The staff was slow to warm up to us when we arrived, but by the second day was really, really nice and helpful. It's a great location and very quiet, especially for a place in the middle of Playa del Carmen.

The room was standard, like a chain hotel, with no charm or distinguishing factors. So much could be done with decoration or local art, but wasn't. There's huge potential here if the owners decide to dress it up a bit! Quite pretty on the outside and an unbeatable location right on the beach.

Those with heavy bags will struggle to get to reception, as you have to walk on the sand past another hotel to get in on the beach side of the building, which is the only entrance. Don't expect to roll your suitcase to the door here.

The shower was pretty good, they were generous with towels for the beach and got us beach chairs when it looked like there might be none left. Breakfast was inferior.

It is hard to call something impeccable, but Playa Maya hotel fits this description. We stayed for one week in April and it was a second visit after a few years. The experience was just as invariably great; the management and the staff is friendly and accomodating (they almost give you the feeling of home), the rooms are spacious and very clean. If you want a no-stress hotel experience, this is the choice - I even decided to put away the vacation for a few weeks, when the hotel was booked, rather than take a chance with other places. (I list a few restaurant choices below; I think it was a great idea by another guest)
Playa Maya was the best combination for us-
-reception is exceptionally hospitable, little things we may have found inconvenient (not even worth mentioning!) would be arranged promptly.
-we enjoyed great views from the balcony and slept to the sound of the Caribbean sea. it is fairly off the buzz of the town. the room and shower were spacious and comfortable.
-location is truly great; the hotel is still one of the few that are directly on the beach, you are one block from the 5th avenue, minutes from the dive shop (we tried Geofish and had a great experience), a beach walk to the Cozumel ferry.
-we had the great service and convenience of an "all inclusive" access to everything we wanted without the nuisance of the all-inclusive package (if you don't want to move at all during your stay, the excellent restaurant and bar of Playa Maya will provide you with everything- there were a few guests that did just that for one week; but if you want to have a freedom of a larger choice - again you are one block from the main avenue where all the happening goes and for us it was a great option)
-the rate includes breakfast, which you enjoy at the beach restaurant and it is a very nice experience (the coffee from the coffee pot in the hotel is better than the one in the restaurant - as we and few guests concurred). the service is somewhat slow in the restaurant so it is a bit hard to get it over with if you have an early morning trip arranged. we discovered that one had to go an extra step (or an extra tip) to get the restaurant staff to be slightly more welcoming and efficient.

Of course anyone will find easily things to do/places to eat around Playa del Carmen, but we were looking for a comforting food and a general rule was to avoid places with flyers and posters advertising the beer or other special offers. This is a sure bet to get the quality meal. However, a few recommendations on 5th avenue
- La Caprichoza - offers excellent typical Mexican food (from Guadalajara)
- Ula Gula and Tierra Maya (?the last word escapes my memory) - these two offer a high end Mexican food
-Deseo lounge- take a few steps up to the lounge where you can enjoy a refreshing breeze, watch a Mexican movie from the 20s and have a drink lying on the "bed"

off 5th Avenue
-Blue parrot beach club- if you want to see more of the fellow tourists and dance on the platform on the beach (but on that street you can find some of the fanciest restaurants as well - an Asian -fusion place I can not remember the name of just opposite the Blue parrot is very good)

off-off 5th Avenue
-El Fogon (it is a just an experience because this is what the locals eat you will probably be the only tourist there to enjoy an excellent food)- ask around or at the reception. It is perhaps a better idea to speak some Spanish, since they didn't speak any English.

My wife and I just returned from a 6-night stay at the Playa Maya, and we had a great experience. The hotel is very clean, the staff was helpful and friendly, and the location is amazing. We also found the Playa Maya (and Playa del Carmen) to be fairly priced. Perhaps it's due to the exchange rate, but we felt the prices for food and drinks were less than what we had expected ($2 Dos Equis delivered to you on the beach). This was a pleasant surprise! No $5 bottles of water here. . . (Perhaps because they don't get many business travelers, as I only delve into the hotel mini-bars when I'm on the company dime. . . . )

ANYWAY, we really enjoyed our experience in Playa del Carmen and Playa Maya. As previously mentioned, the location of Playa Maya is fantastic - short walking distance to numerous restaurants, bars, shopping, and the hotel is literally on the beach. Sometimes hotels overstate their beach location in pictures, but not here.

