The Carmen

Turning women away from a restroom isn’t a question of “customer status.” It’s basic decency and common sense. Situations like this leave a really bad impression.

The room itself was comfortable, with a nice bed, and housekeeping cleaned it daily. That was the bright spot in a stay at Hotel La Carmen that was a huge letdown. Noise was the main problem. Loud music began early each morning in the breakfast area and continued until at least 11 PM every day. On Thursday, a party went on until 1 AM without any warning. When we asked at 11:30 PM, the security guard rudely said it would end at 11, which was already past, and it didn’t. Parties also happen on Saturdays. The guard was dismissive and made us uncomfortable every day. Staff said it was an adult hotel and asked what we expected. I replied, “No children.” There are signs everywhere asking people to keep quiet. The hotel sits right beside the noisiest, busiest part of the party zone, something that wasn’t mentioned before we booked. It’s not a place for peace and quiet. We tried contacting management about the noise but never heard back, and staff made no effort to address our complaints, so we felt ignored. Breakfast was included but disappointing, with very few menu choices and extra charges for anything beyond the basics. The coffee was bad, and juice was only offered with one particular breakfast option. Although the hotel looks nice in photos, it felt dated and poorly maintained in person. Tiles were chipping all over the pool, which made it feel unsafe. The advertised “private beach” was only a tiny patch of sand with barely room to sit, no umbrellas, and nowhere to relax. It wasn’t worth the price or the headache, and we won’t return.

This is my 18th trip, and I’ll never stop coming to Playa del Carmen. Places like the roof at the Carmen hotel keep bringing me back. Ask for Abraham servicing.

The setting was lovely, right on the beach without having to deal with sand, and the ambience was nice apart from the cheap lighting. The band and DJ were great on the night of 15 Oct. The food was edible but definitely average. The service tried hard to be good but fell short at every step. Food was forgotten even after I asked three times, and drinks were missed multiple times or made wrong, even simple vodka and soda. In two hours, we only managed two drinks each. How do they stay in business? 🤦🏼‍♀️