My mother and I just returned from a 5 night stay at the Posada Mariposa. We both enjoyed our time very much at this quaint little hotel. I've traveled for work and pleasure quite a bit and stayed in all kinds of accomodations( from hostels and Motel 6's, mainstream Hyatts, Marriots, to luxury and boutique hotels such as those of the Kor group). My mother is slightly obsessive about cleanliness, and I am about service. We chose this hotel as opposed to an all-inclusive resort because we knew we were going to be gone site-seeing the majority of the time and just needed a safe, and clean place to lay our head at night and help point us in the right direction when needed. So we weren't looking for a lot of bells and whistles, just clean and safe. I was a little apprehensive getting there because it seemed to good to be true ( especially since we booked last minute). I emailed and spoke with Nadyelli quite a few times even before arriving and always got a prompt and courteous response. She was so patient, helpful , informative, and happy to be of service. My only dissapointment was that I never got to meet her personally to thank her for all her help. Alfonso and Axel at the reception desk wear many hats ( concierge, bell hop,etc). They also were very helpful, informative, nice, and always delivered service with a smile! They are the kind of guys you could easily just hang out and chat all day with. On our last day, our airport shuttle came 45minutes early. Axel sent someone to the restaurant we were having brunch at so we would not miss our shuttle. They always went above and beyond the call of duty and did so happily. You can't get this kind of service at a large chain hotel anymore. Surprisingly, the maids cleaned our rooms to my mothers satisfaction. So overall I would have to say that the service was one of the best things about this hotel. Hotel itself: FREE internet connection if you bring your laptop, SANS phone( but someone at reception will be happy to make a local call for you for free, and there is a calling booth right across the way) simple, clean, natural al-fresco garden setting, 23 total rooms, staircases only, firm mattresses, TV ,mini fridge, A/C, ceiling fan,outdoor seating, fun towel sculptures. Just the bare necessities. Think a budget version of the TIDES hotel without any bells or whistles.
Location: If you are familiar with Santa Monica, California think "3rd St. Promenade" WITHOUT all the loud crazy people, smelly homeless, weird street performers. Quinta Avenida is full of great and unique bars & restaurants, shopping, gelato/ice cream, spas, internet and calling booths, siteseeing information stands, and other boutique/budget/ and mid-range hotels. It's safe, clean, eco-friendly (trash bins have biodegradable and recycling) and not over populated-yet. For those of you that are lame and boring there is a Subway, Starbucks, Burger King, Mc Donalds and even a freakin Wal-Mart(ugh!). If you don't mind not being directly on the beach this location can't get any better! The guests at the hotel ranged from college spring-breakers, backpackers, young couples , old couples, gay couples and group travelers. Americans, Europeans, and pretty much everywhere else. Mamitas beach is two small blocks away, bus station is walking distance, as is the ferry to Cozumel, you can grab a cab on every corner. This is the heart of Playa del Carmen. Cancun airport is about 30-40 minutes away, Xel-Ha, Tulum ,Xcaret, are all about 15-30 minutes away. PlayaCar (the residential/resort neighborhood is walking distance 15-20 min or a 30-60 peso ($3-6 USD). There is quite a bit of construction going on right now all over PDC. It didn't bother us too much because we got up fairly early anyhow. But you may want to take some earplugs just in case. Right now virtually everyone takes $USD, but make sure to carry smaller bills as they often cannot make change. My mother got a 2 hour massage and facial for $75 USD!!! These spa stands are all over Quinta Avenida. Favorite places: Quinta Passion restaurant is an authentic Mayan casual reasonably priced restaurant located right under El Condo Patio Hotel on Quinta Avenida (26th). Service was great everytime except once when they gave us the incorrect change back, but they happily corrected the problem. Try the lava bowl if you like seafood and the "sopa de lima" if you like tangy and tasty. 100% Natural restaurant also on Quinta Avenida (22nd?) was a huge hit for us. There are a few locations, the one closer to PlayaCar looks like the Rainforest Cafe, its pretty neat. You will esp like it if you are into fresh, healthy, vegetarian or macrobiotic eating. It is like Jamba Juice meets Whole Foods. Again, reasonably priced and the menu is pretty extensive. The Argentine guy that runs the one closest to the Mariposa is super cool too. Try the whole wheat pecan pancakes or their fresh juices. If you want something a little more of a high-end ambience on Quinta Avenida, there are plenty of those too. SUR was nice and the food was good too. Try the caviar or shrimp appetizer. Site-seiing wise I would recommend the Tulum/ Xel-Ha eco-park package( not as big as Xcaret but it still takes all day to experience the entire park). Tulum is great for those into Mayan history and is a gorgeous site to see. Xel-ha is an eco park with dolphins, fish, stingray, wild birds, mangroves, "cenotes". You can bike, snorkel, swim w/dolphins, kayak, sunbathe on the beach, lay in a hammock, float down the river on an inner tube, jump off a cliff into the water "Tarzan" style, amoungst many other activities most of which are included in the entrance fee. Best part is unlimited food and bev ( and that means alcohol too!) all day long! Loved this tour package! Chinchi Nitza ( sp?) is great for history buffs, but it is a 3 hour trip just to get there. MUST SEE- the cenotes. These underground waterways are a marvel! They are found all around PDC. If you are into snorkeling Alfonso at the Posada Mariposa has a personal favorite( about 2.5 hours south) that sounded great, but we ran out of time. I also wish we'd taken the ferry to Cozumel. So much to see and do and so little time. Be sure to take the time to talk with Axel and Alfonso, they are very helpful and nice.

