Eurostars Hacienda Vista Real - Playa del Carmen

Beautiful rooms and lobby. Hotel was very dead as the season was just ending--things were so slow that the bar and restaurant closed mid-afternoon. Eight minute walk to a couple of very small restaurants. Half hour walk to town. Breakfast was served outside and the birds would land on the serving table to nibble scraps of food from the serving spoons. These are the same birds that scoop insects out of the pool all day. I saw one leave a deposit on the plate that the spoon rested upon. Staff seemed totally unconcerned about this arrangement.

First the bad, very bad. I stayed here for one night and woke up the next morning to find that my credit card information had been stolen and an $800+ purchase had been made. The only person I ever gave my card to was the front desk and they used the old card machine that makes the carbon copy. Within 30 minutes of checking in the purchase was made. I would advise anyone who stayed there recently to check their bank accounts. Now the good. The hotel was actually pretty nice overall and had a cool tropical feeling. It was a bit outdated, but that added to the atmosphere. The breakfast was also very good. The location was good, but was difficult to find (don't use google maps for this) You have to go through a gate next to a shopping center and then go to the end of the road and there's the hotel.

The hotel is situated in the middle of a championship golf course which was the prime reason for my vacation. The second reason was to have a quiet, relaxing stay away from the main party centers. There was an added bonus to the hotel being in a quiet area, the local wildlife also enjoyed it. There were Coati Mundi that visit in the evening with Gecko's and numerous types of birds singing their songs. Very cool. The only drawback, possibly due to the time I went, was no food or drink service after 3pm. I dealt with that without a problem thanks to the helpful front desk staff. Over-all, WONDERFUL!!!

The hotel was very attractive and, since I enjoy walking, I liked the fact that it was somewhat out of the way in a park-like setting surrounded by villas and golf courses. If you find all inclusive resorts too artificial and confining and their promise of all you can eat and drink appealing to the crowd that overdoes both and shows it, Hacienda Vista Real is a nice alternative. I single female, I found the surroundings safe and never hesitated walking alone back to the hotel fairly late at night. Hacienda is not on a beach, nor does it have its own beach club, but for a fee you can use one belonging to a sister property. A free alternative is public beach in Playa Del Carmen with a wide expanse of white sand kept clean. There are numerous eating establishments in Playa Del Carmen from fast food, to wholesome natural food, to quite sophisticated fusion cuisine. I found the hotel staff to be pretty good, not overly friendly, but accommodating and efficient. I was particularly impressed by the honesty of the hotel restaurant staff. One morning I left behind a small fabric purse containing equivalent of about $30.00 and did not realize it until midday. I went back hoping to find the purse if not the contents, was immediately approached by the head waiter and received back my purse with everything intact. Hotel offered breakfast bar that was better than free continental breakfast you can find at most US hotels, but nowhere as good as in European hotels. People staying at the hotel included Americans, Canadians, Brits, Dutch, Germans and Latin Americans.