A vendor at the airport encouraged us to visit the hotel for a condo talk and the coupon guaranteed a minimium of 90 minutes and money towards our car rental. However, when we produced the information, they took it from us and would not give it back. They looked us in the eye and said if we only planned on staying for the 90 minutes they wouldn't be able to give us the promised money. In fact, they couldn't give us the money towards our car rental as we were promised. Instead, we could buy tours from them and they would give us marginal discounts off the tours. They picked us up at our hotel, but dropped us off a half mile away. The lobby was hot and not air conditioned in any way. 1/10 people we talked to at the hotel could speak English with any real facility. Seriously, consider staying somewhere else.

My friends and I got back from a 4 day-3 night stay at the Hacienda Vista Real. We had taken a four day trip earlier in the week to the Yucatan Peninsula and went to the Hacienda as the final beach stop to our Mexican adventure. We drove into Playa Del Carmen and hunted for the resort. I will say that it is a hard place to find and nestled in the middle of a resort/condo complex called Playacar. Be prepared to drive around the whole complex and ask about 5 people to find it. It is both good and bad. Hidden gem, but difficult to find. The property and spa are beautiful. Our two bedroom suite was comfortable and very nice. I would say that it is a small property and not very large, so you can explore it within 20 minutes. The pool is fine with a swim-up bar and pool side restaurant. The food was good, but very limited menu there and at the Jasmin - the restaurant at the Spa. The best pool location though is at the top of the Spa with an infinity pool and nice lounge areas - although small. My biggest disappointment was the service. Not sure if it was because the hotel was slow without many guests, but service dragged. The rooms were clean, but we never got replacement towels. I guess if you don't leave a tip everyday, you're not going to get the same service everyday. There were several occasions at the restaurants where waitstaff walked past us, and we had to in the end seat ourselves AND get our own menus. Our first meal there - it took forever to get our food, and some of our meals were missing portions of it which took even longer to sort out - and then get corrected. I don't believe it was a part of a language barrier, b/c we had a Spanish speaking traveller with us - and the server spoke English as well. Overall, the property is pretty - and well maintained. Service was severely lacking. Go off the property (15 min walk) to the main strip - 5th Ave - to have dinner and drinks...don't go all-inclusive...the meal choices and service could definitely be improved.

Recently we had our wedding reception at the Hacienda Vista Real, and had over 20 guests stay at the hotel. All our guests and including my wife and me loved the facilities, the rooms, and the service. This hotel also had an incredible spa, and beach spot. The thing that seperated the Hacienda from other all inclusive my family and friends have stayed at was the quality of the food. When going to an all inclusive you are not expecting much from the hotel, but the food was incredible. I know my family and friends will be back that the Hacienda, and I recommended this hotel to anyone who is looking to get away and relax.

As for the positive things about this hotel, there were many - It was beautiful, the rooms were so nice (we stayed in a suite), the food at the grill by the pool was great, as well as the food at the beach. The beach was a bit of heaven brought down here to earth - absolutely loved it, and could have spent another week on the beach. The negative things were many though as well. The hotel staff seemed to be confused about how things worked - how much things cost at the spa, and who we were supposed to talk to about different activites. While the promotional trip to Xel-ha and Tulum was wonderful, going through the timeshare people was a big pain in the butt. It seemed as if everyone said "that's not my job" which meant a lot of time (1+ hour) sitting in the lobby, waiting for someone who could help us.The Royal Holiday people (timeshare) gave us conflicting information as well, and as soon as we told them that we weren't interested in the timeshare, they took their time in getting to us and our concerns. Also, day light savings time in mexico is different than in the USA. The hotel didn't give us any update that the time had changed, and therefore we almost missed our transportation. I would definitely stay there again (despite this review), because it was beautiful and relaxing. I would just avoid the timeshare people and the hotel staff.

I have traveled extensively for many years and this hotel- resort and spa was the most beautiful ever!!! In fact, it was not until the van drove up to the resort and I walked in did I realize that this was going to be paradise. The style wa typically Mexican and the lobby with its pictures and gorgeous interior made it so special. The staff was very friendly and easy to communicate with. Although I speak the language, it did not matter. They were wonderful. After my luggage was brought to my room, the vacation began. The highlights - Excellent service in the restaurants and I was thrilled to provide them with appropriate gratuity. They were friendly and a lot of fun. The rooms - always clean and you were given bottled water and lotions or shampoos when needed. transportation - the beach access and downtown taxis were available when needed. The walk downtown is about 15 minutes but taxis are always available. The food - Everything was very good and made as ordered. The staff enjoys making special cocktails and welcoming drinks. I am looking forward to seeing them again soon. The spa - Now that's paradise - just walk in and you will feel and smell the peace and tranquility. I used the services and it was well worth it !!! I enjoyed walking around to take pictures and tour the building. There's a restaurant upstairs and a pool for enjoying the sun and looking at the views. The private beach - the ride is about 20 minutes and the beach is gorgeous - the aquamarine color of Mexico's playas. The restaurant and grill ( parilla) serves delicious food and just ask if you want something special you will be surprised!! I was thrilled with this vacation and will return, if not this summer, next fall. I would recommend it to anyone and there's so much for families to do. But it's a great place for couples, singles, and people who want a relaxing, peaceful vacation.