Room 341... We stayed Dec 19-22, visited Chichen Itza, and got engaged! Awesome experience. Staff was great! Room was beautiful! Did not hear any noise from 5th ave, but did get some noise from beachside bar near master bedroom, ended promptly at 2am, I believe it was a local wedding celebration. No hard feelings, I was awake anyway. Mini bar was stocked, and very reasonably priced ($20 bottle of tequila!) Beach was very nice, I did not find the boats to be offensive as some stated in previous reviews. My only disappointment, which is so minor, is that 'beach view' was limited. Its not a beachside condo, and the view is mostly obstructed by other units and trees. I would still go back, super impressed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks El Taj for an amazing room!

By far my wife and I's favorite stay, anywhere we've been. We are not so much about room service and maids turning down beds at night. We like a nice room with good, practical amenities.

This location is ideal for either a short or long stay. It's not the cheapest place to stay in Playa but you can't beat what you get. These are all condominiums managed by the property. We have stayed several times and while some decor is variable by unit owner, the kitchens and appliances seem to be uniform. We have rented both one and two bedroom units and both included spacious living areas, fully functional kitchens, very nice bathrooms (not overly big, but nice) and very comfortable rooms. Literally, this is somewhere you could live.

El Taj sits Oceanside and includes a small ocean view pool with Jacuzzi and waterfall. This leads directly to the private beach area and beach dining. There are lots of available lounges and umbrellas although you may want to get there early.

The Hotel also has you steps from 5th Avenue and convenient access to restaurants and clubs. There's even a nearby Starbucks for your morning coffee. I've been here for both a couple and family vacation and we've always thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. There is a club next door that is loud from the outside but it has never disturbed our sleep.

I cannot recommend this location more highly!

My husband & I recently celebrated our 40th anniversary by taking our family to El Taj from December 8-16. Our kids had stayed at neighboring properties twice before & highly recommended them. We stayed in Unit 302, the largest at El Taj (4 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms) which accommodated our family of 6 perfectly. The condo was gorgeous - beautifully decorated and had numerous terraces facing every direction. The kitchen was fully stocked with every utensil and dish we could ever need. We also paid to have the refrigerator & pantry stocked with some essentials (like cereal for our 4-year-old grandson).We had cable TV in every room. Our housekeeper, Elizabeth was efficient and lovely. The place was always spotless when we returned from our daily activities.

The rest of the staff was friendly and helpful. We especially liked our beach waiter, Kikay who took care of us every day and Juan, our breakfast waiter. The breakfast at Indigo Beach Club was great. It was so wonderful to start the day with the sand under your feet at breakfast. Worked out well with our grandson who played beside the table every morning. We loved the beautiful pools also. Right next to our condo, there was a lovely koi pond and the grounds in general were lush and gorgeous with vegetation.

El Taj was a block from town so walking to dinner and shopping was very convenient.

We met the developer, Jack Perlman on the beach the last day. When he found out it was our 40th anniversary, he had champagne sent to the room! He also recommended Imprevist, a restaurant close by. It was our last night in Playa so dinner that night was our anniversary celebration. When we arrived at the restaurant, there was a round of drinks waiting for us, arranged by Jack. He even stopped by at the end of the meal to see us. Highly recommend Imprevist's multi-course tasting menu.

All in all, El Taj was a fantastic place to stay in Playa. We look forward to our next visit.
Thanks, Jack for the special attention and thanks for creating such a beautiful & magical place!
Janice Zeltzer

Even better then last time! I had the pleasure of staying at two different units at El Taj as an extension to a free time share week i was awarded by Interval. What an improvement over the time share! El Taj is simply the best. Unique Balinese style, high end finishings, and an overall architectural masterpiece. It is the premiere luxury property right in the heartbeat of playa. Location location location. Steps to everything. At night it especially stands out from the beach looking towards Taj all lit up, one day i was sitting out there and people all just stopped and were commenting "whats this place?" "Oooh ahhh wowww," many were in awe as it just stands out from the rest. The developer is from NY and very detailed oriented and he truly cares. (he even lives on site for most of the year, he takes extreme pride in the properties and is always looking to improve) I am from NY so i like to joke and say it took a NYer to build something like this in playa! ;) Its the perfect blend of style comfort and luxury and it beats getting a hotel! This is a condohotel. Once you try you will never go back to a "regular" hotel. I certainly havent! One new touch that had been added since last time is Impreviste restaurant which a must try and is worth a few visits! The chef is amazing and ran my former favorite restaurant in town on the north end. This is his new venture in a better location and the buzz is starting! Its in a perfect little spot around the corner from ET and they even offer some light live music across the street some evenings which was a nice touch. Also their breakfast was A+! I never missed it and everything i tried was a hit. Also ET this time I noticed had some new restaurant delivery options to the room (like Da Gigi) another fine choice. The gym is the best on coast. You just dont find gyms like that at hotels or resorts. Its a full NY style gym with everything you coud ask for.

I was at two of the nicest rooms (will add pictures) a direct ocean front 3Br penthouse and a 4 bedroom on the beachside across the street. The unique thing at EL taj is every room has its own unique charm. None are exactly alike. If you return you may even want to even bounce around! There are 3 other properties at condo hotels as well all in similar style and all with their own unique charm and character. My two units for this stay were some of the highest end most luxurious units on the coast but regardless the value cannot be beat. In commercial resorts (places like atlantis yuck) these units would be 5 times the price! They run year round promotions so there are always discounted options depending on the season. All the properties are 5 star and nothing beats the signature roof decks. (equipped with grill, shower, loungers, and couch area) I suggest spend the extra money for a penthouse roof deck -- you wont regret it! Also the staff is great and always happy to help with anything whether it be the front desk, the concierge or the cleaning girls who do an amazing job. Only bad thing about writing this review on this cold day is it has me checking my calendar on when i can go back!
-G in NY.