I recently stayed at the Mariposa with my sweetheart for a duration of four nights and absolutely loved my stay. Like most of you, i checked out the reviews before hand but I was more than impressed when I actually got there.
My man Axel and the rest of the front desk crew couldn't possibly be any nicer or any more accomodating than they were. We arrived early, and although check in time is 2pm, Axel went out of his way to make sure we could get our room immediatley and that was greatly appreciated.
The hotel has such an awesome rustic, natural feel, that it truly is beautiful, small and quaint. The rooms were wicked too. Super clean, lots of hotwater, absolutely no bugs, and a fully functioning t.v. with lots of channels and a small fridge. The hotel made our stay that much more enjoyable and I will definitely been staying at the Mariposa on future visits and I will certainly be recommending it to anyone that is going to playa.
The location is so close to mamita's beach that you can feel it and at the risk of being redundent, the mariposa is awesome. Thanks Axel!!!

p.s. this is a 4:20 friendly hotel to those of you that know whaddup.....

This little hotel was perfect for a week stay in Playa. It was very cozy and not hyped up like all the resorts and other hotels. My boyfriend and I loved the location ( 2 minute walk to the beach), right on the strip, and the staff was very friendly and helpful. It was just a great atmosphere to be around. If I ever visit Playa again, I will stay at this place!

We had a little difficulty finding the Posada Mariposa, as it's on a pedestrian-only street. We arrived an hour earlier than the stated check-in time, and were told that our room wasn't ready yet. Not a big deal, we just wanted to park our bags and go to the beach anyway, but then we were told that our room would not be ready until 3:00, an hour AFTER check-in time. When we asked why, the guy at the front desk said that only 2 out of 4 housekeepers showed up, and that they were behind, but working as fast as they could. Of course, it was kind of annoying looking across the lobby and seeing THREE housekeepers sitting down at break/lunch, but it wasn't a big deal in the scheme of things. The front desk clerk was very friendly, and put our bags behind his desk. We asked where the hotel parking was, and he said the hotel had no parking, and we had to park on the street. We managed to get a spot within a couple hundred yards of the hotel.

The room was clean, moderately sized, standard furnishings, but no view. It was on the 3rd floor (out of four); elderly/disabled folks beware, there is no elevator. The hotel is well-located on the north (and somewhat quieter) part of Quinta Avenida, but is not on the beach, if that's important to you. We only stayed one night, and both my wife and I weren't thrilled with the hotel. We couldn't figure out why, because really, the hotel was decent and met all of our needs. What it came down to was value, and we felt that we overpaid a good $20-30 per night for what we got, given the lack of amenities (view, elevator, pool, secure parking, etc.). I'm not sure if this was a Playa del Carmen thing, or it was specific to the Posada Mariposa, or a combination of both, but in the end, if we were to stay in Playa del Carmen again, we would try another hotel.