The Best Hotels to Book in Playa del Carmen for Every Traveler

Foodies can eat to their hearts’ content at the Fairmont Mayakoba, which features an impressive array of menus in its multiple restaurants. From regional dishes such as the huevos motuleños (sunny-side-up eggs served on tortilla with ham, peas, plantain, and salsa roja) to classics with a twist, like the octopus chilaquiles, you won’t leave hungry. Don’t miss the drinks drizzled with honey sourced by the Fairmont’s Melipona bees, whose hive is on display on the resort grounds.

The Petit Lafitte Hotel is a nod to the old-school hotels that brought American tourists to the Riviera Maya in droves. Hungry minds will be happy to know that the menu is packed with local seafood and traditional Mayan cuisine, while the drinks menu heavily features Mexican spirits. Don’t miss the Fleurs de Prairie, a Côtes de Provence that’s meant for the beach. The hotel’s real gem lies at the back of the property, where the Lafitte family has an orchard and raises Mexican Creole hairless pigs.

Young couples looking for a romantic getaway will find respite at the Senses Quinta Avenida, while also being in the heart of the action – this is one of the best places to stay in Playa del Carmen if you want to be close to the city’s restaurants and nightlife. With just 22 suites in this boutique hotel, some rooms feature jacuzzis just a step away from the bed. All guests can enjoy the rooftop infinity pool that overlooks the art galleries, restaurants and bars on La Quinta Avenida, Playa del Carmen’s main shopping street.

Hidden among the Mayakoba complex’s mangrove trees, the Rosewood resort spoils you from the moment you arrive at your hotel room – by gondola, we might add. Dining options from the five restaurants on-site range from Guerrero-style seafood pozole to hibiscus-glazed lamb, while wellness lovers can dive into Ayurvedic healing, Peloton classes, or surfboard HIIT workouts in the pool.

Pick between an oceanfront view or a jungle hideaway – the Viceroy has both. Either way, you’ll have everything you could need within the more than 1,000 square feet (93sqm) of your villa. Head over to the Coral Restaurant for chef Carlos Zamora’s lamb osso buco or shrimp in salsa macha, but you’ll want to stick around at the bar to sip on some “jungle water” and watch neighboring Cozumel light up as the sun sets.

If you’re ready for a vacation that’s round-the-clock fun, staying at Hotel Xcaret should be at the top of your list. As part of the Xcaret (pronounced eeksh-ka-ret) nature park, the hotel gives you unlimited access to one of the biggest amusement complexes in the country with over 50 attractions – from the busiest zip line in the world to nighttime jungle rides in an all-terrain vehicle.

From penthouses to treehouses, the Mahekal Beach Front Resort was made with outdoorsy types in mind, with its own established on-site dive shop. Dine in (or out) at the hotel’s thatched-roof, open-air restaurants, or make your own at the casita – preparing fresh hand-nixtamalized tortillas, lime soup, and tikin xic, a citrusy black cod cooked in banana leaves. Once in the water, take your time during a self-paced snorkel tour, or tackle advanced dives inside shipwrecks and cenotes.

The exclusivity – along with the water park, miniature golf course, bowling alley, zip lines, and go-kart track – easily make Barceló Maya Palace a family favorite. Maya Palace guests can use facilities at the other Barceló hotels, though it doesn’t work in reverse – meaning the Palace gets all the benefits without any of the crowds. If you are looking to venture outside of the resort, the out-of-this-world Jardín del Edén cenote is right across the highway.

Don’t worry about space at the Fives Beach Hotel & Residences, where suites have up to three bedrooms. The Fives keeps a watchful eye over the kiddos, offering babysitting services, a kids club with a rock-climbing wall and soccer field, and a tech-friendly teens club. While they’re otherwise occupied, you’ll have a chance to take a dip in the adults-only pool or slip away to the Japanese-Peruvian restaurant.