More about Playa Maya
A Great Trip!
by A TripAdvisor Member
We just returned home from 4 days in Playa Del Carmen. We stayed at the Playa Maya Hotel and it was well worth the change from a big resort hotel. This was my 4th time in PDC and I have never stayed at one of the smaller hotels. We decided to do something different for a change and it was well worth it. The staff is extremely friendly and attentive. We had the deluxe room with the jacuzzi on the balcony and it was cleaner and nicer than any of the big resorts I have stayed at. There are wonderful remote controlled A.C units that work soooo good! The food was delicious and I have to say that was some of the best coconut shrimp I have ever had. I would also like to say thank you to Steve for helping us get back to the airport. And also much appreciation goes to our friend Filo, and our friend on the beach that always had our tables and chairs ready. We'll be back someday soon to enjoy the Playa Maya Hotel!!
Completely charming hotel
by TripAdvisor Member dashenka
I just returned from staying at the Playa Maya for a week with my fiancee and I have to say that it was a completely wonderful experience. Small, so clean you could eat off any surface, friendly, quiet yet fun. It's located just one block off all of the excitement of 5th Avenue and is beachfront (in fact, you can only access the hotel from the beach, which is kind of fun).
Our first night we stayed in a first floor room with a private terrace and jacuzzi, which was nice, especially after the long flight, but then we moved to a third floor oceanfront room with a balcony, and liked that even better. We could sit on the balcony at night, drink a beer, and listen to the waves, and it was heaven waking up in the morning and seeing the amazing blue of the Caribbean. Our room was big, with a comfy king-sized bed, and like I said before, wonderfully clean, not to mention that the maid created funny and sweet towel animal sculptures on the bed every day. The staff were extremely accomodating and friendly. Steve and Delmy, the owners, are obviously proud of their hotel and do a great job of making sure everything is geared towards making their guests comfortable. One day our air conditioner was dripping and within 15 of us mentioning it to Steve, it was fixed.
Food at the hotel is great, too. Loved the chilaquiles for breakfast and their shrimp ceviche was some of the most delicious I've ever had. Becareful with the margaritas, though, as they pack quite a punch!
Most days in Playa we hung out at the beach in front of the hotel, swimming and sunning and drinking cervezas. Playa Maya's beach is a bit rocky, at least for the first few feet, but we brought swim socks and found it no problem at all. The water was just unbeliveably warm and clear.
We're planning on returning to Playa del Carmen for our honeymoon in February of 2005 and we were very sad to find out that Playa Maya will be hosting a big group and the hotel is full for the dates we need. So much so that we might just reschedule our honeymoon! If you're looking for a non-AI hotel with decent rates, a lot of charm, and a great intimate feel, I recommend Playa Maya highly. It was hard for us to leave...
Personal service at a great little place
by A TripAdvisor Member
My fiancée and I spent about 5 days at the Playa Maya at the end of August. From the beginning to the end we got great, friendly attention from managers Steve and Delmy and their obliging staff. Even the maid staff had a smile and a "hola!" each time I passed them in the hall. Steve, Delmy and the receptionists were all very helpful with making reservations and with help organizing tours and activities, scoring us several nice discounts.
One big concern I had before we came was the repeated complaint here on TA and elsewhere about the Playa Maya's "rocky" beach. I had imagined gravel for sand and massive boulders to scale but was pleasantly surprised to find that it was actually just very large flat stones that lasted only a few feet into the sea. From there on it was clear water and fine sand. If you don't want to risk traversing the stones (I didn't), it cleared up only a few yards down the beach. According to Steve, these rocks are revealed and concealed with the seasons and hurricanes, which explains the varied reports of rockiness that I found online.
We ate at several restaurants on and off 5th Avenue during our stay, including some acclaimed eateries like Alux (we recommend it for the, um, ambiance) and Yaxche (we recommend it for the service), but we actually had our best meals right at the hotel. That's not to say that their fare is gourmet, but it was simple and consistantly tasty.
The highlight of the trip was the full moon that peaked right in the middle of our stay. Each night it lit up the Caribbean and was a memorable view from our balcony. Quite possibly the most beautiful thing I have seen in my life (aside from my fiancée that is). We are considering getting married there next year, and will most definitely time it for another full moon.
To sum up, if your looking for problems I'm sure you could find some, but we came to have a nice, relaxing time and everything was done to ensure that we did.
Playa Maya - Couldn't Have Been Better
by TripAdvisor Member miruca10
The Playa Maya was exceptional in arranging for and accomodating our group of 26 people from nine different states over a 10 day period in Sept 04. Our group had only praise for the Playa Maya - not one complaint was raised during the entire stay. The layout of the hotel was interesting with a great use of space. Entering the hotel does require climbing stairs, as does getting to the 2nd & 3rd floor rooms. The staff and service were excellent - they worked so hard making sure everything was just right and completely clean. The beds were very comfortable- a rarity in Mexico! Some of the balconies were very very small - realistically accomodating only one person, but I understand these are going to be enlarged. The on-site on beach massage (Charly I belive?) is fabulous. THe beach is exquisite - even though there are some exposed rocks directly in front of the Playa-Maya - they are nothing to be concerned about and actually just adds to the beauty. The on-beach restaurant and bar were very good and convienent. The managers, Steve & Demy, responded immediately to any requests, extended themselves to work out various details in arranging for so many people from different locations, and were just all around GREAT! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THEY PLAYA MAYA for a wonderful vacation.
