Emiliano 42 Condos Boutique

We had a lovely room that was really clean, and the amenities were just right. The rooftop pool and seating area were nice, and the front desk staff were super friendly. Emiliano 42 is only steps from 5a avenida, on the quieter side. We loved staying here and can't wait to return when we're back in Playa.

Checking in was easy, and the studio was a good size. There was a nice pool area, usually with a private feel, and the location was decent, about a 10-minute walk to centro with a few restaurants nearby. The smell of bleach hit hard as soon as we entered. It was reassuring that the apartment had just been cleaned, but the odor was toxic to the senses. Noise was sometimes unbearable. There was constant knocking, music blaring from an open karaoke bar facing the windows until around 11pm and sometimes later, and daily construction noise from the new development next door. One afternoon I was trying to nap when aggressive drilling or a chainsaw-like noise from the next room jolted me awake. The apartment had a connecting door to the neighboring flat, and at times we could tell exactly what was happening next door. We stayed two nights, and one morning there was no water at all. We were told it would be fixed within 20 minutes, but it wasn't.

The staff were so kind and accommodating. One even walked me to the corner to help me get a taxi. I’ve been traveling around Playa for a month, and this has been my favorite place so far. It’s close to lots of restaurants and the beach, and the rooms are spacious with really comfortable beds. I could connect my Apple TV, which was a big plus. A few downsides: the bar on 5th has loud live music on weekends until midnight, and from the top floor you can hear chairs moving at the rooftop pool. The internet was spotty at times. Apple TV worked fine, but my computer had connection issues. That wasn’t a deal breaker since there are plenty of nearby coffee shops with fast WiFi. Highly recommend!

The biggest concern for us was safety. We had a toddler with us, and neither the front door nor the patio door locked from inside. Our child could easily open the front door and get out, and the patio door lock also didn’t work. Being on the 4th floor, we decided immediately that this wasn’t safe for our family and left after one night of a planned 7 night stay. The front desk lady was very helpful and tried hard to accommodate us, and the building itself is nice and seems new. But the room also wasn’t set up for our family of 4. We didn’t know the extra double bed was stored under the main bed, and had to rearrange the room and move a divider to use it. I expected it to be prepared for the number of guests on our reservation. The bathroom sink pressure was so low it was unusable, and the attempted fix made it worse, spraying water everywhere except into the sink. As a couple or with older kids, we might have put up with those other problems. I’d suggest the owner look carefully at the safety issues so families with children of any age can use the room.