My girlfriend and I just returned from Playa Del Carmen, where we stayed at Pueblito Escondido. We knew going in this was not a full service hotel, but a condo/hotel. Reading reviews prior was very helpful in choosing this place. Most reviews are spot on. I booked through Orbitz $147/nt for a 2 bedroom suite. The unit was really nice and very spacious. This came in handy, since we both over packed;-) Having a kitchen was nice, we stalked up on ice, water, alcohol/mixer (blender provided), snacks from the convience stores within a couple blocks. I found the mayan riviera is not cheap in general if you're in any touristy area. No major complaints on the rooms, they were great, clean, a/c, decent beds, plenty of towels, etc. I would note that the main floor pool/bar was closed and there was construction going on during the day. It really didn't bother us since we were typically at the beach or on an adventure during the day. The rooftop terrace, pool and bar was awesome as described! Wish the bar would stay open a little later, since most people eater later in the evening. Drinks were no great deal, but Jorge the bartender was great. Served me my first Michelada, and I about died! I was warned:) The roof area was usually very quiet as well. As noted by other's the penthouse suites with private rooftop areas & plunge pools are not totally private. But unless you're looking for complete privacy, they're pretty cool. Enjoy.. wave at your neighbor. Met 2 or 3 owners, all very nice, who were very interested in what we thought of the place since they all rent their units. The staff: front desk, housekeeping, etc were pretty attentive, helpful and accommodating. Again I wasn't expecting Fairmont/4 Seasons style service. The beach is literally steps away. You can rough it, throw a towel down and enjoy the beautiful north end beach area right off the hotel or walk a couple of minutes south down the beach to the beach clubs. We mainly went to the Kool beach club and used the 10% discount, food and drinks, lounges etc. A beach front cushioned lounge/umbrella was about $6. Mamitas beach club, located right next to Kool, was cheaper and a little more busy/happening if that's what you like, around $2.50/$3.00 for a lounge. We didn't know until we checked into it. We mainly used Kool, it also has a pool area and we liked the cushy lounges. The hotel is on the north end of the town, a short walk to 5th Ave. Bit of hike if you go all the way to the south end. Taxi's were anywhere from $2.50 to $5, depending on who you got and insisting on change. And yes things are pricier on the main avenue. We also enjoyed La Cueva De Changa, very close the hotel. For good italian try il Baretto. Great prices and they'll make to order if they have it. My mistake was not getting addresses for the restaurants off 5th Ave that were suggested in some of the other reviews. It's helpful in finding them. Front desk didn't seem to know many of them. If you want a good jungle/cenote snorkeling or diving adventure definitely check out Hidden Worlds. We jumped on a "colectivo" by the bus station for 20 pesos each to get there and paid about $75/pp for an all inclusive activity pkg. I think the prices vary, but well worth it, was a blast. All and all a great vacation and great condo/hotel. I do wonder about what may happen when Shangri-la is raised and what may be put in it's place. Right now though I would definitely go back.

We recently stayed at the Pueblito Escondido for 8 nights for our 10th Anniversary trip – the condos were great! Clean, modern, nice.

The resort itself is pretty quiet…the pool was never crowded…the view from the pool was breathtaking…the only "glitch" was the infinity pool is not working properly but it was still very nice…We stayed in 315 for the first half of our trip and had a nice view but switched to 301 (at our request) as soon as it became available and it had an even better ocean view. The staff was outstanding – they moved us to the new room while we were out diving one day – they were always friendly when we asked them a lot of questions! The location was perfect – low key, by the ocean, but close enough to walk to 5th Avenue and enjoy the action.

Restaurants in Playa are great – there are a lot of choices on 5th (we enjoyed La Parilla) and there are unique places along the way (try La Pesca if you can, off the beaten path, yummy food).

We returned from Playa describing it as the best trip to Mexico we have taken so far (we've been to Cabo, Acapulco & Cozumel) – the people were incredibly friendly, it offered a variety of things to do (we went fishing, diving, took a day trip to Cozumel, did the Tulum & Beyond tour – excellent), and the hotel was perfect. I would highly recommend Pueblito Escondido to my friends and would go again. However, before we (or our friends) booked a trip I would be sure to ask about the hotel Shangri-La that is located between Pueblito & the beach - I'm not sure when construction will be taking place to tear it down (noise & mess) and also, once torn down, I'm not sure what will be built here that may block the view - I would hate to see this happen!

