Platinum Yucatan Princess

It’s all façade. The place looks really, really nice. It’s very new and well put together and the décor is fantastic. The reality is lacking, however.
Oh check-​in you are given basically no information. The counter guy seemed annoyed that I existed. They didn’t mention you had to put the key in a slot to make the lights work, so I spent my first 20 minutes trying to figure that out. I was never told there are certain hours you can use the pool, or where the beach is, or that there’s a cenote apparently. I was totally unaware of the shuttle to PDC until I read about it on Unilocal just now.
When I tried to catch the shuttle, it was absolute chaos outside with private tour vans taking up a bunch of space and people everywhere. None of the bellhops I asked about the shuttle spoke English well enough to help me. Finally, I ran back inside and asked a receptionist for help and I had just missed it. My cab driver told me that apparently you can’t ride the shuttle with a backpack anyway, so they probably wouldn’t have let me on.
Can’t get ahold of reception by phone to save my life. It just rings and rings and rings.
My «minibar» (c’mon, 2 beers??) wasn’t fully restocked on day 2, but I didn’t want to ask for more for fear of being charged $ 4 for a coke. The shower looks really nice and indulgent (2 rain shower heads and a regular detachable one) — but the hot water just never came. I had no trouble getting hot water in the bath and sink, so I’m not sure what the problem is here. Cold showers might be nice in the heat of summer, but it was overcast and chilly so I just suffered through it. There’s no heat in the rooms either, which I guess makes sense but really sucks when the temperature drops to 60.
The wifi is terrible, the elevator in my building was broken, the pools close at 8pm??? So do most of the bars. Drinks varied drastically based on who prepared them. There seems to be constant maintenance or construction going on. It’s loud! The walls are also apparently very thin because I could hear every loud drunken conversation in the hallways all night.
The food… If you have food restrictions, don’t bother trying to get anybody to accommodate you or even tell you what is in a dish. I tried Aroma, where the hostess couldn’t even answer if they would be able to make me something off-​menu so I didn’t bother sitting. I tried Tao, where my request for «vegetable only, no pescado no queso» rolls netted me one roll I could eat and the rest slathered in cream cheese. I tried La Bruschetta, where I was first met with the overwhelming odor of dirty dish water. After being seated and trying to order, I was told they couldn’t leave the cheese off the bruschetta — so I just left (first of all, why is cheese even on a bruschetta? second, I think this must mean everything is premade.) The Yucatan (buffet) was easier, but I was pretty much restricted to french fries, bread rolls, olives and fruit. The prepared food doesn’t have informative labels and nobody could answer if they used butter or milk in anything. They also don’t sell lactaid in the (massively overpriced) resort store. If you can’t accommodate someone with lactose intolerance, at the very least you should sell lactaid.
I don’t want to be one of *those* people, but it would be nice if the service staff were better able to communicate in English.
Another thing about the restaurants. I don’t know what it is about me, but I wasn’t given water a single time. I looked around and nobody else had this problem, they all had drinks right away. At one meal in particular I had 3 different people ask if I wanted coffee and water — yes please! — well, the coffee took 40 minutes to arrive, and I still never received the water.
To be fair, the breakfast buffet was pretty good. But I definitely agree with the other reviewers, if you’re gonna do the buffet get there early so your food hasn’t been sitting out for several hours.
This was my first all-​inclusive experience, so perhaps my expectations were too high.