Staff is wonderful at the Playa Maya,but there were some drawbacks
by A TripAdvisor Member
My husband and I stayed at the Playa Maya 10/9-10/16. The location of the hotel couldn't be better. Almost everything is within walking distance. The staff was fun and very helpful. The hotel is small and very quaint. The rooms were clean but the beds were very hard which caused sore backs after a few nights. The rocks in front of the hotel were not an issue, we swam in front of the hotel almost every day.
We did have an issue with a backpack/bag I had brought from home which became wet from all of the rain. The bag was set on the bed while we were pakcking on our last day,and upon check out we were told the bag had "bled" onto both sheets,a towell and the matress cover. We were charged over $80 for these items. The items were not damaged on purpose and could have possibly been saved with a little bleach.
Steve,the Manager had an explanation of high priced items in Mexico and the taxes the hotel had to pay. The option of trying to remove the color from the sheets was not even mentioned. Whatever the case may be, after speaking to some of the locals, we heard of other hotels in the area which do not share the same policy.
In the end, "a very great place to stay" was changed on our last day to "maybe we will try another hotel next time".
Customer service plays a big part on repeat guests, and unfortunately word of mouth is the best form of advertisement whether good or bad.
Friendly, Fabulous
by A TripAdvisor Member
We stayed at the Playa Maya for 5 nights on our honeymoon in the beginning of October. The staff was absolutely fabulous, very friendly and helpful in every respect. The rooms were clean and very well kept. Balcony was small, but penty of room for us to sit on an enjoy a drink.... We were in PDC long enough to witness the fact that the sand to rock ratio really does change over time and experienced both -- no matter though, when it is rocky, just move down a few feet.... We originally were concerned that the location might be too noisy, but had no problems at all, and found the beach location much more favorable than the busy 5th Avenue, which sometimes made me feel like I was running the gauntlet... Only downside we had was no parking, though we found a spot easily on the street -- not sure how this would go in the high season. We will definitely be return guests.
We loved it!
by A TripAdvisor Member
We loved the Playa Maya. Stayed 3/31/04 to 4/8/04 in an ocean view. The view is better than the pictures show. The staff were alot of fun and were always willing to go the extra mile and did it with a smile. The rooms were very clean and well kept (with towel creations on the bed daily) and we only had one problem during our stay - the water heater blew the breaker after my shower and my wife only got a 2-minute shower (play screaming soundtrack due to the sudden shock). The showers were large which was nice. The beach was fabulous while we were there (no rocks) and the Playa Maya is centrally located which is nice - you can walk everywher. We will return again in March '05 with friends. Word of advice - take the Playa bus from the airport. It's only $7 and you end up a couple of blocks away. Our cabbie from the airport spent an hour trying to find the Playa Maya before we got out and walked right to it (thanks to the Map Chick).
Excellent Hotel- Oct. 20-28, 2004
by A TripAdvisor Member
We had the pleasure of staying at the Playa Maya Oct. 20-28th. We had never been to Playa del Carmen before and loved it. The Playa Maya hotel was everything that was advertised on their website. We were skeptical prior to arrival but it was exactly what we were looking for. The staff was very friendly, especially Filo and Raceal. The continental breakfast was just enough and there couldn't be a better setting than the beach to eat it at. The beach was not the rocky nightmare you read about in some reviews. There were a few flat rocks at the low water mark but these were easily avoided by hanging to the left.
Ours was the most inexpensive room and was still great. We did not find the beds uncomfortable at all, perhaps that's the tequila talking. The maid did an excellent job keeping the room up daily. The air conditioner actually worked so well I had to get up and turn it down one night because we both got so cold. I actually expected to be hot the entire vacation and the quality of sleep we got due to the AC helped our vacation very much. Plenty of hot water, clean room, working toilets, comfortable beds and clean linens.
We very much liked the small feel of the hotel and it was in an excellent location. We were 5 hotels down from the Blue Parrot and Capt. Tutix, both fun night spots, but just far enough we never heard a thing at night. It is about a five minute walk to the Cozumel ferry dock and right off of 5 Ave. which made it very convenient.
It was slow season so the hotel did not seem very crowded. All of the guests we ran into in the hotel seemed to be US / Canadian. I do not know if this was a fluke or because it was American run but I do not see why anyone wouldn't like the hotel if they were looking for a non-resort style quality setting.
The pool was small by resort standards but adequate for some lap swimming and we expected it to be fairly small so were not disappointed.
Hint: Get a mapchick map for PDC. It was excellent.
All and all great value for the money, friendly staff, great location, and excellent setting. We are already planning a family trip for next year.
Would expect better considering other reviews
by A TripAdvisor Member
I stayed during October and was my 1st visit to Mexico. The hotel was ok but nothing special, the staff were friendly enough and the food ok although breakfast would often take 25minutes to be served.
The room was clean and the aircon and tv worked properly, but did smell fairly musty. The beach is ok but nothing compared to Tulum another hour south. I did hear another guest reporting missing items from their room but always used the rooms safe.
In summary I loved Playa del Carmen but will stay at another hotel on my return.
Wonderful!!!!!
by A TripAdvisor Member
I can't speak highly enough of this small hotel and their staff. Very, very friendly and helpful. Truly interested in our well being and all our needs being met. Rooms are neat and clean. Staff recognizes you and tries to anticipate your desires. Works very hard around your schedule to accommodate you. You feel like a special, valued guest at this hotel the very first time you visit!
For a laid back, worry free stay in Playa, this is THE hotel.
Sign in with Facebook
