PARADISE
by TripAdvisor Member Alejoar
Hello there
I just came back from Aventura Mexicana, and it was one of the best places I have ever stayed. I can’t wait to go back!!! My friend and me had traveled to maybe islands in the Caribbean and Europe and we found this place to be excellent. We had a superior room on the second floor. It was very clean and well maintained. The bed wasn’t that hard, after all we like out bed hard. We requested extra towels and a blanket and we got it right away. The water pressure was great and the A/C worked excellent.
The grounds are beautiful. Its set in a courtyard full of lust vegetation, flowers, palm trees, so nice. The pool was nice and refreshing the 2 Jacuzzis were nice, very private and just great.
The breakfast buffet was great, they had eggs, potatoes, pastries and fresh fruits, also coffee and orange juice homemade!!!!
The people were very friendly they answered all our questions.
The food at the hotel was great, the drinks were good. they have happy hour everyday.
The location is the best; it’s quite at night and so close to all the action. you are only a block away from fifth AVE.
We did go to other hotels to check them out and found this hotel to be the best. why? Its beautiful, clean, safe, it’s set in a Hacienda style. honestly just the best!!!!. You are not right on the beach, but you are only blocks away from the best beach, which is mamitas beach club.
Most tourist at playa del carmen are European, so it was great for us, since we are American Italians. so you know MANY GREAT RESTAURANTS. AWESOME LOUNGES.
in other words, playa del carmen is the best!!! and aventura mexicana is a great place to be. I promise stay there and you will not regret it. It’s well worth it.
I have more info and pics, if anyone would like to see, just email me any questions about restaurants and things to do.
Great place and nice people
by A TripAdvisor Member
This hotel is just terrific! We had a great time there. Stayed 13 nights and didnt have any problems at all, just a great time. Try happy hour at this hotel, order mango Margarita, bartender from Can is super. The hotel resturant is also to recomend, good food.
Best Regards
Moses & Susanne
SWEDEN
A quiet place to enjoy your vacation!
by TripAdvisor Member Loftguys
Its really up to you! This place can be as quiet as you want or a great party place. You can lounge around and read a book by the pool and never be bothered. Or you can hang around the bar and restaurant during happy hour and dinner and make friends from all over the world!
We just got back Feb 16 from 8 wonderful days at PDC. David (from London Ontario) is not only a wonderful and fun bartender, he is also very knowledgeable on where to go, when to go, and how to get there.
We made new friends from Paris, Switzerland, Germany, and Canada. As well as a few from the States.
If you want to meet new people from all over the world, just hang around the bar at happy hour.
The property is just north of downtown which is a good thing. The late nights are very quiet. Yet by walking a couple of blocks to 5th avenue, you can party as loud as you want.
Javier is a perfect host and will handle all your needs and questions about the property.
thanks again for a wonderful time!
dave in greenville sc
Beautiful and Fun
by A TripAdvisor Member
We picked the Aventure based on reviews from Tripadvisor and were very pleased with our decision. There were four of us - one couple in their late 30s, one single in early 40s and one single in mid 60s. All fairly tolerant and adventurous travellers, but appreciate nice things at reasonable prices. We visited in late January and the hotel was full.
Best parts were the rooms (king size bed, super clean, nicely decorated and mini-fridge), happy hour (lots of friendly "regulars" and an entertaining and helpful bartender who will never get back to Ontario after all these positive reviews), poolside area (some loving care went into its creation), and proximity to everything (although frankly, it is a small place so every hotel in town is close to everything).
We were less thrilled with the the open concept washroom (tucked into a nice bathroom area behind a wall but no door). The good part was the beatiful scenery when we sat out on the deck giving the other person their private time! There was a bit of street noise early in the morning as the town woke up, but it wasn't excessive - the odd honk or loud music from a passing car. I mention this only as it was mentioned in a past review. It definitely wasn't a topic of conversation among the guests so I presume that most people didn't find it noisy. We weren't overly excited by the food and heard a mix of praise and criticism from the guests so it is likely a matter of taste/preference. But since one of the reasons you stay in a downtown boutique hotel is to explore restaurants in town, that problem was easily solved.