The online advertising hype for Platinum Princess Yucatan is pretty good, but the reality is a mixed bag. The resort is a solid three to three-​and-​a-​half stars, reaching and occasionally clinging to a four star experience before slipping back down. Not a disappointment exactly, but too inconsistent in service and amenities to be considered genuinely satisfying.
The resort itself is very new, built within the past two years. It is a striking-​looking place with blue pools and tall white facades. Signs of wear are already showing, though. The lobby’s bathroom door had a broken swing arm that stayed broken most of a morning, for instance. Overall, a nice place.
The rooms are nicely appointed. Three standout features: the beds have memory foam mattresses and are very comfortable; the showers are walk-​in style with rain heads and plenty of hot water; the air conditioning is very powerful. Some neighbor-​guests complained of a musty smell in their rooms, but we did not have it.
We had two issues during our stay, and the staff response was slow and disappointing. When we arrived at our swim-​out room, there was an annoying high pitched sound. We’d been traveling all day, ready for a rest, and had to deal with it. We called the front desk. No, we could not switch rooms. Yes, they would send someone out. An hour passes. No one. We call back. Any progress? We’re sending someone. An hour passes. We meet our neighbors. They too are annoyed by the sound. They called the front desk. We’re all told to stay at our rooms and wait for the technician. Finally, a couple of security guys showed up and shut off a broken pump causing the noise. Three hours to resolution in which we had to stay put. Later we learned our neighbors went down to the front desk and complained in person. Compensatory offers and apologies were not forthcoming. Service fail.
The next day, our room safe breaks. We call down into the front desk. We’re trying to catch the last shuttle into Playa Del Carmen to go exploring and have dinner. Their policy, because it is a safe issue, is that we must stay there the whole time while they fix it. The security guy, who is not really set up for maintenance, plays with it for an hour and gets it fixed. We had to call in several times, and then requested that they just remove the safe, fix it, and bring it back later. Result: shuttle missed. We went to the concierge. He called in his boss who listen placidly to our complaints. «OK, the first thing is to get you transportation to Playa del Carmen.» He had to call someone to get clearance to comp us a taxi into town (a $ 20 car ride). He came back, well unfortunately his boss said no. He wound up paying for a taxi ride out. His assistant came back to us. He did not have us listed as newlyweds on our honeymoon. Later, this one clerk had comped us some champagne and sweets.
After being stuck in our room for half a day total, call it a win? Nope.
Our impression overall was that front desk staff was not empowered to help anyone in any meaningful way. Once they referred the issue to someone else, then they considered their part «done.»
The spa-​service needs recognition as providing the best service we received during our stay. Those ladies really went the extra mile to provide a great experience. Five star service at the spa.
The dinning service was hot and cold, too. The servers were generally nice and prompt. You would enter one of the dinning rooms and see uncleared tables. Once or twice, usually at breakfast, you’d have to hunt for a clean table while numerous staff flitted about doing what?
We learned that a number of the dinning servers were students at the local university where they were studying hospitality and restaurant service. It was off season, so it is possible that the resort was not carrying a full compliment of staff.
Overall, the food at all of the restaurants was quite good. There are moments of brilliance. A few things on the buffets will give you pause. Room service is limited to burgers and pizzas.
Some reviewers have complained that the restaurants require men to wear long pants. True enough. Actually, the rule prevents a lot of half-​drunken meat heads from carrying the pool party into the dinning room. Yeah, I had to schlep back to my room to change, but overall I think it is a good thing.
So what is the upshot?
We had a decent stay. Really inconsistent on fundamentals. Not a tragedy.

Overall not bad — but not fantastic. This is a pretty new resort, about 40 minutes from Cancun airport. There are two more resorts right next to it within walking distance, and your all-​inclusive wristbands work at at least one of them.
The pros:
–The rooms, furniture, bedding, all very nice and new
— Yucatan Buffet food was really good and had no dress code
–Spa was nice, and they offer 50% off massage for the first 24 hours of check in. The massages were solid.
-$ 5 shuttle to downtown Playa Del Carmen
–Number of restaurants was decent, I think there were 5 – 6
–The pools were great. Beautiful and big. One of the pools gets fairly turned up and has a DJ sort of
–The showers in the room are super nice.
–Room service was pretty quick and the burgers were delicious.
–The hibatchi restaurant was really good. Those guys nomally have all the same tricks (onion volcano etc…), but our guy actually had a one or two I hadn’t seen before.
The cons:
–Our room location was my biggest gripe. This was their dead season, the resort seemed empty, yet our room faced out directly into a jungle. Not a pretty jungle, literally the shrubbery is pretty much hanging onto the balcony. I don’t understand why they gave us that view with the resort being so empty. The swim-​outs cost extra but when I called to ask about upgrading she said they didn’t have any available at the time and to call back tomorrow.
–The service was good, but I’ve had friendlier at other resorts. Some of the smiles seemed a little forced, they didn’t seem to go out of their way for you as much as in the Dominican Republic.
–La Bruschetta was the weakest restaurant there. I would avoid. It was the epitome of bland all-​inclusive resort food
–The private beach on the resort was pretty bad. Big piles of muddy sand, no one was out there, not very pretty. Stick to the pools.
A couple tips, make sure to bring at least one or two pairs of pants and closed-​toe shoes. They have a fairly strict dress code at the restaurants for dinner aside from the buffets.
All in all, we enjoyed ourselves but I would probably opt for one of the other nearby resorts if I come back to Playa del Carmen. The other ones are bigger and set up a little nicer. This one is a little on the smaller side and went for a more sleek modern look than a tropical resort.

