Real Playa del Carmen Hotel & Beach Club

I’ll be back next spring

If you want to spend thousands on a room to crash in then get one. If you want good food and a nice room to rest in while you’re out sightseeing and doing all the activities you care to do then Real Playa del Carmen is the place to go. It’s quaint, quiet and very relaxing. The staff is great and didn’t leave me wanting for anything. I’ll be back in May or June.

For price, not a bad property.

Hotel is an economical property, nothing fancy, your basic All Inclusive. Staff was great, lot’s of fun. Common areas are not A/C, so it does get warm. Located at end of 5th Avenue but you can walk to most places, the other end of 5th Ave is a walk however. Food was okay.

great time !

I had a great time at this hotel ,the staff is great , very friendly and helpful. The location is also good, a little bit far from the beach , specially to walk on such hot weather , but you can take the shuttle. The beach club is good too, the only negative thing is that closes at 5 pm , so you cant have anything to drink or do any activities after that time ( pretty early ) Food was good , you have a lot of options where to choose from. Also a positive, you can book tours to different sites at the front desk and they pick you up there.

real

the staff of the hotel were so friendly. this is my second time visiting this Hotel

Nice Enough for the $

The Real Playa del Carmen was a comfortable, all-inclusive hotel at the North end of 5th Avenue, the main pedestrian steet. Quiet location, friendly staff, and good food (I doubt I could have found better at the restaurants on 5th in my budget-range). The room was simple and clean, nothing fancy, and everything was in working order although the air conditioner was a little on the loud side so earplugs came in handy at night. The pool area was not very inviting, but I was more interested in the beautiful beach (which is a few blocks away - the hotel is not beach-front). Perhaps due to the poor economy, the hotel was not at capacity and the energy level was VERY low-key. If you’re looking for a lot of energy and a party atmosphere, this hotel is not for you. If you want a simple, quiet place to crash with good food and friendly staff, and don’t mind not having the ocean right outside your window, I would recommend this hotel. BUT there are a lot of hotels to choose from and if I were to return to Playa, I would most likely explore another option.

Good for the price.

Not great but nice hotel.At the price we paid it was a great deal! The staff was the highlight of the hotel .Everybody seemed really helpful and nice.Great 4 days. Thank you Expedia and Real.

They Try hard...

This hotel is very basic for an all inclusive. Once you are past the lobby, it no longer impresses. The staff try hard to make your stay enjoyable, but broken airconditioners, invading insects as well as limited food/drinks options are annoying characteristics of this establishment.

rooms looked nothing like they did on line

good food and service but hotel looked scary and air conditioners in room didn’t work very well, tiny rooms.

Traveler's tip on shopping

lots of shops to get stuff

Resort is a stretch

Hotel located at the scruffy end of 5th Avenue and a pretty good hike from the beach. Food was barely okay. Front desk not very helpful with directions and gave bad directions more than once. Ants in the room. Bathroom cramped. Bed very hard. Grounds very well kept. Pool nice. Rooms in the back subject to noise from a busy street. Bathroom jalousy window would not close. Window-type AC unit did not evenly cool all rooms.

Traveler's tip on shopping

Stay at the other end of 5th avenue. This hotel is at the grungy end. Spend the extra money for a true resort hotel on the beach. If you like to drink, and you are not picky about food, Real Playa is okay.

Good hotel, but not enough hot water

We liked the hotel, the room was very good and the staff was friendly and helpful. The food was only so-so, and Maria’s was not worth the wait. The only real problem was that we did not have enought hot water for two showers each morning. One person would have to wait until after breakfast!

Traveler's tip

This hotel is at the end of the shopping strip, so we could get in and out via taxi at any time. Many other hotels are blocked off from traffic during prime times, so you have to walk a few blocks with your bags. Also, it was quite at night because it was not over a bar like most hotels in this area.

Great Vacation and Can’t Wait To Go Back!