There was a nice mixture of Americans, Canadians and Europeans at the hotel, with a number of gay travellers who added some extra friendliness to the atmosphere. We definitely recommend the hotel to people looking for a nice, comfortable and friendly boutique hotel.
We quite enjoyed Playa del Carmen. The north beach was great, the beach club was perfectly located and reasonably priced (and the sandwich I had there was surprisingly good) and there were no hawkers selling blankets, braids, etc. on the beach (and virtually none in the entire town - I was shocked as Puerto Vallerta is full of them). If you are looking for a big party town, it probably shouldn't be your first choice. But if you are looking for a relaxing and friendly "small town" experience close to all the Mayan Riviera sites, it will serve you well. I would have no hesitation in returning.
good value for the money
by A TripAdvisor Member
we would have prefered the third floor and thru our 10 days stay were a bit disapointed they didn't accomodate us even though some rooms were free. the hotel is extremely clean, discreet, hot tub was cleaned several times during our stay. personel not extremely friendly unless you are male...a bit discriminating there guys. food was excellent and would definitly return.
snotty staff
by A TripAdvisor Member
Just returned from a stay here; if the staff doesn't decide to "be your friend" forget staying here.
The hotel is clean and nice but after being in the area I realized there are many other places you can stay for lower prices that are of the same quality and you don't have to deal with miserable owners. They were unwilling to accomodate a plug converter for us and in general made our stay awkward by pulling attitude the remainder of our stay there. I strongly suggest checking out other hotels in the area.
Relaxing and great value!
by A TripAdvisor Member
My husband and I were at Hotel Aventura for 4 nights at the end of February and loved this hotel. We thought the staff was wonderful and accommodating and everyone was very friendly. The rooms were basic but very clean and nicely decorated. Hard beds but from what I've found every hotel I looked at had similar style beds. No door on the bathroom as others mentioned but still private. In-room safe was nice to store passports etc. The hotel is on a slightly busy street car-wise but we turned our air conditioner fan on at night and weren't bothered at all. Nice beach just a 5 minute walk away.
The courtyard is very relaxing and you eat your breakfast near the pool. Great breakfast but didn't change much from day to day - so if you are there for a week you may want to venture out a day or two. Definitely eat dinner there - the food is very good and so reasonable. We ate there two out of our four nights and had our best meals there. Also make sure you do the happy hour with David the bartender - best drinks at two for one and it's a fun international atmosphere.
We were looking for a hotel that was quiet and relaxing but still close to things and didn't kill our budget and this was perfect. We got a great deal on Expedia and loved that breakfast was included. Staff had a lot to do with the great experience.
One word of caution on Mexican phones - we brought a calling card thinking it was free to call an 800 number from the hotel but any local call you make is a dollar a minute so we ended up with a $90 phone bill calling our son - staff was helpful but couldn't take the whole charge off so it was an expensive lesson.
Not worth the price I paid!!
by A TripAdvisor Member
I should have realized from the beginning that something was wrong with this hotel from the way that they were so insistent to be paid in full up front, and from the agreements that I had to sign that oblige full payment in the event of cancellation. It was only AFTER I stayed there that I surmised that they must have had problems in the past with guests cancelling on them after they checked into the hotel and realized what they had gotten themselves into.
In the spirit of fair play, let me tell you what was positive about the hotel first: (1) The room was quite clean, and the housekeeping staff are efficient and thorough. (2) The bed was pretty comfortable. (3) The location is pretty good, being that it is near to 5th avenue and only a couple of blocks walk to the beach. (4) The air conditioning worked well. In fact, while I was staying there, they installed a new, modern air-conditioning unit that was very quiet and efficient. (5) The courtyard is decorated quite nicely with foliage and lights, so it is charming in its own way. (6) The television has quite a large selection of channels, so if you are stuck in your room for some reason, at least you can be entertained.
