarily American) guests saying “I mostly only eat meat and potatoes” or “we only eat chicken strips and hamburgers” it doesn’t entirely surprise me that the majority of these reviews consider the food to be mindblowing. It really isn’t, if you have tastebuds.
Before getting to the crux of this review, regarding the food poisoning outbreak, I do have a couple of positives.
• The resort itself is lovely and the beach was in great condition when we went – with almost no seaweed.
• It’s great that it’s adults-only.
• The entertainment and hospitality staff are lovely. Shout out to Alexa and Carlos in the entertainment team, and we eventually received the help of a lovely concierge called Sandra.
• Entertainment is good during the day, with a variety of activities in the pool and classes like tequila tasting, guacamole making, ceviche making, sushi making, cocktail making and painting. I can’t really speak on what it’s like in the evening – mostly because the evening schedule is very clearly catered towards an older, American crowd who prefer to dine earlier – most of the entertainment ran from 8-9pm approx.
My partner and I both suffered severe food poisoning after dining at The Grill (steak) restaurant at the Royal Hideaway Hotel. Within hours, my partner experienced extreme vomiting and diarrhoea, followed by my own illness the next day. We quickly discovered that at least four other guests who had eaten at the same restaurant on the same night also fell ill, AND subsequently discovered a couple of days later, when my partner tried to go to a pre-registered cooking class at the hotel, that all of the other participants (approx. 10 people) signed up to the activity had had to cancel – due to food poisoning. The member of hotel staff running the activity confirmed to my partner that the hotel was investigating the issue, and suspected “a bad batch of meat”.
What made the experience even worse was the hotel’s dismissive and unprofessional response. When I first reported the incident, the duty manager suggested we might just be “unused to the local spices,” and despite assurances that the matter would be investigated, we never heard back. Staff took hours to provide basic assistance, and the restaurant in question remained open even after multiple guests were reported ill. The entire situation reflected a shocking lack of accountability and care — far below what we expected from a so-called five-star resort.
Overall, I cannot in good faith recommend The Royal Hideaway. Upon a bit of further investigation, it does appear to be one of the cheaper resorts in the area, and I think the food, drinks and other amenities reflect this. My advice would be to try and save up a bit more cash and head somewhere where a 5-star rating is actually befitting of the resort.

Date of Stay: October 2025

cathyt101 wrote a review October 2025

Wonderful Resort for the World-Weary

This adults-only resort is quiet, calm and low-key. If you want rest and relaxation, good food, comfortable rooms and beautiful landscapes, this resort is for you. Each building of rooms has its own concierge, and you would be lucky to get Cipriano Malpica. He is warm, professional, knowledgeable and eager to help in any way he can. All the restaurants are good, but we especially enjoyed Azia with its staff of Fernando, Karina, Wilson and hibachi Chef Axel. They are all extremely service oriented and enjoy their jobs. Carlos Quintal in restaurant management knows what he is doing to create an efficient, well run dining room. The bars were not stocked with our favorite liquor (Midori) or Coke (they have Pepsi) but that is our only complaint.

Date of Stay: October 2025

johnwyatt64 wrote a review October 2025

Second honeymoon

Hotel is very good but the rooms are tired and need to be of a better standard.
Staff are friendly and helpful and food selection and quality is good.
The main reception area lift was never working and my wife is disabled and had to use stairs, this was reported but nothing was done.

Date of Stay: October 2025

N9003PYandym wrote a review October 2025

Love the RH!!!!!!!!!!

Just wanted to send some quick notes about our last visit and previous visits, around 10, to RH. Sometimes twice a year. (Sorry for any incorrect spellings).

Valet-Daniel is great. Professional and efficient. Always greeting with a big welcoming smile when we arrive and actually sad to see us go.

Pool Services-Luis (The King), Javier and Eduardo. Always friendly. Rare waits and knowing what we want/need all the time. Non stop. Sea Breezes for everyone!!!!!!!!

Pool Activities, chairs, etc.- Roberto and Alexa. Roberto has really grown so much over the last few years. Engaging with everyone, funny and hands on. Great future. Alexa is new but could not be any sweeter and communicates with all the guests. Alexa remember: Listen, Ask and Educate.

The Deck-Erik and Juan. They are the best. Breakfasts that last hours are truly one of the highlights of our trip. We want for nothing and constantly being looked after. Plenty of food and …………….. ohhhhhhhhhh the bacon!!!!!!!!! Also a new person Jacob. Looks like a manager. Has only been there for about a week or so but to us has an unbelievable future.

Alegria Bar-Kudos to Lorenzo and Russ (Rosie). Could not be more friendly, solid bartender and server with the greatest smile. She just lights up every time we see her.
BLDG 24 Concierge- SUCEL SANCHEZ. To us she is the JEWEL of Royal Hideaway. One of the main and many reasons we do come back. Knows RH as good as anyone but also a truly good person. Like others, she really cares about us but also proud of where she works and those she works with. Can not say enough about her. Sucel always goes above and beyond in everything to make our stay comfortable and enjoyable. From reservations to service she is truly a great asset to the RH. Oh and thanks for making sure Jameson’s is around. 😊

Conclusion. Are there fancier places? Sure. Larger? Sure. More comfortable and accommodating? I doubt it. Thanks to all of those above and those not mentioned, again you make our vacations special. Thank you!

