Review of the Residence Inn Marriott hotel in Playa del Carmen, Mexico (2022)

Recently, I was able to stay at the newly opened Residence Inn Marriott hotel in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. This Marriott hotel, which opened in October 2021, is excellent for short or long-term stays while visiting Playa del Carmen and the Riviera Maya.

The Residence Inn Playa del Carmen is part of the Marriott group of hotels and so, you can redeem Marriott Bonvoy points for a stay. Pricing with points varies and is usually between 20,000 and 30,000 Bonvoy points per night. Plus, Marriott has a special benefit where your fifth night is free when you redeem points for a stay.

For Canadians interested in earning Bonvoy points, consider applying for the Mariott Bonvoy American Express card. Until May 10, 2022, this credit card is offering a welcome bonus of 65,000 Bonvoy points and a $100 statement credit after spending $1,500 in the first three months.

Instead of redeeming points for my stay, I choose to pay with my Mariott Bonvoy Amex card to earn 5x points per dollar. Rates were fairly low at about $60 USD/night due to a grand opening special at the hotel. Plus, it meant that I could participate in Marriott’s Spring 2022 promotion to earn double elite nights and also earn 1,000 bonus Bonvoy points per night. 

Location – Residence Inn Playa del Carmen

The Residence Inn Playa del Carmen is located just outside of Playa del Carmen’s city centre on the Cancun – Tulum highway (Carretera 307).

It’s conveniently located close to the Centro Maya shopping centre which has a Soriana grocery store, shops, restaurants, a food court and even a cinema. The shopping centre is a 10 min walk away from the hotel but be warned that you need to cross 8 lanes of traffic to get there.

Also, the hotel is a 30-45 minute walk from Playa’s city centre and it’s beaches. So, to visit other spots in Playa del Carmen, taking a taxi is recommended.

There’s usually always one taxi parked in front of the hotel waiting to pick up guests. Or else, you can contact the front desk to reserve a taxi.  A one-way taxi ride from the hotel to the city centre is about 200 Mexican pesos (~$12 CAD).

For those with a rental car, there is free parking underneath the hotel building. Note that the hotel is not liable for any loss or damage to your vehicle while parked on site.

Front desk & lobby – Residence Inn Playa del Carmen

I took a taxi to the hotel and arrived around 5 pm. It was a hot day so it was nice and refreshing to feel the air conditioning as I walked inside. The hotel lobby is quite spacious with many chairs and tables to sit & relax. There’s also a business computer and printer available to use.

The front desk is immediately to the left of the entrance and I proceeded to check in with the friendly receptionist. She took a photocopy of my passport and I paid for my stay with my Mariott Bonvoy Amex card. She also gave me a personal hand written note from the front desk manager thanking me for my loyalty as a Marriott Elite member. I was then handed my keycard and took the elevator to my room on the second floor.

As I was visiting during the Covid-19 (corona virus) pandemic, there were certain health and safety measures in place at the hotel. For example, it was necessary to wear a face mask inside the public areas of the hotel. Most guests and staff I saw during my stay were being compliant and wearing a mask indoors.

Also, hand sanitizer was available at the front desk and throughout the hotel.

Hotel Room – Residence Inn Playa del Carmen

The Residence Inn Playa del Carmen offers studios, 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom suites with either 2 Queen beds or 1 King bed with a sofa bed. Regular rooms face the highway whereas the slightly more expensive garden view rooms have a small balcony overlooking the Playacar golf course.

I was assigned a large garden view studio suite that had a small balcony with a table & two chairs to sit outside. The balcony was facing east so there was plenty of sunshine in the early morning! Plus, there was a tree just outside my balcony and so I would regularly see & hear birds outside.

The room also had a large comfortable king sized bed with two lamps, an alarm clock and a cordless telephone.

On either side of the bed there was electrical plugs and USB ports to charge your electronics.

Directly in front of the bed was the smart TV which could swivel and face towards the sofa.

Beside the TV, there was the desk with an office chair and some electrical plugs.  

Opposite the desk, there was a large sofa-bed with a small table. Although, I didn’t find the sofa very comfortable as the seating cushions were too wide so you couldn’t rest your back on the back cushions.

Near the bed, there was a large closet with coat hangars, a safe and iron & ironing board.

On the other side of the closet, there was a mirror and some drawers for storage. This area led to the bathroom.

Bathroom – Residence Inn Playa del Carmen

The suite bathroom was modern and decently sized with a large shower. There was a hairdryer and three sets of towels. The soap & toiletries were from the 39°N brand and the shampoo, conditioner and body gel were all attached to the shower wall.

My one complaint about the bathroom is the odd layout with the door. It opened into the entrance of the shower. This meant that the door stop was immediately just outside of the shower so you had to be careful to not stub your toe/foot when you came out of the shower.

Kitchenette – Residence Inn Playa del Carmen

Upon entering the room to the right, there was a fully equipped kitchenette with two bar stools, a refrigerator, micro-wave, 2 burner induction stove-top, toaster and even a small dishwasher!

Also, there was a coffee maker with some cafe Britt  instant coffee packets and some tea bags.

Overall, the kitchenette was well equipped for 2 to 4 people with bowls, plates, mugs and wine glasses found on the top shelves.

Plus, there were some utensils, knives, a peeler, a corkscrew and a can opener located in the top drawer. The middle drawer had cooking utensils like spatulas and laddles and a cutting board.

The bottom drawer had a large pot, a colander and a measuring cup. There were additional pots & pans in the cabinet underneath the induction burner.

