Playacar Palace® All Inclusive Resort
Playacar Palace is the resort for people who want to experience Playa del Carmen rather than just be near it. It sits at the edge of the gated Playacar community, steps from the Cozumel ferry dock and the southern end of 5th Avenue, and travelers who use that location describe the best of both worlds: a calm all-inclusive base they can slip out of anytime for one of Mexico's liveliest resort towns. Cozumel's reefs are a ferry ride from the front door, which turns diving or snorkeling there into an easy day trip rather than a logistical project.
Traveler Insights
Pros
- +Unbeatable location: steps from the Cozumel ferry dock and the southern end of Playa del Carmen's 5th Avenue, so restaurants, shopping and nightlife are a few minutes' walk from the front gate
- +Service is the reason people come back: travelers name individual bartenders, pool attendants and servers, and the staff earn more specific praise than at much larger resorts nearby
- +Wet Bar is a true swim-up bar at the main pool (open 11am to 7pm), with Aqua Bar alongside serving Mexican, vegan and snack bites from late morning
- +Cozumel is an easy day trip: the passenger ferry leaves from the dock next door, so drift diving or snorkeling on the Mesoamerican Reef needs no long transfer, just a dive shop booked on the island
- +Stand-up paddleboarding and snorkeling are included in the non-motorized water sports, weather permitting
- +24-hour room service, a daily restocked minibar, in-room liquor dispensers and a double whirlpool tub in every one of the 201 rooms make it a strong couples' hideaway
- +A compact dinner lineup that covers real ground: Momo for sushi, teppanyaki and shabu-shabu, Trattoria for Italian, Madremia for Latin American, and Cafe del Mar shifting from international by day to Mexican at night
Cons
- −Beach erosion is a documented, ongoing issue near the ferry dock, and the record 2026 sargassum season hit the Playacar stretch hard through spring and early summer, so the sand is narrower than older photos suggest
- −Only one outdoor pool, which is a real disadvantage next to larger Playa del Carmen all-inclusives with multiple pool zones
- −Lahna, the Yucatecan restaurant, is temporarily closed for renovations as of October 2026, leaving four restaurants in rotation for now
- −Ferry traffic and noise from the adjacent Cozumel dock reach some street-facing rooms, especially in the early morning
- −Room decor and furnishings are dated next to newer Riviera Maya properties, with some guests noting loose fixtures and aged finishes
- −Specialty dinner slots can book up quickly in high season, and with one restaurant closed the squeeze is tighter
- −The resort is boutique-sized, so travelers who want a sprawling property with multiple activity zones and a resort-within-a-resort feel will do better elsewhere
- −Spa treatments are an extra charge and cost more than comparable day spas on 5th Avenue
Service is the other defining feature, with guests naming individual staff who made their trip. Dining runs to Cafe del Mar (international by day, Mexican at night), Momo for sushi, teppanyaki and shabu-shabu, Trattoria for Italian and Madremia for Latin American dinners, with 24-hour room service on top; Lahna, the Yucatecan restaurant, is closed for renovations as of October 2026. Every one of the 201 rooms has a double whirlpool tub and a liquor dispenser, and the pool has a swim-up bar, but the physical plant is the tradeoff: there is one outdoor pool, beach erosion has thinned the shoreline, and the rooms are overdue for a design update.
Playacar Palace fits couples and active travelers who want a well-run base for exploring rather than a self-contained mega-resort, and families with kids aged 4 to 12 can use The Playroom kids club. It beats larger properties on location and service and loses to them on beach and pool variety. Nearby, the 5th Avenue strip, cenote day trips and the Cozumel ferry are all close at hand, while bigger Palace properties such as Moon Palace Cancun suit travelers who would rather stay inside the gates.
Common Questions
How bad is the beach erosion at Playacar Palace?
Can I walk to 5th Avenue from the resort?
How easy is it to get to Cozumel for diving or snorkeling?
Is Playacar Palace good for families or just couples?
How many restaurants are open right now?
Is there a local tourist tax?
Restaurants (5)
| Type | Restaurants |
|---|---|
| Buffet | Café del Mar |
| Mexican | Lahná |
| Italian | Trattoria |
| Asian | MOMO |
| International & fusion | Madremía |
From the resort's own dining pages. Only restaurants the resort lists are shown. All are covered by the all-inclusive rate, per the resort.
What's nearby
13 min drive · 6.0 mi
2 min walk · 0.1 mi
25 min drive · 15 mi
Playa Mamitas6 min drive · 1.3 mi
9 min drive · 5.1 mi
Xcalacoco Beach14 min drive · 5.8 mi
More things to do (22)
- Xenses · adventure park11 min drive · 5.2 mi
- Cenote Azul · cenote25 min drive · 15 mi
- Xpu-Ha Beach · beach25 min drive · 18 mi
- Playa 88 · beach10 min drive · 3.0 mi
- Cenote Cristalino · cenote25 min drive · 15 mi
- Punta Esmeralda Beach · beach20 min drive · 3.7 mi
- Puerto Aventuras Marina · marina25 min drive · 14 mi
- Jardín del Edén Cenote · cenote25 min drive · 16 mi
- Cenote Chikin-Ha · cenote30 min drive · 16 mi
- Voladores de Papantla (Parque Fundadores) · historic site6 min walk · 0.3 mi
- Frida Kahlo Museum Playa del Carmen · museum10 min walk · 0.5 mi
- Playa del Carmen Fifth Avenue · town11 min walk · 0.6 mi
- Museo del Chocolate · museum4 min drive · 0.9 mi
- Parque La Ceiba · nature4 min drive · 1.1 mi
- Xplor · adventure park11 min drive · 5.5 mi
- Cenote Chaak Tun · cenote13 min drive · 4.0 mi
- Delphinus Riviera Maya · adventure park15 min drive · 6.3 mi
- El Camaleón Golf Course · golf20 min drive · 6.9 mi
- Puerto Aventuras Golf Course · golf25 min drive · 15 mi
- Playa Maroma · beach25 min drive · 13 mi
- Iberostar Playa Paraíso Golf Club · golf30 min drive · 14 mi
- Cenote Chac Mool · cenote30 min drive · 15 mi
Amenities
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Style & Rooms
Atmosphere
Room upgrades
Seaweed & sargassum
Playa del Carmen gets sargassum, typically worst May through August.See the month-by-month guide →Google Reviews★ 4.6 · 2,830 reviews
“We stayed here over Christmas break, and what makes this place wonderful is the staff. We travel often and have stayed at many all-inclusive resorts, but the service here is incomparable. Eduardo at the front desk was very welcoming, while Jesus enth...”
“We have been to different Moon Palace resorts and Playacar Palace is among few of our top favorites so far. Its a boutique style resort in Playa del carmen and has so many positives about it. The service here is unmatched. The staff is so good and d...”
“Wonderful resort, location, staff, food, and rooms, would recommend to anyone without hesitation. My wife and I had a great time relaxing by the pool or by the ocean on the plentiful recliners, while the kids really enjoyed the activities and being...”
