Royal Hideaway Playacar

Barry Morehead

My wife and I stayed here last month for 8 nights. We will definitely be back. The price was very reasonable and some reviews were not great so we arrived expecting something average. I'm pretty high maintenance but we were pleasantly surprised! The staff and service was amazing. The grounds were beautiful (and constantly being groomed). The food was better than expected and plentiful. The drinks were also better than expected. I am impressed that there is a decent selection of nicer liquors included in the complimentary food and beverage. Our room was spacious and very nice. The view from our room was disappointing but we didn't pay for the grand view and we spent most of our time out by the pool and beach anyway. The view from the pool was outstanding. The Wifi worked well at the pool so we worked out there on days that we needed to get some work done. We hardly left the property during our time there. Everything we needed to relax and enjoy was right there. We're already looking at the calendar for when we might be back.

Vergil W.

This was our second trip to Royal Hideaway Playacar, and somehow it managed to be even better than our first. Returning felt like coming home — the staff remembered us, greeted us warmly, and made us feel just as welcome and cared for as the very first time. Once again, the service across the resort was outstanding. Every staff member we encountered was professional, friendly, and genuinely dedicated to making our stay perfect. The food continued to impress us — Spices, Las Ventanas, Grill were fantastic again — and the overall atmosphere of the resort remains one of the biggest reasons we came back. A very special shoutout to Alexa and Carlos, who truly elevated our trip. Their energy, kindness, and enthusiasm made each day memorable. Whether it was morning activities, poolside fun, or evening entertainment, they consistently went above and beyond. You can tell they care deeply about the guest experience, and their positive attitude made such a huge difference. We also want to recognize the rest of the entertainment and activities team — including several amazing staff whose names we didn’t catch — for creating an environment where we never felt the need to leave the resort. There was always something enjoyable to do. Pool chair management continued to be excellent, the beach was beautifully maintained with minimal seaweed, and the resort grounds were as stunning and peaceful as ever. Our room was spacious, clean, and comfortable, providing the perfect retreat at the end of each day. Overall, this second visit reaffirmed why Royal Hideaway Playacar has become one of our favorite places. Outstanding staff, amazing food, top-tier diving, and a welcoming environment that makes relaxation feel effortless. We’re already looking forward to our third trip — because once you experience this level of care, it’s hard to imagine going anywhere else.

Carol Ferraz (Carol)

It was a great experience overall; my husband and I were greeted with a bottle of sparkling wine and some coconut bites. The room wasn’t thoroughly clean when we got there (some purple shampoo in the shower and minor permanent stains in the sheets), but we are not picky, so we let it go. What I really like was that each “villa” had its own concierge: ours was Sucel, a lovely lady who helped us, heard our feedback, and made us feel “taken care of”. Be mindful that the resort is very dated. It’s like “luxury European”. The music choice for the common areas and some restaurants was definitely made for a more senior audience. The beach chairs and beach front view were simply AMAZING: you get a god given view a few steps away from your room; clean sand every morning (well, at least that’s what I’ve noticed every morning), clean chairs, and all chairs have a shade umbrella for extra protection —which my husband appreciated. I would say that the beach service wasn’t that great though: they had one server for all the guests. That wasn’t enough to attend to everyone promptly, I’d say. The pool was ok, but no one told us you have to book the lounge chairs ahead of time. So if you want to chill by the pool, make sure to ask your concierge about it. The restaurants are not 5 stars FOR SURE. Our tops were the Italian restaurant and the one above the breakfast buffet (don’t recall the name. Oddly enough, the Mexican was the worst, followed by the Ventanas (food was not good, and the restaurant has a very weird vibe).

Emily Roddy

The location of the resort was amazing, pool and beach areas were beautiful. Staff was very friendly and fun, plus they made great drinks. Upon arrival they tried to tell me we didn’t book 2 people per room and wanted to double charge, however, I clearly booked it via booking.com with a confirmation email specifically stating 2 people per 2 rooms totaling 4. We get to our room and the phone and fridge don’t work - talked to concierge and he came up confirmed and stated he would send someone to help. No help. We’re very easy going people so we never cared enough to continue to reach out. You’re required to have reservations for every dinner you’d like to go to, however, when we arrived and started to make reservations we noticed nothing was available. We made some and were able to get some late reservations- went to some and were told the guys couldn’t wear shorts. They had dress shirts on and closed toed shoes. Again, we then understood rules but wish we were told prior. All this to say they have insane rules for not having good quality food, quick response to room issues and wanting to double charge. Beautiful grounds but will never come back to a low quality “5 star resort”.

Brooke Oca

We just left from our 6th stay at Royal Hideaway. I wanted to provide an objective review from the standpoint of someone that’s been frequently. We had a lovely trip, but definitely a few hiccups that leave us wanting to take a break and try somewhere else for a while. The pros: The grounds are beautiful and well kept. The beach is gorgeous and wonderful weather this time of year. The staff truly goes above and beyond to make your trip memorable (shout out to Ricardo and Carlos at the grill, Eduardo at Palazzo, Oscar at Ventanas, Oscar at Spices, Oscar and Axel at Azia, and all the pool guys-Eduardo, Luis, Javier, and Genaro). The service is always wonderful here and is what brings us back each time. The quiet atmosphere is something that we appreciate in comparison to some other larger resorts. The cons: One of the managers, Lorena, is one of the most disrespectful and rude people I have ever had the misfortune of crossing paths with. We had an issue with our rooms air conditioning that was not resolved, and asked to move rooms. The entire interaction with her felt like a game she was trying to win. She was unprofessional and accusatory, combative, and escalated the situation. Quite frankly, working in customer service myself, I have never experienced anything like it, and we almost canceled and moved resorts because of her. We did not feel valued or taken care of, and that’s not a place you want to return to. The other issue this trip was the never ending issue of finding a pool chair. Apparently there are many guests now that are “owners” (timeshare) and they get chairs reserved that now cover over half of the pool area. Our personal belongings were taken and moved after we went in for a few minutes because of the rain, and came back to find that an “owner” had taken our spot. Many “owners” were rude and entitled, and seemed to think it was okay to touch other people’s belongings. It seems management has become disorganized and unhelpful. The rest of the staff is absolutely wonderful, and it’s a shame that management can ruin the reputation of this beautiful hidden gem.