I love my job. Even so, certain days are better than others and the days I spent at the Hilton Playa Del Carmen (PDC) with 12 of our team members definitely falls into that category. Going into this trip, I thought the scenario was setting up for disappointment for 2 reasons. Playa Del Carmen used to be my absolute favorite place in the world. I had heard about how much it had grown, and that it had been commercialized, all of which I felt would ruin it and certainly would be disappointing to me. The other reason is that I had such high expectations of the Hilton PDC there is no way it could live up to it. I’m happy to say I was wrong on both accounts.
While Playa Del Carmen has grown and has been commercialized it has also maintained a lot of the uniqueness I fell in love with 20+years ago. There are still incredible restaurants on 5th avenue along with a lot of new bars and clubs. There is also a lot to do off of 5th avenue, that is a product of growth, like more bars and restaurants and even a community market. There is nightly entertainment in the main square by the ferry port, cultural and variety (street performers). The Hilton is in an incredible location, 2 blocks off 5th avenue in the heart of everything. This makes it unique because you can escape the hustle and bustle and have that relaxing resort experience, but then go take it all in with a short walk.
The resort itself is beautiful and it is right on the beach. It’s also a little larger than I expected given its location right in town. When you first arrive you walk into a huge atrium. This is where a lot of the entertainment happens. As you walk outside there is an aqua duct water feature that drains into a small pool with Mariachi statues in front of a large lawn. There are multiple pools near the beach including one with a pool bar, of which I am a big fan in general, and have thrown many a soggy dollar into tip jars. The entertainment staff did a great job around the pools keeping people engaged and providing a variety of activities for those wishing to participate.
The food was outstanding here. While we did not sample all 7 restaurants, every meal we had was delicious. One of my favorites was El Rincon where you can get tacos pastor. So many times you eat at all-inclusives and the food is bland or does not taste authentic. This was definitely not the case here. Their pastries and chocolate confections were both artistic and delicious. The Mayan head pictured above was actually made out of chocolate and was in my room!
The spa here is beautiful. Multiple team members had treatments here and all were impressed. I would have really liked to try the Temazcal stone steam bath and the Chocolate Ritual Body Therapy, but elected to go to nearby Xcaret on our free day. There is also a good size gym here with a separate room for classes like spinning and aerobics. If that is not your speed, jump into a Zumba class at the pool. A few of our team did and had a great time. Where are the pictures of that you ask? I think I was at the pool bar, or maybe we are just holding back pictures to protect the innocent.
This is a great option for anyone looking to get away, but especially for people who like options on their vacation. You can kick back and enjoy the resort, head out to explore a cool beach town, dive into some of the best scuba and snorkeling options anywhere at Cozumel, or head out on many other excursions. So much to do, but you would be hard pressed to find a better home base. If you would like more information check out these other links below.
Live on Location Site Tour with Hilton PDC:
https://www.facebook.com/ECPolaris/videos/220888616496740
View a Slideshow of our trip:
https://www.facebook.com/ECPolaris/videos/215091927052267
Watch our 5 Minute Review YouTube Channel:
Check out our 360 Tour YouTube Channel:
https://youtu.be/956khUzeC6