Mary and Rob Elzey
Janet and Andy McGinty

Date of Stay: October 2025

O2625AOroberta wrote a review October 2025

Royal Hideaway Playacar

We had a wonderful and relaxing week at The Royal Hideaway Playacar. The food was good, there are plenty of activities if you want to participate or you can just relax by the pool or the beautiful beach!
One advise is to make sure you book your reservations at the restaurants when you book your stay.
Great place, I highly recommend it!

Date of Stay: October 2025

tntupper wrote a review October 2025
Mebane, North Carolina

8 wonderful days in late October

The staff was amazing and accommodating. The activities were made fun and interesting by Roberto, Alexis, and Carlos. We took classes in sushi making, cocktail mixing, aqua aerobics, tequila tasting- wich were the icing on the cake of the whole trip. All staff were very friendly and professional. Our concierge Gabriella Buente was helpful arranging our dinner reservations and taking care of our mini bar needs.
Carlos Quintal was helpful when several guests saw a local man, who had too much to drink, fall into the ocean waves. We picked him out of the water. Carlos spoke with the man in Spanish and walked him back to his resort a few buildings down the beach. Carlos also helped at the grill (as manageror supervisor), getting drinks, clearing dirty tables, bringing food when servers were busy. He kept the restaurant running smoothly as well as not afraid to get his hands dirty.
Fernando, who we remembered from our stay 3 yrs ago, still giving excellent service at Azia. His friendly smile and demeanor made dinner a great experience.
I really have nothing bad to say about the resort. The room was clean, AC worked well, plenty of hot water. Food was amazing, drinks were plentiful, pool was refreshing, serenity pools were relaxing. We will be back next year.

Date of Stay: October 2025

peterwoj wrote a review November 2025
Thousand Oaks, California

Some good, some bad equals probably not again

If you enjoy a slice of beach with mild waves to float around in this place is ok. The suites are ok and showing their age. Each room of the 3 that I visited were musty and smelled of mold. The repairs that were completed to each of the room gave the place a shabby appearance as they weren't done well.

The food quality was just ok and plan for dinner to take 2-3 hours. This isn't due to the kitchen being slow it's due to the restaurants being very understaffed. I counted more people taking care of the grounds and pools than working in the restaurants.

The team there does minimal upkeep and would really need to look at an overhaul to help bring the splendor that this resort used to have and can still have.

Date of Stay: October 2025

haynesd2017 wrote a review November 2025

Stunning Property

Stunning view, lovely property, relaxing ambiance. Food quality ranges from fabulous to poor depending on the restaurant (there are five). Staff is very attentive. Rooms are quiet. Ambience is conducive for relaxation. Great beach service. We've been to this resort 9 times, six since Barcelo took over.

Date of Stay: October 2025

lcandrusiak wrote a review November 2025

Nice resort great location. Friendly staff. Would like buffet for dinner. Eduardo at the pool was fantastic and Sandra

Nice report enjoyed our stay. Would like buffet option for dinner. Elevator didn’t work during our stay very had if you have mobility issues. Eduardo at the pool is great. Sandra our concierge very helpful. The pool are is great s us the beach.

Date of Stay: October 2025

mehpta wrote a review November 2025

Royal Hideaway Playa Car

Just returned from our 16th visit to this beautiful resort! As wonderful as the resort and view are, we keep coming back for the amazing staff! Ricky Rosas, our concierge, is amazing. Goes above and beyond to make every visit special. The servers around the pool - Javier, Luis, Genaro and Eduardo, have all become good friends of ours. Their service is unbelievable. Roberto and the whole Activities Team are doing an amazing job bringing more events to the resort. All of the servers in the restaurants and at the front gate are all so attentive and courteous. As always, food was delicious, rooms were clean, A/C was on point, and beach and ocean were impeccably clean. We can't recommend this resort enough!

Date of Stay: October 2025

charlesvU3097HZ wrote a review November 2025

Great night out

Went to the Grill last night in part of our 40th Anniversary celebration.
Our food, service and ambiance was exceptional. Carlos Quintal and his team were very fun and made our night very memorable

Date of Stay: November 2025

Tacomabro wrote a review November 2025

Great help from Ricky!

Ricky was a lot of help, from day one he helped us plan some of our activities for the week. Great service from his part. My wife and I would definitely recommend him to others!

Date of Stay: November 2025

Q2945ZPalexisc wrote a review November 2025

Great place to relax

Great place to unwind and just relax. Concierge Ricky Rosas was very helpful throughout our stay. Staff was very friendly.

Date of Stay: November 2025

tonyac843 wrote a review November 2025

Excellent service, gorgeous views

This is our 3rd visit. It wouldn’t be the same without our concierge, Ricky. Whatever we need he takes care of it. The resort is beautiful and the entire staff is friendly. We will continue to come back.

Date of Stay: November 2025

994brooklynh wrote a review November 2025

The most amazing stay in Playa del Carmen.

The hotel is very nice, it has a wonderful beach, of the restaurants they have the Azia is my favorite, the shows they have during the week are few but Michael Jackson’s is good. We had a concierge in the building David Camaleon was the one who assisted me with my dinner reservations and supported me on this vacation, all the staff are very friendly & helpful. I will not hesitate to return on my next vacation.

Date of Stay: November 2025

bradsJ3433VF wrote a review November 2025

Fantastic experience

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to this establishment, which is our third time here. Gabriella, our attentive staff member, managed all our reservations, ensuring a seamless experience from massages and activities to dinners.

Date of Stay: November 2025