- Mayan Riviera -PLAYACAR PHASE 1,60 STEPS TO THE BEACH,playa del carmen.

We had a chance to enjoy a full week and celebrate my wife's birthday. January is our favorite month to go to Playa del Carmen. The weather is just perfect and we were able to make good use of all the house's amenities. Beside having the beach one block away it had a nice pool and a charcoal bbq. The house has plenty of room. We were 7 and I never felt the need for more space. The house is not new but the location is most important. You can walk to every thing. Thank you Carlos for helping make this a great vacation.

The villa is close to the beach and a short walk into town if you want to pick up supplies at the Oxxo, have some tacos or visit the main tourist area. I wouldn't call it luxurious but it's clean and spacious - we were 10 people and there was plenty of space for everyone. Would definitely love to stay there again.

This was a great base in a nice, quiet part of Playa but the whole place needs a "refresh".

New and more cutlery was needed and the cushions on the fixed seating around the pool were very old and discoloured. We were brought some new seats for the beach and sun umbrellas which were very welcome but all the soft furnishings could do with renewal and the kitchen equipment looked a bit tired.

The maid service was great - very helpful. Beds were great and bathrooms fine. Some of the doors were in need of refurbishment.

We had one or two Spanish-speakers with us but if your party does not have any, you might struggle, as no-one we dealt with was fluent in English.

This place is fabulous! But ongoing maintenance is much needed. When new, I bet this was the talk of the town. Now, pool cushions are torn and stained, many light fixtures have no light bulbs, the handle to the hot tub on the roof was broken, the grill is rusted, “clothes dryer” is a rack outside. Door stops are unattached and lying on the floor. Many items are broken. The big bang was mini explosions that shook the whole place in the Villa (#12) hot water heater. The room was black with soot so this had been going on for a very long time & it wasn’t vented. They did replace with a new tankless & painted over the soot (kind of) while we were there but then the paint fumes permeated the bedroom closest to that room for the rest of our stay. The handle to the hot tub (a jetted bathtub) was repaired and was fabulous if you can climb the treacherous stairs (not safe for kids or adults drinking adult beverages). The owner did offer us another day but who can do that with a party of 9 that came from different parts of the U.S. Be prepared with translator on your smart phone as those whose numbers you are given to call for information or help do not speak English. Due to a mix up in available dates we were first put into 2-4 bedroom villas (very nice) and then moved to the 4 bedroom villa. That with the water heater explosions and paint, I just never felt settled & relaxed. Sounds like I’m doing nothing but complaining but we actually loved this place! Close to the beach, shopping, pier, etc. and the neighborhood is beautiful and safe. we were hoping to make this an annual retreat for our family as there is an 8 bedroom villa as well. We have a HUGE family living all over the US. What we experienced may be typical for VRBO homes IN Playa, so we will wait to decide whether or not this will be the place for us. I did want authentic as opposed to feeling like I was checking into a hotel in the U.S. so that may be just what we got. If you stay here you MUST get Mariam to cook for you! She cooked the fish we caught with added sides and the food was FABULOUS!!!!!! Carlos the property manager is delightful and speaks English very well. He did the best he could to get things repaired. It would have been more enjoyable if items had been repaired BEFORE we requested. All in all, it’s a pretty neat place to stay and the price may reflect the lack of ongoing maintenance.