Now, for the parts that need improving: (1) The reception. The gentleman working the reception (which is located inside the restaurant, by the way) doesn't speak English. When I checked in, it took 10 minutes for me to understand what he meant by "open voucher", which essentially was a security deposit on your credit card of 400 dollars US in order to access certain hotel services such as the safe in the room, room service, etc. In addition, he was only at the desk about half the time. Because of the lack of English skills and the unavailability of the staff, I ended up going outside of the hotel when I needed assistance for things like tours and airport transportation. (2) The water. The shower in the room was really hit or miss. Depending on the time of day, I could get either a steady stream, or a small trickle of water. More often than not, I was forced to take a cold shower under a few drops of water. (3) The price. I paid WAY more than I should have, which in hindsight is probably my fault, since I paid the rate advertised on the internet site for the hotel. After I got to Playa del Carmen, I realized that there were many more places, for the same price or just a little bit more, where I would have been much happier (places with better service, better rooms and full amenities). As an example, for only a few dollars more, I could have had a suite at the Blue Parrot, where they were running a promotion at the time. I paid for a Deluxe room, but in my opinion, there was not much that was Deluxe about it. (4) The breakfast. There is a breakfast buffet that was included in the price of the room, but the word "buffet", like the word "Deluxe", was used rather loosely. The breakfast consisted of coffee, some very bad croissants and dry bread, fruit that was infested with fruit flies, very dry scrambled eggs, and greasy fried potatoes. I only ate the breakfast the first day, and ate outside the hotel after that. (5) Gay friendly. The hotel advertises itself as being gay friendly, but don't be fooled that you are going to be checking in to some kind of gay paradise. There was no information provided for the gay traveler, and the guests at the hotel were overwhelmingly straight. I don't know where the famous owner was, who is supposed to be the main attraction for the gay guests, but perhaps my stay would have more interesting had he been around. (6) The security. When you leave the hotel, they ask you to leave your room key, which is placed in a box on the wall behind the bar. Several times when I returned to the hotel and asked one of the staff for my key (when the gentleman at the reception was absent), I was told to get it myself from the box. This means that, if I had wanted to, I could have taken anyone's room key that was hanging there.
A few additional points of caution: (1) The internet service (which is one computer located in the reception area) is not free. (2) The bathroom in the room does not have a door, so if you are not staying alone, forget about privacy. (3) There is no bell service, so if you are staying on the 3rd floor, be prepared to haul your luggage up the stairs by yourself. (4) The airport transportation provided by the hotel, which I declined to use, is really overpriced (70 dollars US). To put things into perspective, you can take a bus from the Playa del Carmen bus station to the airport in Cancun for 3 dollars US. There are also vans that you can book at any travel agency for 15 dollars US that will pick you up at your hotel and take you to the airport. (5) If you plan to stay out late and party, when you return to the hotel you might have a problem getting in. There is a person who mans the reception desk late at night, but the door to access the desk is locked. So, if the guy is not there, or happens to be sleeping (which was the case for me), it may take you a little time and trouble to get inside.
The bottom line is that it is not a bad hotel. It just depends on your expectations. From the way that the hotel is described on the website, the pictures that I saw, and price that I paid, I guess my expectations were too high. The price aside, if you want someplace simple to sleep, but you don't really have high demands when it comes to service or amenties, then you might be satisfied staying here. However, like me, if you are used to good service, attention, and full amenities, then this is probably not the place for you. The best way that I can describe it is that it is like staying at a motel instead of a hotel.
Finally, when you factor in the price on top of everything, I really regret that I spent my 4 days there. If I could have cancelled after the first night, I really would have, but I had no choice but to stay. It was a good lesson for me to not be so gullible when it comes to internet websites, and to trust my instincts more. Next time, I will definitely do more research and make sure that I really get when I pay for.
Best Little Hotel in Mexico
by TripAdvisor Member dfhauk
We've been going to Xcalak for Christmas for years. It's a 400 kilometer drive through the jungle south of Cancun, and it's at the end of the road. Beyond Xcalak is Belize. Since Xcalak and Belize share the same reef system, the diving in Xcalak is wonderful.
The Tierra Maya has 6 new rooms, 3 larger with fridge, and 3 smaller. All overlook the sea a few feet away. There's a separate restaurant palapa with an excellent breakfast buffet included in the room rate. At dinner people come fom the other small hotels in the area, because dinner at the TM features fresh fish and lobster with authentic Maya preparations.
Since it's so small you get to know the other guests and the owners. The pace of life slows down, and you can really relax, like no other place I've ever been.
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