Royal Hideaway Playacar, Riviera Maya, Mexico
“It’s raining” should have been the title of this travel book. Planning a tropical vacation for October is always risky business. The weather can be very unpredictable and in October 2015 the Riviera Maya area of Mexico had rain for at least 5 days straight- we were there in Playacar to witness it at the Royal Hideway Resort.
Often when booking our resort and choosing our room, we say “our room doesn’t really matter; we’re going to be at the beach most of the time anyway”. The same goes for food and drink quality. We’d don’t want anything awful, but we don’t search for top-of-the-line because we’re truly not that picky. This vacation and resort were definitely out of the ordinary. The All-Inclusive, Royal Hideaway Playacar is an adults only resort that remains at the top of our list in the food category.
Where we were unlucky with the weather, we made up on resort quality. We were pleasantly surprised by our villas each containing only a few rooms. The privacy was welcomed and the location close to the beach made for a quick run when the downpours came. We had a spacious room and a beautiful courtyard which made meeting our travel companions (another Missouri couple who had planned to meet us there) very convenient.
The food was amazing. I didn’t get any great “plate” pictures but the quality and presentation was the best we’ve experienced. Meals had many courses and were each explained by the talented and knowledgeable wait-staff.
The beach was nice, but hard to critique because there was rarely a sunny moment to enjoy it. The most memorable feature was the beach chairs with portable shades. We called them “hog huts”. They are wonderful for positioning anywhere you need to block the sun or in this case, keep the drizzle from ruining your book or getting your clothes and towel wet from the rain.
We did find time during a break in the weather to take the resort bikes our for a leisurely ride through town. We also played sand volleyball, but it was only after a hike down the beach to a neighboring resort with a volleyball net.
There are many deals out there for October travel, but know that you’re taking a risk. We’ve traveled to Mexico before in October and its been beautiful but you just never know. Sometimes your schedule will only work for October, which was the case for our friends traveling with us. Even if the weather isn’t ideal, as long as you’ve picked a nice resort, you’ll have a wonderful trip- We Did!
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Hybrid Road Trips
Chic, Punta Canta, DR- Travel Memoirs
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