We really like the extra spaces and balconies of our suite. Food was great although we ate the buffet for breakfast and dinner. Custom omlets were the best... Coffee is instant; fresh brewed coffee shop across the street. Location was just past the end of popular 5th Avenue, so a little more quiet. We rented a moped at another location to get about and was convenient to access the city and Beach Club (even though shuttle service is provided) Nice Beach Club with beverage bar and so-so snack food. The Beach Club is in front of the larger sister hotel/resort which has full buffet, but not part of this all-inclusive. All-in-all, great location for the night life, restaurants, shopping, and beach. And, for those who need American-style food the buffet was quite satisfying. The staff was also very pleasant.

Traveler's tip

Envelope in room has name of your maid service. First day, the maid created a beautiful set of swans with towels and restocked refridg. with bottled water. We never got water thereafter... other visitor said we should put money/tip in the envelope daily and leave only on the pillow. I will know next time. Have airport transport. to/from the hotel... bus station at opposite end of town; is an exhausting walk with baggage.

Real Playa Del Carmen Hotel and Beach Club All Inclusive

Good value. Upgrade to the 1 bdrm suite!! Shuttle to the Beach Club and bar. Food just OK. Take a shuttle from the airport instead of a Taxi.

Traveler's tip on getting the most out of your stay

Take a shuttle from the airport instead of a Taxi. Our rental car company is trying to get Our rental car company is trying to get money for damages that we did’t make. Payless. Stick with Hertz or Avis. Liability insurance is manditory and adds $120 to the cost, CDW is recommended. Go to Tulum. Entrance fee is only 450 pesos. Take a shuttle.

Not up to the standards

Not really that good.

Definitely would go back!

The hotel has everything that you’d need on a trip. The staff is extremely friendly and helpful. Food was surprisingly good, although the breakfast menu could be improved. The nightly entertainment was decent. The hotel is located right on Fifth Avenue, which is in walking distance to beautiful beaches, great restaurants, lounges, clubs, and shops. The only true drawback was the size of the showers, which was a bit small for my taste. Otherwise, my stay was truly a pleasant one!

Traveler's tip on nightlife

If you’re looking for a place to have a great time, check out Blue Parrot or Coco Maya. Both awesome clubs for mid-twenties to early thirties crowd.

great stay for price

the hotel is very different from the typical carribean resorts. all areas of the hotel are located outdoors, that means no A/C. if you’re not someone who likes the heat (esp in the summer where temps can get up to 90s and super humid) then this is not the place for you to stay. do not fear... the rooms do have A/C. the all- inclusive meals are ok. if you’re not a picky about what you eat, you’ll survive. staffs around the hotel are mostly spanish speaking, so brush up on your spanish before staying here. The location of the hotel is great. It’s right on 5th avenue, the center of all activities. you can find some great affordable food along 5th avenue. the bars offer inexpensive delicious alcoholic beverages. BEWARE!!! for all those that are mosquitos best friends... DO BRING bug spray because you WILL get bitten like crazy, even in the room. spray yourself like theres no tomorrow, spray the sheets, spray everything that will touch your body.

Traveler's tip on local attractions

go to chichen itza, its amazing. we did not go to tulum, but heard that’s a site to see also because you can walk up and into the pyramids. we went snorkeling in cozumel and met a couple who suggested going to puerto morletto (sorry for spelling error) for the best snorkeling adventure. for couples, try the sunset dinner cruise that offer lobster, steak or both with complimentary alcoholic/nonalcoholic beverages. Dinner on the beach!! Very romantic and relaxing.

needs help

The hot water was in the cold water faucet and hot water heater was not on when we arrived. The decorative picture fell in the night and it took 2 days before they tried to fix it. When they did, they did not replace the broken bracket but just hung the picture crooked and from the one remaining screw in the wall. The picture would sway when you closed the door. We alerted the main loby staff each time and we were told it would be taken care of. The snack bar had cold food exposed to the warm humid air( cheese and sandwitch meat were the only choices)) and the hot dogs would sit in the cooker most of the day. The main rec room had no ac. Even at 9 pm, you would sweat ecessively in the upper level. The all inclusive meals were at limited times and the main sit down restraunt had limited seating apx 10 tables. If you didn’t get to the main lobby early( before 8 am) you didn’t get a spot for that day. No advanced seating. If for some reason, your activity did not allow you to get back in time( most of the tour times were off. The time stated did not inclued the travel time to and from the activity) you woould lose yor spot. Alochol was served 24/7. It would have been nice to have a tour upon arrival. We arrived by 1 pm and we got a note attached to the door to come see the travel agent for tours on day 4, by then we had all ready booked the tours. I would not recomend the hotel for a family. If this hotel was 3.5 on a 5 star rating scale, would recomed 5 star rating hotels only.

