Let's start with the positives:
This property is in a great location, just on the southern side of Playa del Carmen. It is in a gated community and the security does a good job of monitoring who comes and goes. The common areas are well-maintained and the Club House area has a soccer field, tennis courts, a larger pool (than the one pictured) and a an outdoor racquetball-style court. Even during New Year's week, they were uncrowded and a fun place to spend some time.
The condo itself has a nice floor plan, with all three bedrooms on the second level. The kitchen, dining, and living areas are on the main level. The kitchen is well-equipped and bottled drinking water is provided. It's nicely decorated and the lady that maintains the property did a pretty good job of responding to our questions we had while staying there.
Here are the things that weren't so great:
I will start by saying I think this problem was primarily due to a language barrier. (The owner is from France, the lady that maintains the unit is from Mexico, and we are from the US.) The check-in procedure that was emailed to us seemed a bit vague, so we contacted the owner thru VRBO to get further clarification. He assured us there would be no problem, that the lady in Mexico would be at the condo to meet us and give us keys (he gave us her phone number in case there were problems), and that check-in was at 3pm. Our flight did not arrive in MX until 7:30pm, but we presumed she must live on-site, so away we went. After getting our luggage, rental car, and driving south, we arrived around 10pm. No one was there and no one answered at the provided phone number. The only owner contact info was through the VRBO messaging. Needless to say, we ended up driving around Playa at midnight during busy season looking for a hotel. Not so much fun. The next day, the owner responded and we got in touch with the Mexican lady (via a different phone number). We got keys and got checked in. SO HERE'S THE LESSON: check-in at 3pm does NOT mean check-in any time at 3pm or after (as it means in the US); instead it means you better be there at 3pm or you won't get in. Make sure you communicate your arrival time, even if you are not asked this information! The owner did refund one night's fee for his condo (but not the full amount we paid for the hotel night) so I'm giving it 3 stars for his willingness to work with us.
The unit has a plethora of little ants everywhere and no batteries in the TV remote.