Playa Maya does a great job with the basics in hotel accomodations - it's clean, the service is prompt and friendly, and the food was good. I would highly, highly recommend the Playa Maya to anyone looking for a nice, clean, relaxing hotel in a great location with excellent service. What else do you need, really?
I rated this review 'excellent' because the Playa Maya exceeded our expectations, and I couldn't think of anything negative. This is not to say that 5 dots means 5 stars - this is not the Ritz-Carlton-by-the-sea, but neither is the price. 5 dots means that for the prices we paid we were very impressed. I fully expect that we will return to the Playa Maya in the future.

Tangent unrelated to the hotel: I couldn't find good reviews on restaurants around PDC, but we had good food pretty much every night. Here's a run down (we ate every meal outside for an entire week, 3 meals a day. Think about that for a moment):

- Yaxche (Mayan/Mexican): Eat here at least once. Excellent, thought about going back again, and really close to the hotel.
- Media Luna (Mayan/Mexican): Again, excellent. Highly recommended
- La Palapa Hemingway (Mexican): Very good, but a notch below the above
- Rolandi's: Italian chain in the mall at the ferry pier - Olive Garden in Mexico. That is not a compliment. I'm sure there is much, much better in the area especially north of Constitueyentes (I butchered that word, I know), so try one of those and let me know what I missed.
- La Quinta Pasion (Mexican): Again, fantastic and a little cheaper than the top two. Also in a different area of town that we wouldn't have seen.
- Breakfast and Lunch every day on the beach at Playa Maya. Other than the coffee, everything was quite good and priced right.

My wife and I just returned from our first trip to Playa Del Carmen and we stayed at the Playa Maya for 4 nights. Being that this was our first trip we have nothing to compare it to in terms of value vs. accomodations.
We arrived exactly at noon on a Tuesday and were told our room was not ready, and that check in is at 3:00 pm. We were aware that check in was not until 3:00 but online reservations showed the room unoccupied for Sunday and Monday. You can tell when a room has been freshly cleaned, and it was apparent when the room was ready at exactly 3:00, that it had been empty.
Our flight was canceled that morning and we had to drive 2 hours instead of 5 minutes in order to make our connection, which meant extra expense with travel, parking etc., operating on 2 hours of sleep, and now return flights needed altering. None of this was the fault of the Playa Maya of course, it just would have been nice to be allowed into our room. This restriction is not exclusive to the Playa Maya or Mexico, it is a Hotel policy worldwide. But........if the room is empty...........give the guests their room!!!
We stayed in a jacuzzi room. It was very private, and very quiet. The furnishings are on the economy side. The mattress was a little too firm. Those are not complaints, just observations, as we book vacations for location and do not look for something nicer than home. Our main priorties as far as the room goes is, enough hot water, cold AC, and cleanliness. The Playa Maya met those room requirements easily.
As far as outside of the room, we want sun, sand, surf and service.The service was great. Jorge, Raciele and Joaquin were excellent as they took care of us on the beach every day, as did the two boys who took care of chairs and umbrellas. The front desk clerks were friendly and helpful. The location was great in terms of access to town, cleanliness of the beach and where on the beach the hotel is located. The food was good, especially the shrimp and arecharra taco's. The grounds of the Hotel were always clean, and security was visible every evening.
If you are looking for LUXURIOUS accomodations, I'm sure you'll be able to find them, but I'm betting you'll pay more. Or You may prefer an All Inclusive, but you won't get the location the Playa Maya provides. The two absolutely beautiful AI'S in town have absolutely horrible beach to go with it.
If you want clean, reasonably appointed rooms, great service and a great location..........you can't go wrong staying here.
Would I recommend the Playa Maya? Would I stay at the Playa Maya again? Absolutely, on both accounts.