Platinum Yucatan Princess is an adults only, all-​inclusive resort with a very modernist, sleek, all-​white design. Overall our trip was very enjoyable! However, I wasn’t absolutely blown away by the resort and would likely try a different one if I go back to Playa Del Carmen.
Rooms:
The rooms were very comfortable and clean, with nice beds and great showers. Ours happened to have a terrible view facing away from the pools, and was very dark, so that was a major let down. We thought about upgrading to a swim-​out room, but honestly, I’m not sure I’d recommend doing so… Only some of them are worth it, depending on where they are facing. There are several pools — at the largest one with the large swim up bar and DJ, it would definitely be great to have a swim-​out room! However, at some of the smaller pools that are in the shade all day, it would absolutely NOT be worth the extra cost. Room service was good — kept the room clean and didn’t steal anything, even when I accidentally left some valuables sitting out.
Food and drinks:
The food was overall pretty enjoyable. The Yucatan buffet was my favorite, with a wide range of options and no dress code. [[Beware the dress code for men at the other restaurants though!!! Men need to pack shirts with sleeves and closed-​toed shoes to be allowed into the 4 other restaurants.]] Tao, the Japanese hibachi-​style restaurant, was seemingly the most popular of all the restaurants, and we really enjoyed it. La Bruschetta, the Italian restaurant, was not very good — and after talking to a few other guests, it seemed like a general consensus that it was the worst on the resort. Room service was actually not bad (I’d still opt for the restaurants, but if you’re feeling lazy, try the princess burger from the room service menu!). The drinks all around the resort were tasty and they didn’t skimp much on alcohol. Housekeeping also did a great job of restocking the water bottles in our room!
Spa:
Massages were AWESOME!!! Get one in the first 24 hours that you are on the resort, and you’ll get 50% off the price — so worth it! The rest of the spa left something to be desired. there’s a sauna and steam room, and an empty hair salon. There’s also a «spa pool» connected which was so weird and not worth it… basically just a weak bubble/​jet system in an otherwise normal small square pool.
This resort is quite small… However, the adjoining Grand Riviera Princess hotel (there’s a shuttle that will take you to that lobby), which is owned by the same company, is a LOT larger, with a really pretty tropical design. Your wristbands will work there as well! Although the Grand Riviera has children in it, I really preferred the vibe there and the restaurant options to the Platinum Yucatan Princess after exploring it a bit one night.

This place would get 5 stars if the service were better. Getting cash was a huge problem. Which is a problematic because nobody wants to travel with huge amounts of cash on them going into Mexico. Every single ATM in the resort was either out of service or not accepting American debit or credit cards. Even upon checkout they were not able to run any of my credit cards as their machines were not equipped for the new chips. When we tried to break $ 100 bill we were met with the snide concierge who would not accept it because it had a tiny hair size tear in the corner. Another time I sat and argued with the front desk about what it means to provide good customer service.
Aside from the mishap about getting cash, this all inclusive resort was new and very chic in the way it was decorated. The service was good. The staff was very friendly. Our rooms are comfortable. The showers were really nice as they have a rain heads for two people. Since its adults only they have two free «adult channels» for those who enjoy that sort of thing. The swim out rooms are definitely worth the extra money. The party pool always had something fun to entertain people. Wifi worked well and was free.
The food at this hotel was your typical all-​inclusive fare. Nothing to write home about at the buffets and the restaurants have the same flavor as the buffet. With all that said, at the rate that we got this vacation we could easily afford to go into town and I know it’s a excellent restaurants. All in all I would consider coming back to the Princess Yucatán.

