Iberostar Playa Mita

We stayed at Playa Mita for 4 nights in early July. It was our first time at this resort. Everyone from checking to checkout was incredibly helpful. As Club members, we’ve come to expect this. Rooms are clean but the furniture is a little dated. We could tell this is an older property but it is very well kept. Beach and ocean are beautiful. There is a third party on site by the beach for snorkeling excursions (which we didn’t get a chance to do) and water sport equipment rental. We rented a boogey board for our entire stay for less than $10/day. Buffet food is delicious and authentic at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We ate at the Mexican restaurant and the food is phenomenal. Our waiter was hospitable, friendly, and funny. We were told walk ups were available for the other restaurants but it turns out that isn’t the case. Reservations for all the restaurants are highly recommended. The entertainment team does a good job of getting guests involved in some fun every day around noon. There’s a quieter area for club members if that’s more your speed. And the sunset bar is the place to be for a beautiful view of the sunset while having a drink before the evening’s activities. We opted to do the ultimate tequila tasting one evening (while the little one enjoyed a Star Camp pajama party!). Karla, their tequila sommelier, was so knowledgeable, took her time to answer our questions, and was wonderful through the whole experience - huge shout out to her! We were the only ones at the table so it ended up being a private tasting, which just added to an already amazing evening. We couldn’t recommend this experience more! Totally worth doing since you’re visiting the home of tequila and get to try craft varieties that differ from what’s available at home. We ended up buying two bottles, as they are not available in the US. Lastly, we had the opportunity to have a private dinner provided by an in house chef. Belqui cooked us the most amazing 5 course meal. It was by far the best prime rib that’s ever been put in front of us. Every course from the appetizer to the dessert was perfectly plated and absolutely delicious. The wine to accompany was also a hit. Definitely a Michelin-caliber meal. We would like to shout out Belqui and Alejandro for such an amazing experience! We highly recommend visiting Playa Mita. We will definitely be back.

Overall, the hotel itself was clean, and offered many of the amenities expected from a high-end property. However, one guest’s experience highlighted a few customer service shortcomings that should not be overlooked. During the stay, a gift shop employee made an unsolicited comment about the guest’s body. The remark was completely unwarranted and left her feeling embarrassed, uncomfortable, and self-conscious. No guest should ever be made to feel that way, especially while staying at a hotel that markets itself as providing a premium experience. To add to the frustration, approximately $400 in transportation fees appeared at checkout even though those charges had been prepaid before the trip. While billing errors can happen, situations like this create unnecessary stress and should be prevented through better communication. The guest was still required to pay the difference although they showed proof these fees were included. Until management places a stronger emphasis on professionalism, guest respect, and customer care, it falls short of delivering the five-star experience it aims to provide. There are better opportunities to make your trip memorable. Do not recommend

This is the review I wish I read before spending over 8K on a one week vacation for a family of 3 at Iberostar Playa Mita. Whoever had the audacity to call this a 5 star resort should be fired. The Good: - The staff for the most part were friendly and tried hard, however, there is not enough of them for the number of people at the resort and a significant number of them are “in training.” - The on-site doctor (Dr.Scarlett) was phenomenal. We unfortunately had to make two trips to see her over our 7 day stay and both times she was extremely attentive and thorough. You can tell she really cares about her patients. - The grounds are well maintained, the pools are clean, and the kids pool is great for the little ones. - Star Camp: they seemed to have a lot of good activities, however, even if a kid is days away from being 4, they won’t accept them. The Bad: - Check-in: We checked in online ahead of time but upon arrival at the hotel, we were still requierd to do a full check-in again only to be given the wrong room. When we went back down to reception, the receptionist was extremely rude and said we needed to take the issue up with our booking provider (WestJet) and that rooms were “subject to availability.” After showing our booking confirmation, we were relocated, however, the room did not have spare pillows or sheets for the pull out bed. We called guest services to request some and were told they would be right up. Over the next 90 minutes, we had to call 3 additional times until they were finally brought up. - The Room: the rooms themselves are adequate, however, you can not lower the AC below 22 degrees. The AC in our room leaked on the floor every night creating a slipping hazard, our safe did not lock, the wifi was too slow to stream and the shower would randomly turn off mid-shower then start a minute or two later with freezing cold water. The Ugly: Where do I even start… - The food: to say the food here is awful is an understatement. The food was NEVER hot. By day 5, I was so tired of eating bland, room temperature food that I specifically asked for my steak to be extra hot and it still came out room temperature. I was almost thankful to get food poisoning on day 3 because it meant eating less of the horrendous resort food. They cut so many corners on quality, it’s embarrassing. Not even the bread tasted fresh. The chocolate milk was powered, none of the juices were actual juiced fruits other than the watermelon which was rarely available, there were never any berries, and even the kiwi was scarce. All of the meat they use is frozen and all the food at the café looks like it came straight out of a package. I avoided anything not cooked, all deli meats, lettuce, and cheese sitting out for who knows how long, and still managed to get food poisoning. Word gets around and the day I got sick, so did 8 other people that we’re aware of. 9 people needing to see the on-site doctor is not a small number. At a “five star” resort, that SHOULD NOT happen. - The café: The café itself deserves its own section because it was anything but a café. It’s the only food that’s available 24/7 but the food in the display cases looks like it’s been sitting there for 4+ days. The offerings never changed, the espresso was never hot, and the one attempt I made at getting a frappe resulted in some sort of blended concoction that was 85% crushed ice. I couldn’t even drink it because all the liquid was at the bottom of the glass and they don’t offer straws anywhere on the property. - The drinks: you know that feeling of laying on the beach with a lovely blended cocktail? You won’t get that here. Every. Single. Drink. is made with syrups and from concentrate juices. You can not buy a buzz with their watered-down alcohol and don’t even try to get something with prosecco. Every time I asked for prosecco I was told they were out. The wine at the restaurant tasted like it came out of a vat, not even a box. It was undrinkable, which may have been why we didn’t see a single person drinking wine. - The restaurants: the first night we attempted the Mexican restaurant. The center buffet section was out of almost everything including guacamole and chips. This was a common occurrence across the board where anything with fresh produce was rarely restocked or you had to specifically ask for it. When we went to the Japanese restaurant, we had to wait a half hour to be seated and another hour before we were served any actual food. The meat they rolled out on the cart still had chunks of ice stuck to it and the rice looked like it had been sitting on the counter for hours with how stuck together and dry it was. The “chef” did not use ANY seasoning or sauces and didn’t keep the cooking service turned on while she dished out, so the food once again was not hot. When we tried a restaurant that didn’t require reservations, the wait was a minimum an hour and you needed to keep your phone on you at all times to receive updates. The “steak house” is just the lunch buffet restaurant by the pool which makes it feel very cheesy and underwhelming. - The main buffet: finding options here that were appealing was a struggle, made worse by the fact that at least every other time I picked up a plate off the stack, there was still some sort of food or goo stuck to the bottom of it. I’m not sure what their dishwashing situation is, but it’s not great. Avoid this "five-star resort" at all costs.