I recently stayed at The Royal Haciendas in Playa del Carmen. The resort itself is beautiful, with clean and spacious rooms, well-kept grounds, and a relaxing atmosphere. Housekeeping was consistent, and most staff were polite.
Unfortunately, many parts of the stay were disappointing. Room service was extremely slow — every order took about an hour to arrive, and guests are required to wait another full hour before placing a second order. When I followed up, the staff on the phone were rude rather than helpful. The pools had too much chlorine, making swimming uncomfortable. The beach was full of seaweed and essentially unusable, which was a big letdown for a beachfront resort.
The food was another weak point. While the buffets had plenty of options, the quality was poor — dishes felt like they were made just to fill space, with little flavor or freshness. It was disappointing to see variety without quality.
Overall, while the property itself is attractive, the poor food, unusable beach, chlorine-heavy pools, and slow, unfriendly service made the stay fall far below expectations. I hope management addresses these issues, as the resort has potential but currently does not deliver the standard it promises.