We stayed at the Shangri La in November to attend the wedding of a family member.

When we first pulled up to the Shangri La, we were a little nervous because it didn't look like the "typical" 5 star hotel. We were pleasantly surprised.

The hotel is very clean and has a remote and peaceful atmosphere. It's literally built on the beach with cute little walkways that guide you around the grounds. The rooms are clean and comfortable. Each room has a little balcony with hammocks for relaxing.

The pool areas are as clean and beautiful as the rest of the hotel. There's a hot tub in one of the pools, although the water's temperature is not very warm.

The beach is gorgeous. We enjoyed swimming and had rafts for relaxing. One thing we particularly liked was that the beach never seemed too crowded and there were always enough chairs to go around. (You don't have to get up early, put your towels on chairs, and "claim your spot".)

We ate breakfast and a few dinners at the hotel. Food was good! We especially enjoyed the guacamole, pico, and nacho we ate for lunch by the pool.

There's a cute little bar with a daily 2x1 Happy Hour. You can relax with your drink while you play some pool or ping pong.

Another great feature is the location. You're just a few blocks- within walking distance- from the famous 5th street. What a fun and quaint area. There's so much to do. Cars are not allowed to travel down 5th street, so you're free to walk the cobblestone streets and shop, eat (many of the restaurants have table right on the sidewalks), or enjoy 2x1 drinks at many of the restaurants. This street has something for everyone! Even upscale shopping. This is truly a placed not to be missed in Playa. The atmosphere is uplifting and fun. You'll find you want to go back to 5th street everyday.

We can't wait to go back to Shangri La. We would highly recommend paying a little extra to stay in a hut on the beach. They're a little more private as you are not sharing walls with anyone else. They're also quieter as there is some construction going on right across the street from the lobby and very close to some of the rooms. (Workers started at 6:00 every morning.)

Enjoy your stay at Shangri La. You will be very glad you made the decision to stay in a quiet and relaxing place. The staff is exceptional and we were impressed by their attentiveness and willingness to go out of their way to make our vacation special.

Have fun!

We researched a lot before choosing this hotel, and I must say that it was just what we've expected: great beach, relaxed atmosphere, good service and basic but clean and cozy rooms. Even the food was better than most reviewers have stated.

The only problem with the hotel is just the ugly building being built accross the road. For one thing, this four story "temple like" building is totally out of place in front of the Caribbean palapas of shangri-la. (Check my pictures). It just ruins most of the setup. But what is really a problem, is the terrible construction noise, starting at 6:30 AM (no typo here). Most of the week it was annoying but bearable hand hammering, but on two days we got unbelievable noisy machine hammering which kept us awake. Moving to another room was not easy since most of the Aventura and Left Caribe Sections were affected and finally we had to downgrade to a Pueblito section room which, although not bad, was not the same as the Caribe room. The hotel reception staff seemed overwhelmed by the problem.

So, my advice is: Coose a room as far away as possible from the construction (right side of Caribe section, next to Las Palapas, should be ok) or check whether there will be construction activity during your stay. For the rest, the hotel is great.

We just got back last night from a 1 week stay at the Shangri-La Caribe. It was fantastic! We researched (on-line) probably every hotel from Tulum up to Puerta Morales, relying heavily on trip advisor reviews. Shangri-La was everything we expected and more.

Our room, 2nd level Aventura side, was great. Clean, big, comfortable beds, and the tiled shower is nice. A large closet and a dresser for our clothes! Also a suit case rack that we used mostly for drying stuff - there was also a clothes line with clothes pins on the patio. The patio was great with two chairs a table and two hammocks.

The bar at happy hour (5:00 - 6:00) was full of people but not obnoxious. It has 2 ping pong tables and 2 pool tables and always had some people having a good time. (unlike the bar next door at Las Palapas - we went there one night after Shangri-La happy hour and it was quiet and deserted - not even any music playing. Although their happy hour was from 4:30 - 7:00 and I guess if you go early there is a bar right on the beach at happy hour that is pretty fun).

The staff at Shangri-La - especially the staff at the restaurants - is excellent. Always smiling and extremely helpful. They definitely made our stay more enjoyable.

I was a bit nervous about the "all inclusive" food and atmosphere. I was pleasantly surprised. Each restaurant was set up like a restaurant. You could have nice romantic dinners and never felt like you were at a cafeteria. There were mixed reviews on the food that we had read. Maybe they have a new chef but, all of the food was good. Considering it is hard to spend less than $45 for a meal in town (and usually more with drinks and an appetizer), we thought the all inclusive deal was well worth it. The only thing negative I would say is that there was not a lot of variety from night to night - mostly a choice between pork or fish as a main course or a Mexican type buffet. There was more variety in the soups and appetizers for dinner. Breakfast was always good.

There are some great restaurants in town to choose from and it is definitely worth it to walk over for a couple nights - an easy pleasant walk. Or it is a $3 cab ride.

There is still construction going on behind/next to the resort. This could bother some people - it wasn't a problem for us. Really only the morning that the trash truck was there - did it wake us up.

We never missed the TV or the phones in the room. There is internet service at the hotel for $1.50 for 30 minutes (although the keyboard was a little off - the "a" key typed a q and the "q" key typed an a - etc..).

Tips: Bring a beer cozy to keep your beer or soda cool at the beach. Go the the market - there is a super market called "Mega" right in town - and get a disposable cooler for ice and drinks in your room. Bug spay for the evenings - it wasn't terrible but it is the tropics and mosquitos definitely come out. Renting a car was well worth the money if you want to go up and down the coast or to the ruins. Get the damage waiver as not all of the roads are perfect and there are plenty of trucks dropping rocks. We paid as much for the car as we would have just for cabs to and from the airport. Snorkeling in Aventura is great if you want to avoid the touristy waterparks. We saw Sea Turtles, reefs and all kinds of beautiful fish and only paid $10 for the equipment at the Aventura Dive shop.

We would definitely go back to Shangri-La. We met nice people and had one of the best vacations we have ever had. It is quiet relaxing and has a nice beach with palapas, lounge chairs and great swimming areas. Also, it is one of the only hotels in Playa del Carmen with a pool right on the beach and a Jacuzzi. The Jacuzzi is not hot but is still warm and nice in the evening or when it gets cloudy or rainy. It is also close enough to town that you could go party every night if you wanted or you can just stay in at Shangri-La and enjoy paradise!

When we got there i was a bit worried couse the reception is so tiny and simple, just a desk and a computer under a palapa almost! But the place its amazing is soooo romantic. Even when we said we would be charged if we wanted a bottle a champagne we didnt!!! (maybe the forgot to charge???) and got freee fruit! wich was also suposed to be charged. The food is great and the staf and waitters are warm and friendly. The only one thing and that wasnt their fault its that it rained for 2 days sooooo much that the water almost got into the cabin! missed by about 4 inches! But that made the whole experience actually more fun!. I definetely want to go back there.