I am trying to choose an all inclusive in the Playa del Carmen area. Some of you have recommended the Iberostar Tucan & Quetzal, and a travel agent it pushing the Playacar Palace. Both have good and so-so Trip Advisor reviews, Iberostar feels more local, with nature & Playcar Palace more posh. Are they both the same proximity to the town? Equal beaches?

Websites can be so deceiving. It is clear that Playcar Palace spent more money on theirs, but that does not mean to me that I will like the resort better.

Any other helpful info would be great.

The playacar palace is very close to town (maybe a block or 2). It's actually the first resort outside of the town. Next to it is the Xaman Ha condos (where I've stayed), then a beach area with no hotels, and beyond that is the rest of the resorts, with the Iberostar being towards the end of the resort strip (further from town, maybe a mile or 2).

The last time we were there, the beach in front of the playacar was pretty eroded, but they've recently done work in the area so that may not be the case anymore. I remember the kids club bringing the kids over to the Xaman Ha beach area. I haven't been near the end where the Iberostar is in a long time (over 10 years) so I have no idea what the beach is like now, but when I was there, it was good.

The Playacar Palace used to be another resort, but was renovated into the current resort maybe 4 or 5 years ago. The Iberostar is an older resort (10+ years).

That being said, I haven't stayed at either, but actually stayed next to both on different occasions, so I cna't speak for the quality of the resorts themselves.

I just want to add, that I checked out some of the recent reviews, and they all say the beach is great, so my comment about it being eroded is clearly out of date.

If I were to go with the Iberostar, how easy is it to get into town? And if I were to go with the Playacar Palace, if it is right there in town, does it have a seperate resort feel, or is it more populated (the resort and beach)?

The beach there (Palace)really is nice now but it is fairly close to the ferry dock. The Iberostar is in Playacar which is the gated community adjacent to PDC. It's about a 15-20 minute walk to town or you can take a taxi. Taxi rates just went up so it's about 70 pesos each way to town.

Are taxi's easy to get? Or is it an easy walk? along what kind of road or walkway?
If the Palace is close to the ferry dock, is the water and beach clean?
Have any of you been to the Iberostar or the Playacar Palace?

The beach is clean...don't know about the water. The taxi's are very easy to get. You can arrange one at your hotel or just walk out to the street and wave one down. I do it often. I used to stay in Playacar before I purchased my own place but not the Iberostar. The walk is easy and on a nice sidewalk. The street is cobblestone with a median planted with plants. I usually walk through Playacar in the mornings around the loop and it's interesting to see the homes/condos. It depends on the time of year...it can be a hot walk in the summer.

Are you traveling with kids or is this adults only? I'm asking because their are some nice boutique hotels in town that you might consider.

I am traveling with a 15 and 20 yr old. My idea was that they could go off on their own easily. And I might (they too) meet others at the AI. Some places lend itself to that more than others. So I am really looking for the best of both worlds. Local culture & nature for me, and wildlife and action for them.

Anyone know where I can find a detailed map of the area, maybe with sights.

With younger kids we did the AI thing and it worked well. When the kids were older, like your kids, we switched to condos (that's how the Xaman Ha stays came about). My kids like to walk into town on their own for breakfast or lunch ( we usually did dinners together), or to do a little shopping, or just to walk around. In the evening 5th av is filled with mariachi bands and it's very lively in general. We also kept some basics in the condo so sometimes we would have breakfast and lunch there.

The town has great dining options. It's no comparison to the resort food, so much more varied and tastier. We ate everywhere from taco stands to very nice restaurants. Never had any 'tourista'-type problems. The condo provides bottled water. There are a few large grocery stores (including a walmart) in the area for food, boogie boards, or anything else you may need.

Having separate bedrooms, bathrooms and a loving room also makes for more roomy and comfortable accommodations. The washer/dryer does come in handy as well.

My daughter and her friend took the collectivo van on their own to Tulum (we had all gone in a previous visit years ago by car). It came to maybe $10 (including entrance fee) and was very safe and easy.

Consider a condo, or boutique hotel in town. The beach there is great and the food is so much better than what you get at an AI resort. From our experience, there are many families at the condo complexes so there are usually kids of all ages around whether it be a resort or condo. My kids tend to stick with each other, but my son has gotten involved in some pickup beach games at the condo.

I don't have plan in the near future to return, but would love to go back at some point in time and look into some of the newer condos on the other end of town.

oops...*loving room* should be 'living room'

I would second the condo suggestion. Playa is a very exciting little city to be in - if you really want to experience it, rent a condo instead of being isolated in an AI resort. There are tons of things to do within an hour's drive - Mayan ruins, cenotes, caves, snorkeling, jungle tours, etc. Yes, the beaches in Playa are great. You might want to consider renting a car for at least a day or two to explore the area. Have you been to the locogringo.com website? There is a wealth of information at that site.

I think that your "children" will have a MUCH better chance of finding people their age to hand out with at an AI resort.
The IB Tucan/Quetzal would provide you with just what you are looking for ....."So I am really looking for the best of both worlds. Local culture & nature for me, and wildlife and action for them. " There is a wonderful jungle feel to the IB T/Q and plenty of acitivities for your family. You could easily go to Playa from there to get your local culture. You may also want to take a trip to some of the ruins.

schmerl Yes, I agree with the AI concept for my mix of needs. How come the IB Tucan/Quetzal is not listed with locogringo.com? You are the only one that has mentioned this resort, and where it sounds great I am looking for other info to support your recommendation, as my travel agent says it is not so great. So I am not sure who to believe. Thanks!

I think Palace resorts gives travel agents good commissions, because they all seem to push those resorts.

The entire Iberostar line is wonderful. As previously stated....perhaps your travel agent doesn't get a kick back from them. Check out prices on applevacations.com

Go on Trip Advisor and check out the Iberostar resorts. Also visit this site:
http://www.iberostar-board.com/boards/index.php
for loads of info on Iberostars. Just scroll down to the section on the IB Tucan/Quetzal

locogringo only has 21 all inclusive resorts listed for the Playa area. Certain travel sites only handle certain resorts that's why I said to check out applevacations.

There are a few big resorts and AIs right in town that looked really nice and might work for you, but I don't remember their names. The one right next to the ferry pier really stood out to me. There was another one right on the beach in town that looked nice. But again, I'm drawing a blank on the names.
I think you're kids might like being in town, near the action.

You can find detailed maps at Mapchick.com Laura has been producing new and udpated maps of the area for years. The resort on either side of the pier is The Royal Playa del Carmen and Gran Porto Real. The Royal is adults only. Other AI's or partial AI's in PDC itself are Mahekal and Las Palmas. Both are on the beach and very nice but not mega resorts. Other resorts in Playacar are The Reef, Iberostar Quetzal/Tucan, RIU has several resorts including Palace Mexico, Palace Riviera Maya, Playacar, Tequila (across street with shuttle or walk to beach), Lupita (on the golf course with shuttle to beach), and Yucatan. If you do a search for RIU you can see pics/etc of them all. I had stayed at the Tequila a few times, the Yucatan and the Palace Mexico. Viva Azteca and Viva Maya and Sandos Playacar. Sandos gets a lot of positive comments and has a family atmosphere plus a great beach. It is just south of Iberostar. Look at playa.info also for info on places to stay and information from locals. Some other AI's given an address of being in Playa del Carmen but they're really not that close. I have a map online somewhere and I'll go look for it.

http://www.travelyucatan.com/playacar_hotel_map.php

here's a map. The RIU Palace Riviera Maya is missing becuase it was built after the map was done. It would be around number 7.