Hotel El Hormiguero

It is close to beach and bus station

Older and expensive, should be about 400 pesos less per night.

Hotel el Hormiguero is perfectly located in Playa del Carmen just one block from 5th Avenue and 2 blocks from the beach. Close to all the eateries and bars it is a very convenient stay. Staff are friendly. Rooms are basic but the big bonus is the exterior brick wall faces the music venues so the room was very quiet ... a bonus in this vibrant city. Room, whilst basic, was clean, quite sizeable, had a safety deposit box, the bed and pillows were fine, a shower that worked well and very effective air conditioning. Security was pretty good, with 24/7 manning of reception and security cameras. Look overall I’d definitely stay again but only at the right 2 star price... it’s quiet, comfortable, fairly secure and the location is perfect.

Staff are friendly but firm, obviously under fairly strict direction from the owner. Be aware that they will sting you here for cash only payment ... even after having already withdrawn the full amount from your credit card when you booked ... on a machine that supposedly doesn’t work ... they did however refund the card so all good. Being New Years I paid far too much for the room last minute online ... when, having arrived, signs out the front advertised rooms for about 2/3 of my price as a walk up ... but hey that’s the risk with online bookings, just doesn’t leave a good taste in your mouth. Room was basic and not like the pictures, were clean, quite sizeable, had a very effective air conditioner ... although I did have to stick the bin under it to capture water that constantly dripped. Security was pretty good however one of the night relief staff would continually leave my key on the bench rather than in the pigeon holes behind ... even when leaving the desk unmanned ... a little discerning.