Iberostar Quetzal Playacar

The Iberostar Quetzal Playacar is a large and activity-filled, mid-range all-inclusive resort with something fun for all ages. It manages not to feel crowded despite its size. The virtue of this property is in its variety, which is doubled thanks to the guests being granted access to the restaurants, bars, and activities at the neighboring resort, the Iberostar Tucan. Its defining feature is the jungle at its heart, landscaped just enough to include rustic gardens and stone paths through the trees, where you'll see flamingos, agouti, peacocks, tortoises, and howler and spider monkeys, some of whom hang out on guest balconies, hopeful for a handout. There are placards throughout with facts about the different species of wildlife and flora. Just off the lobby, a picturesque man-made rock garden and waterfall brings the rainforest inside. In fact, the lobby and many of the property’s restaurants and bars are open-air pavilions, with ceiling fans turning lazily overhead in the high, traditional palm roofs, as the weather here is always temperate.The architecture and decor incorporate touches of Mayan culture, including authentic wood and stone carvings depicting ancient legends. The restaurants all have native craft touches like hand-painted wood and local pottery, and the furnishings and colors are bright and cheery throughout. The buildings housing guest rooms are square stucco constructions with balconies; they're plain but for their bright orange and yellow colors, which are made even more vibrant by the surrounding green lawns and palm trees. The pools are also nestled among the palms, with the adult pool being the quietest and most secluded; the main pool (so large it could be a small lake) can get quite busy with kids and organized activities. The resort's atmosphere is fun-filled and unfussy (although there is a dress code for men in the theme restaurants at night). For guests seeking a vacation spot for the whole family, with plenty of sightseeing options, but enough to do that they need never set foot off the resort grounds, the Quetzal Playacar is a great upper-middle-range option.

The
Iberostar Quetzal Playacar is located on a private white-sand beach, at the south end of Playacar, between the
jungle and the Caribbean Sea. The immediate area is made up of homes, condos,
and beach resorts. The roads are safe for running and walking, and there's a
small shopping center very close to the hotel entrance, which includes a Starbucks
that offers free Wi-Fi. The center of Playa del Carmen is a 15-minute drive
from the resort. Guests can take the ferry from the Maritime Terminal to
Cozumel for world-class scuba diving. Downtown Playa del Carmen’s Fifth Avenue,
a high-end international shopping destination, is another good spot to while
away the afternoon. The Playacar Golf Club is a six-minute drive from the
resort. The ruins at Tulum are reachable in under an hour. The Cancun Airport
is a 50-minute drive away. The hotel offers free parking.

Rooms at the Iberostar Quetzal Playacar are moderately sized, comfortable, and clean, all with private balconies furnished, in most cases, with light plastic tables and chairs. Ground-floor rooms have private yards. The decor is bright, with local character, although the overall look is one of a spiced-up, upper-middle-range chain hotel. There are marble floors, built-in mosaic tile headboards, Mayan-inspired clay mirror frames, and stucco walls, with palm trees and gardens just outside the picture windows. The look is a bit more subdued in Superior and Ocean Front Junior Suites, which replaced the bright orange accents with white and added newer bedding and contemporary lighting. Bathrooms are modern, but small, with only showers; however, the shower stalls are spacious, and there is plenty of counter space. Rooms have closets but no chests with drawers. Amenities include minibars, coffeemakers, flat-screen TVs with video game consoles, toiletries, and laptop-sized safes. There are no elevators in the complex; guests with mobility issues may want to request a ground-floor room. Interconnecting rooms are available upon request. The resort’s outdoor theater offers nightly entertainment with amplification; as a result, rooms in the 2000 block are noisy. Light sleepers may want to request jungle-facing rooms, which are the quietest on the premises.

The Iberostar Quetzal Playacar offers a full slate of activities for guests of all ages. For kids ages four to 12, there is a supervised kids' club with a large playground and children’s pool. Parents can hang out on the shaded sun beds around the kids' pool, or head off to one of the three other pool areas, including the enormous, lagoon-style main pool that meanders through the property, surrounded by lounge chairs, palapas, restaurants, and bars. The main pool is so big that guests can float with a cocktail at one end, undisturbed by an aggressive game of water polo at the other, with a free trial scuba lesson in between. Adults who want more privacy can wander to the secluded adults-only quiet pool with its swim-up bar, and lap swimmers can head to the sports pool for their daily exercise. At the white-sand beach, guests are free to borrow kayaks, catamarans, windsurf equipment, and snorkel equipment, or play beach volleyball, do some Zumba, rent jet skis, or just soak up the sun on one of the many sun beds. There is some seaweed in the surf and on the beach, but staff is conscientious about clearing it each morning. The beachside showers are made of stone, with Mayan masks as shower heads. The resort has a PADI dive center for scuba divers of all levels, with instruction and expeditions offered for a fee. Land-based activities include language lessons, tennis, ping-pong, biking, archery, target shooting, and line dancing.When it comes to dining and drinking, the resort offers a large buffet as well as a variety of a la carte theme restaurants: in total, there are seven eateries and six bars. The specialty a la carte restaurants require reservations, which can be made online before arrival or during your stay. Choose between La Gondola’s Italian menu, the Bonsai’s high-style table-side teppanyaki grilling, a steakhouse, or La Hacienda, a formal, vibrantly decorated Mexican restaurant with plenty of atmosphere. The theater hosts live music performances (cover bands), games, and Vegas-style shows after dinner in a somewhat kitschy, neon-lit, open-air setting.The on-site spa offers massage and beauty treatments in a jungle atmosphere, with massage tables that sit under thatched pavilions in the forest, by the pool, and on the beach. The resort’s spacious fitness center has plenty of cardio and weight equipment under a high palm roof with plenty of natural light and a big flat-screen TV.Wi-Fi is free throughout.