Traveler's tip on local attractions

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No frills

The staff were very nice, but this is definitely a no frills place to stay. The sofa bed in the upgraded room was very uncomfortable. The towels were very thin.

Prob not the best option in Playa

We went for a wedding and decided to stay at the Real Resorts bc we had been there 2 years ago and they seemed so convenient to downtown and the beach. We had a different experience this time. Previously, guests at any of the Real resorts could join friends and family at other locations to spend the afternoon and services. On this trip, we were actually asked to leave the Gran Porto bc we weren’t actually staying at the hotel. You must now purchase a wrist band to even walk through the other hotel lobby’s. My wife and I didn’t have a problem doing this but several guests had also booked at Real Playa based on previous experience and had security guards chase them around the Porto demanding that they leave... even the hotel lobby! We won’t be back. Stay at the Riu. Better service, better rooms, and much prettier beach. You might have to take a $3 cab to get downtown but it’s worth it.

Traveler's tip on nightlife

What a blast, Playa is our favorite place... we go every year and love it!!

Worth the cost

The hotel was a great place to stay for my wife and I. We were only there for five days. So we didn’t get bored of the buffet. There was ALWAYS something good there. And at Maria’s, the dinner restaurant, the food was incredible. Definitely worth making a reservation in the morning. Of course, the buffet dinner is not too bad either. But maria’s is class. They never skimped on the drinks. Most of them had a little too much extra juice, which I didn’t mind at all. One of the night shows with dancers was hilariously awful. But because it was so bad, I had a pretty good time. At the higher class sister hotels, even with your wristband, you noticeably get treated second class. But that was really no big deal. The walls of the room are thin, so it was easy to hear loud drunks scrambling to their rooms at four in the morning. and the bed wasn’t the most comfortable. That was probably the worst of it. If you’re traveling on a budget, this is a great place to go. The other REAL hotels are definitely more luxurious, but I’d probably come back to this hotel next time. You’re not supposed to be at the hotel anyways, you’re supposed to be exploring Mexico.

Traveler's tip

The employees of the hotel are pretty tough when it comes to following rules. You need to pay for a day pas to get a guest in the hotel. And the person needs an ID. Smooth talking is not as easy as it is in, say, Vegas. And although money talks, I get the feeling that they prefer not getting into trouble than making a few bucks.

Great Little Hotel

I certainly would stay here again. Even though it is on "Fifth Avenue" it is far enough away from the noise to get a good nights sleep yet easy walking distance to the shopping and nightlife. The staff are very pleasant and respond to any requests ASAP.The bathroom was rather small and dimly lit and the pool did not have a deep end but all in all I had a very good stay here. The best meal was breakfast.

Traveler's tip on shopping

Learn to nod and say "hola" to the vendors without letting them catch sight of your eyes and maybe the "hawkers" won’t follow you down the street.

Great place to get awal from the crowd

Hotel was very good, especially since it is only 3 stars. Everyone was helpful, rooms are very clean. Just a quick shuttle ride to the beach, shuttle was always on time for us. Short walk to the shopping and resturant area if you want to eat out, but the food at the hotel was great. We ate at Maria’s a couple of times, but the menu is limited, the buffet was very good for all meals. We plan to go back again.

Traveler's tip on local attractions

We went to Chichén Itzá, it was a long ride, some of it over bad road, we went in a 12 passenger van, we wouldn’t do that again. If you deside to go, make sure it is in a tour bus with all the comforts. We also went on the Muyil Forest and Float Tour, it was very nice and the guide was very informative; I recommed this one.