In the top cabinet, there were some round glass containers with lids which were a little high to reach. Once I took them down, I used these containers to micro-wave meals and store leftover meals which was much appreciated.

Finally, one pack of dishwasher detergent was provided as well as dish soap and a sponge if you rather wash your dishes by hand.

Smart TV – Residence Inn Playa del Carmen

As for entertainment, the smart TV in the room had regular cable channels (Mexican & American) in addition to Netflix, and YouTube.

I simply had to press the Netflix button on the remote and log in with my account info to enjoy my favorite streaming shows.

You also had the opportunity to connect you own device via Bluetooth to use the TV as a wireless speaker to listen to your music.

If you didn’t want to keep your login info and password on the TV, there was also an option to “clear your credentials” from all streaming applications. This was also done automatically upon checkout.

WiFi speeds – Residence Inn Playa del Carmen

In addition, free WiFi Internet is provided to all guests and it’s fairly easy to connect your device(s) to the WiFi. During my stay, Internet speeds were good at 28.88 Mbps download and 28.85 Mbps upload. So, I could easily watch YouTube and have video calls without any buffering issues.

But when I did connect to the hotel Internet, I made sure to use NordVPN to protect my online data and privacy. Read more about the benefits of using a VPN service with my NordVPN review.

Buffet Breakfast – Residence Inn Playa del Carmen

The Residence Inn Playa del Carmen offers complimentary buffet breakfast to their guests from 7 am to 10 am everyday.

Breakfast items include cereals, milk, yogurt, cheese, cold meats, granola and fresh fruit. This included bananas, watermelon, cantaloupe, melon & papaya.

You could also toast your own bread, bagels or Eggo’s and top them off with jam, hazelnut spread or other toppings.

Plus, there were some regular hot items like scrambled eggs and also corn chips with salsa & cream to make chilaquiles (popular Mexican dish). Other hot buffet items, like rice, stir fried vegetables and sausages, varied on daily basis.

There was also orange juice, water, a selection of pastries and a specialized coffee maker just outside of the main breakfast hall.  Although, the coffee maker would occasionally be out of service so there would be regular coffee instead.

There was plenty of seating to eat breakfast although some days there were lots of people eating simultaneously so it could get crowded.

Staff were quite proactive at refilling the buffet items and also constantly cleaning the breakfast hall. They would regularly walk by and remove your dirty dishes. I very much appreciated the excellent service from the hard working staff.

Rooftop area & pool – Residence Inn Playa del Carmen

The Residence Inn Playa del Carmen has a large rooftop area & pool which had upbeat music playing throughout the day. There’s lots of seating with lounge chairs located all around the swimming pool.

The pool was open daily from 8 am to 8 pm and there were bathrooms and showers guests could use before their swim.

Plus, there was a pool lift so guests with a physical disability could also enjoy the water.

Also, the rooftop had a small snack bar area called La Loncheria, open from 2 pm to 8 pm. It served sandwiches, hamburgers, fries and other snacks. Plus, you could order cold drinks like soft drinks and beer!

Prices were slightly expensive with meals costing 140 pesos (~$8.65), drinks were 40 pesos (~$2.50) and beer was 60 pesos ($3.71).

Laundry room – Residence Inn Playa del Carmen

For those staying long-term, the hotel also has a small laundry room. There’s 1 washer & 1 dryer which both had 30 min cycle times.

Laundry supplies (washing pod) were available at the front desk for a cost of $8 USD or 160 Mexican pesos.

Fitness Centre/Gym – Residence Inn Playa del Carmen

Finally, there’s a fitness centre present at the hotel with weights, treadmills, elliptical and other fitness machines.

Summary

Overall, I had a very pleasant stay at the Residence Inn hotel Playa del Carmen, Mexico. It’s located on the main highway, only a 10 min walk from the Centro Maya shopping centre. To reach the city centre or beaches, it’s a 45 min walk or else it’s possible to pay for a taxi.

My garden view room had a nice little balcony and I slept well in the king size bed. Also, I was able to get some work done and talk to friends thanks the decent Internet speeds.

Plus, the hotel offers complimentary daily buffet breakfast which had cereals, toast, fruit, scrambled eggs, juice, coffee and other items available. I certainly enjoyed eating the buffet breakfast and also cooking my own meals in the fully equipped kitchenette.

Since I stayed during the Covid-19 pandemic,  I found the hotel had in place adequate safety and health measures. This included wearing masks in the public areas of the hotel, placing social distancing markers and providing hand sanitizer throughout the hotel.

I wouldn’t hesitate to return and I can definitely recommend it to others visiting Playa del Carmen & the Mexican Riviera Maya.

A reminder that if you also want to stay at this hotel for FREE, consider getting the Mariott Bonvoy Amex card.

This card  provides automatic Marriott Silver Elite status and a free night certificate worth up to 35,000 Bonvoy points every year for an annual fee of $120. Also, it allows you to earn 5 points per dollar spent at Marriott properties.

Plus, learn more about how you can earn a generous 65,000 Bonvoy points & $100 statement credit with this card after spending $1,500 in the first 3 months if you apply before May 10, 2022. 

Did you enjoy this review or have questions about the Residence Inn hotel Playa del Carmen? Let me know in the comments below.

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Affiliate disclaimer: This review is based on my own personal experience with the Residence Inn Marriott hotel Playa del Carmen and is not sponsored by them. My blog contains referral or affiliate links. I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your continued support.