Prior to coming, we had spend 4 days in Tulum. We arrived around 12:30 pm and were greeted by a young girl manning the front desk named veronica. She greeted me by name as if expecting me and confirmed that I had made my reservation on Expedia. Her English was remarkably good. The lobby was nice, but very small with ceilings higher than the room was wide. I was then informed, rather emphatically, that check-in was not until 3pm and our room was not ready. Expecting me, yet the room is not ready....Then, before even having a room, she put a $1000 peso hold on my credit card for, “incidentals.” Not the welcome I was hoping for.

We waited and waited. 3 hours went by and finally we got to our room (meanwhile being sweaty hot, hungry, and thirsty).
The room was a 1 bedroom suite on the first level. They are very nice with modern stainless appliances and granite countertops in the kitchen. There are separate dining and living areas. Cable flat-screen TVs were present both in the living-room and bedroom. As mentioned by others, the couch in front of the TV is small and awkward to sit in as it has nothing to support your back, more of a bench I guess. The A/C works very well to cool the room. A few problems with the room. First, the bedroom windows looked out to a dark hallway, and had some kind of shutter pulled across them obscuring any view at all. The showerhead produced a very unusual water stream that was a minor nuisance. And, there were way too few towels in the room. The room safe was not attached to anything such one could just pick up the whole safe and move it—hardly secure. There were no Kleenex in the room. Lastly, there was no “do not disturb sign.” We did use the free WiFi. The signal was good in the lobby and by the rooftop pool, but was very weak in our room. All minor problems, but together they add up.

Our patio opened up onto the central courtyard. Unfortunately, the central courtyard was under construction and the pool and bar were both closed. This was disappointing to the say the least. But more annoying than that was the construction noise during the day.

There appeared to be a Mexican restaurant attached to the hotel but it was closed both days we were there. 1 block inland is a really fabulous place called The Monkeys Cave (Cuevo del Chango), I highly recommend it, and we ate there many times. Several blocks further are two convenience stores and some kind of Argentinean food stand.

The main attraction for this hotel is the rooftop infinity pool which is really nice and offers a beautiful view of the ocean. There is a rooftop bar which has a swimup section, but unfortunately, this was closed as well during our first day there. Another annoyance. Fortunately, it opened up the next day. It is not an extravant bar but offered cervezas for 30 pesos each and we also had a margarita which was good. We really enjoyed the pool. Very relaxing. There was hardly ever anybody else up there, which was nice.

My biggest complaints are two about the pool. First, they blasted this weird new-age/electronica music which was somewhat irritating. I would have preferred the sounds of the ocean. Second, there were only 3 umbrellas by the pool. There is no other shade at all up there. There are some trellises above a sitting area that offer partial shade. The mexican sun beating down on the rooftop is brutal.
You should know that if you rent one of the 3rd floor suites with a private pool, that while the pool is private, you really have no true privacy as one can easily see any of the private decks and pools. Also, there are no umbrellas on any of the private decks to offer you any shade while on your expensive private rooftop deck. Again, there is only these arbors overhead providing partial shade.
Regarding the amenities, you should know that room service is actually ordered from an outside restaurant that delivers. It is Italian. Similarly, there is no true onsite spa. This is actually more of a condo complex, than a resort.

The beach is very close. Probably 50 yards. But, the resort owns no beachfront property, so there are no chairs/umbrellas one could use (although you could bring your own). There is a beachclub (Kool beachclub) that one can go to for 10% discount, although it is probably a ten minute walk away and we did not go there.
The location is pretty close to 5th avenue; just a few minutes walk (2 or 3) down quiet side streets. Unfortunately, most of the restraunts we wanted to go to were at the southern end of 5th (a 20-25 minute walk). This is not so bad for dinner at night, but walking down 5th for lunch under the afternoon sun was nearly unbearable. Lastly, let me just mention that prices in both the convenience stores and restaraunts were not as cheap you would expect in mexico. A six pack of Sol beer was 63 pesos. 3 chicken tacos for lunch on 5th avenue cost me 85 pesos. We spent about 600 pesos on each of our dinners for two adults (El 10 and Yaxche).
In summary, we enjoyed the room and roof top pool, but there were enough inconveniences that we would probably not return to this particular resort.

Location is great. Pools are nice. Rooms are nice. Mosquitoes are a major problem. We woke up everyday with bites on our faces, legs, arms. We killed 10 plus everyday. This made for a very uncomfortable stay.