Number one tip: GET A SWIM OUT — IT’S SO WORTH IT!
We were only here for a few days for a short relaxation trip before the end of summer. We had vowed never to leave the resort and just relax… yeah right…
That said, we only visited Tulum, and we did that on our own one day — worth the slight hassle if you’re getting there on your own. It would have been nice to have the colectivos (cheap, local little mini-​buses) closer to the hotel. You either have to get their taxi shuttle (50 pesos) that runs on a schedule (not every hour though — check the times) or you have to pay 240 pesos for a cab into Playa.
We had requested a quiet room away from the pool bar after reading one of the reviews on another review site — and SO glad that we did. We had a room in the 2000 block that faces the back of the property (furthest from the beach — but we didn’t care) and it was really nice. We very rarely ran into people in the swim out, but when we did we chatted and had a nice time visiting. The pool bar is open and has music playing non-​stop from around 10am to 6pm. That said — they do shut it down promptly at 6pm and chuck everyone out of the bar. Apart from the Saturday pool party we couldn’t hear the pool music in our pool. On Saturday I think I would have been deaf if I could have stood being out by the main pool — it’s REALLY loud.
Irk: there is NO information in the room about the facilities, times of things or rules and regs — except the little signs letting you know what’s included in the mini-​bar and how much a phone call will cost. You kinda have to get the gist from people who are already there.
Internet is just ok. You get kicked off every now and then. Other than that the room is great. We had a deluxe room with a king bed. They replenish the water every day so we NEVER had to buy bottled water. There isn’t much else in the mini bar (a couple of beers and soda), but hey, there’s a bar everywhere on this resort and wandering wait staff around the pools!
The staff are all really lovely. Please, please tip them… I know it’s all inclusive, but they still work for local wages.
Please give them a break about the seaweed on the beach — it’s an anomaly that happens every 15 years or so… and is a problem all up and down the coast.

3 star at best.
Pros:
1) platinum resort has no kids
2) free bottles of alcohol, fruit platter on arrival in room
3) decent cocktail list for all inclusive
4) some restaurants are good for the all inclusive
5) free porn channels in rooms
6) good beds, daily cleaning service, nice rooms
7) buffet is brilliant in adults only all inclusive
8) staff are all wonderful
9) activities are fun
Cons
1) Wifi is absolutely DREADFUL
2) all inclusive room service is inconsistent and some days really, really terrible
3) nightclub is EMPTY yet still blasts music until 3 am– it needs to be sound proof for the rooms opposite!
4) people vomit in the pool and your staff still serve alcohol to them?
5) pool closes too early
6) some restaurants are not great
7) the place stinks from the seaweed
8) not enough shade areas– need to get a shade bed saved by 7am; no sleep in if you want a nice day at the pool
9) taxi cabs are a rip off! It’s maximum $ 50 peso ride to town to Playa Del Carmen. Concierge and taxi company conspire and charge you $ 200 peso!!! Not cool!
10) 2 beers in the mini bar… That isn’t a mini bar!!!

I’m at the Platinum Yucatan Princess resort. So far… I’ve been here about 4 hours. 1. My room was given to a group of friends in our group. I paid for a king suite. And ended up with a junior double bed. Basic room. They ended up with the room I was supposed to have. I’m Not happy. Because it’s not what I paid for. The rodeo grill good is pretty good. I’m glad it’s open 24 hours. Because I like to eat. The pool is fun they have entertainment. So far that’s all I have. I think I would give it 4 stars if there was more effort put into getting me into the correct room.
Second day… My travel agent who is the best!!! Called and had words with the property. axel worked it out for me. But I was still slightly inconvenienced. They moved me to a king size room.