Steven Paton
Mariana was absolutely outstanding during our stay at Royal Hideaway. From the moment we arrived, she went above and beyond to make every event feel thoughtful, seamless, and genuinely special.
As part of the event staff, she handled everything with incredible attention to detail—whether it was coordinating logistics behind the scenes or personally checking in to make sure guests were comfortable and having a great time. Her energy is warm, professional, and effortlessly organized. She anticipated needs before we even had to ask and somehow made even the smallest details feel elevated.
Karaoke night was a highlight of our trip, and that was entirely thanks to Mariana. She brought contagious enthusiasm, kept the crowd engaged, encouraged even the shyest guests to participate, and somehow made the whole night feel like a private party. The vibe was fun, inclusive, and perfectly run—no awkward downtime, just nonstop laughs and great energy.
Royal Hideaway is fortunate to have her—she is a true asset to the team and one of the main reasons our experience was so memorable.
Frank Muzika
From the moment we arrived, everything exceeded our expectations. The food was outstanding — not your typical all-inclusive fare. Every restaurant we tried was fresh, flavorful, and beautifully presented. There were so many options that we never got bored, and even the buffet felt high quality.
The beach is truly stunning — soft sand, crystal-clear water, and plenty of space to relax without feeling crowded. The pool area was just as impressive: spotless, perfectly maintained, and a great mix of lively energy and relaxing vibes depending on what you’re looking for.
What truly made this trip unforgettable, though, was the staff. Every single person we interacted with was warm, attentive, and genuinely happy to help. A very special shoutout to Mariana and Amos — they went above and beyond to make our stay special. Their kindness, professionalism, and attention to detail did not go unnoticed and made a huge difference in our experience.
If you’re considering this resort, don’t hesitate. Five stars all the way — we can’t wait to come back!
Nancy van Tellingen
My friends and I have been vacationing at The Royal Hideaway for over 20 years. The location on the beach is perfect and the grounds are very well maintained with beautiful landscaping and lush vegetation. We just returned from a week stay and had a wonderful time. We stayed in Villa 24 and our concierge was Sucel Sanchez, she was wonderful and very attentive. She arranged our dinner reservations and helped with our requests. She made a point to introduce herself on our first day and we enjoyed our dealings with her.
The animation team was a lot of fun at the pool and with the various outdoor activities. We enjoyed our interactions with Mariana, Roberto and Amos. They were friendly and enthusiastic and very helpful at all times.
We ate our breakfasts and lunches at the Patio and Spices. The waiters we particularly enjoyed were Rudy and Lidia.
The concierge service at the Patio was not as efficient as in the past and the hostesses were not as enthusiastic as we have experienced in the past. We understand that it is a busy position and people are always asking questions of them, but a smile goes a long way........
As always the waiters around the pool and beach were wonderful. We also want to compliment the valets in the front who welcome us back every year like we are old friends, they are wonderful and very accommodating with our luggage and taxi requests.
The food was wonderful as always. We particularly enjoyed Azia, Palazzo and Ventanas, the presentation and the service is always perfect. We really enjoyed the entertainment this year. There was something going on each night and we enjoyed the variety and the music that was provided. The week went by too fast and we were sad to see it end. See you next year!
The 3 Amigas - Nancy, Joanne and Nina!
Doug Robinson
We did a lot of research and decided to visit for the first time the Royal Hideaway Playacar and weren’t disappointed!! We were there between Dec 10th to 17th and have to say it was one of the best overall reports we’ve been to. The hotel was beautifully maintained, the staff were amazing, friendly and extremely helpful, the food was top notch and was the perfect size. 2 awesome pools over looking the most beautiful stretch of beach, it never felt crowded and because it was more of a boutique style resort everything was a quick 2 minute walk.
One of the reasons we chose the Royal Hideaway Playacar was because it was an adults only resort! Met lots of new friends and can’t say enough about our concierge “Alberto”… he was the best! Always asking if we needed anything, or if something could be better!
We plan on going again next year and would highly recommend to anyone looking for a quality, relaxing and chill vacation
Lauren Dickerhoof
Overall, we enjoyed our stay here and found it very relaxing. There were a few things that could've been improved on, and a few highlights I wanted to call out so here is a breakdown of our review:
Hotel/grounds itself: beautiful grounds! It wasn't very clear to us beforehand, but the hotel is within the gated community of Playacar, so there is lots of security and it's very safe. It's a very easy walk to downtown or a quick cab ride for ~$12. Hotel was also very pretty and rooms were nice and clean. Beds were comfy! The resort is mostly VERY quiet, so if you're looking for more of a lively, party atmosphere, maybe choose somewhere else. Definitely mostly an older crowd (we're mid-thirties and felt pretty young here)
Customer service: this was a bit of a mixed bag. Before our trip, we tried reaching out for more information about excursions and booking restaurant reservations. It was nearly impossible to get a hold of anyone, and we never did hear back from the person in charge of excursions so we booked one separately outside the hotel. Everyone that worked at the hotel was exceedingly lovely and very helpful. Really kind employees. They offer the services of a concierge at each villa, but they are mostly not really all that available. Each time we tried to call ours with a question or for help with something, they were unreachable.
Food and drinks: also a bit of a mixed bag. Liquor was a decent selection for an all inclusive, but we did wish they offered cocktail menus at the restaurants. Azia was our least favorite dinner...the food was pretty bland. Spices was our favorite food and it also overlooks the beach. We also enjoyed the food at Palazzo and Ventanas, but both restaurants are pretty outdated inside. Food at The Deck was just okay, but breakfast had some good options. The afternoons teas outside were a nice touch! Bar Allegria was kind of really the main option for later drinks but it is not open very late. They had a nice jazz band one night. I did wish there was a little cafe or something to grab coffee/iced coffee during the afternoon.
Tip: bring small bills in pesos for tipping. They aren't able to break bigger bills and the ATMs in the resort were broken and I think had been for some time.
My Booking
