Finding a Place to stay in Playa del Carmen over Christmas Holidays
Best places in Playa book early, but here’s how to find a place to stay in Playa del Carmen over Christmas Holidays. The following are owned by many of the same owners, run by the same Property Management Association, and are condo hotels giving you all the benefits of condos (spacious bedrooms and bathrooms, full kitchens, large balconies, etc) and hotels (daily maid service, 24 hour front desk, 24 hour security, concierge, etc).
Guests at any of the 5 receive complimentary chairs and umbrellas at El Taj Ocean/Asi Beach Club, and complimentary use of The Gym, located in El Taj Ocean. There are a combination of 1, 2, and 3 bedroom condo’s as well as 2, 3, and 4 bedroom Penthouse units. Penthouses also have a private rooftop with jacuzzi, gas grill, and lounge furniture.
Top 5 Places to stay:
1. El Taj Ocean – 41 units, right on the beach. Private Beach Club, Asi Bech Club. Beautiful property – all rooms have views of beach and water.
Trip Advisor consistently rates El Taj Ocean as the Best Place to Stay in Playa del Carmen
2. Porto Playa – 21 units, 100 steps from the beach, 1 block from El Taj Ocean. 2 great pools and jacuzzis. Upper pool has 4 waterfalls cascading into lower pool. All units face gardens and pools. Some penthouse units have view of beach and Gulf Waters. Best Value of all the properties.
Porto Playa has the best pools and is conveniently located between the beach and 5th Ave.
3. El Taj Beach: – 17 units, great pool and jacuzzi. Located across the street from El Taj Ocean
Guests at El Taj Beach and Ocean can use each other’s pools. Beach is the quieter pool
4. Villas Sacbe: – 13 units, small plunge pool and jacuzzi. Charming place. Least expensive of the 5 properties.
Villas Sacbe is charming and has a small plunge pool, jacuzzi and 13 units
5. Maya Villa: – 17 units, long narrow pool in the shape of a ghecko. It also has a wall of cascading water that is quite stunning.
Maya Villa has a long narrow pool in the shape of a ghecko
What to do if these Properties are already booked?
If I were going to Playa del Carmen, and couldn’t get into any of the above properties, I would look at the following properties. Here’s what I like and here’s what I don’t like.
Acanto: Reopened late 2011. Was a very popular place with lots of repeat business. The new building has expanded the number of condo’s available. They are adding a restaurant, but I don’t know when it’s opening. Small pool. Perfect location across from Porto Playa. It’s 100 steps from the beach and from 5th Avenue.
The following 4 are nice properties on the beach, great location (Premier Zone of Playa and close to 5th Ave.) Please remember they don’t all have 24 hour front desk, security, concierge, spa, etc., etc. Check/Ask because there’s nothing worse than being down there and something breaks (air conditioner?) and you have to call an owner in the US to get someone out to fix it. Also, who’s going to give you the keys to your unit?
Mosquito Beach: Trendy, a bit expensive, good beach area. Beach club. Can be loud
Corto Maltes: Nice balconies and beach. I don’t like the units much. Beach Club
El Faro: Best beach front. Wicky’s restaurant is on site (great beef, everything else is so-so, very expensive glasses of wine). Some of the units here are great others are really bad.
Luna Encantda: Good beachfront. It’s across the street from Fusion, so if you have a unit facing that way, it can be noisy at night. Units are dark, but have good balconies. I wish they all used the same outdoor furniture so it would look nicer from the beach.
Places to Stay if you don’t Care about being a bit further away:
Aldea Thai: Is several blocks north of the heart of Playa, but is a nice property with attractive units and pool. Beach area is OK, no beach club. It’s a couple of blocks walk to 5th Ave., and a bit more if you want to go where there are more restaurants and shops.
Elements: Is further north of Aldea Thai and again is a pretty property and pool. They have something they call a “beach club” but it’s just a deck with chairs. There’s no food or drink provided unless you bring your own.
I hope this helps. Please contact me for any questions you have. I am always honest about my impressions.
Our promises to you:
- We respond to all emails within hours.
- We want you to have the right property for your needs and desires even if it means renting you another unit (not ours) in any of our 5 properties: Porto Playa, El Taj
Ocean, El Taj Beach, Maya Villa or Villas Sacbe, or someone else’s property - We will be honest with you on any and all questions you may have.
- We are committed to getting you the best rate we possibly can and can match the Property Management’s rate on all units in all 5 properties.
Our goal is for you to have a fabulous experience and come back again.