On a wide sandy beach, near the village of Playa del Carmen, only 45 minutes from Cancun Airport. Gala Beach Resort Playacar is a deluxe all inclusive beachfront resort with 300 guest rooms and 160 Hacienda Jr Suites. There are 4 swimming pools, 4 restaurants, 4 bars, discotheque, indoor theater, meeting & banquet facilities, Galaxy kids club and Teens club, 4 tennir courts, Fitness center & spa, beaty & barber shop, boutique, travel agency, car rental and money exchange.

Paseo Xaman-Ha L1 Mza 1Frac. Playacar
Playa Del Carmen
Quintana Roo, 77710
Mexico


Size: 4 floors, 460 rooms
Last renovation: 2002
Location: Near the village of Playa del Carmen, 15 minutes from Xcaret Ecological Theme Park

Important Notes

Diving and snorkeling trips are no longer part of the All-Inclusive package. They are available for an additional charge. Snorkeling equipment is still complimentary and dive lessons continue in the hotel's swimming pool.

Special Inclusions

Honeymooners receive a fruit basket and a bottle of domestic sparkling wine. The reservation must be commented 'Honeymoon' at the time of booking and proof of marriage will be required at check in.
All-Inclusive Inclusions

3 daily meals (including a la carte options)
Snacks
Unlimited domestic beer and soft drinks, imported and domestic wine and cocktails from 11AM to 2 AM including Boom Boom disco
Poolside and Beach waiter service
24 hour Room Service
5PM tea time
Nightly entertainment: cabaret shows, music halls, pantomime shows, and theme nights
No cover charge at disco Boom Boom
Tennis - unlimited use day and night, first come first serve basis. Includes balls and racquets. Proper attire and court shoes required.
Tennis clinics (minimum of 2 people)
Water sports: wind surfing, sailing and kayaking. May be canceled depending on ocean conditions.
Spa: steam room, gymnasium (exercise equipment) and aerobics floor
Game room offering billiards, ping pong, backgammon, chess, dominos, and cards
Aerobics classes
Calisthenics
Beach activities
Bicycle tours and rental (adults only)
Pool games and water aerobics
Water polo, water basketball and aquatic volleyball
Volleyball and basketball court
Kid's club
Sports and entertainment activities team 'Galavants'
Stocked minibar in room
All taxes and gratuities
Hotel Amenities

Babysitting services - Additional fees apply
Beach
Computer/Internet Access - Additional fees apply
Entertainment
Handicap accessible
Handicap equipped
Health club facilities
Laundry facilities - Additional fees apply
Lounges/Bars - 4
Restaurants on premises - 4
Room Service - 24 hours
Safety deposit box
Recreation

Activities desk/Concierge
Bike rental
Gameroom/Arcade
Golf course on premises - One located off site
Playground
Spa Facilities - Additional fees apply
Swimming pools - 0 indoor, 2 outdoor, 2 children's (1 outdoor pool is 'adult only')
Tennis courts
Water sports available on premises - Additional fees for motorized

Location/Transportation

Miles from airport - 40
Miles from beach - On the beach
Parking
Children's Programs/Activities

Galaxy kids club is open for kids 2 to 12 years old. Includes playground area, 2 outdoor swimming pools, guignol theater, cafeteria, nintendo room, movies, dancing lessons, mini disco, etc
Teen's Club with music for ages 12 - 17, Galavant's assistance, sodamachine, air-hockey, tennis tables, pool's tables, soccer tables.


ROOM INFORMATION

Room Categories
Run of House

Bedding - 2 doubles or 1 king bed
Occupancy limits - Maximum 3 adults, 2 children, 4 total
All rooms have deluxe spacious all-marble bathroom with shower, including marble bench for added comfort, air-conditioning, satellite television, telephone, mini-bars, safety deposit box, hair dryer, and balcony with partial oceanview, gardenview or pool view.

Gala Royal Club

Bedding - 1 king bed
Occupancy limits - Maximum 2 adults, 0 child, 2 total
Children are not allowed in this room category
All rooms have ocean views, one bathroom with shower, handshower and bench for added comfort; hair dryer, Special amenities: bath robe per adult during their stay, shower cap, mouth wash, body lotion. air conditioning, safety box, mini Bar (mineral water, bottled water, soft drinks, diet & regular soda and domestic beer), satellite television, telephone, welcome fruit basket and balcony.

Hacienda Junior Suite


Bedding - 2 doubles or 1 king bed, plus pull-out double sofa bed in living area
Occupancy limits - Maximum 3 adults, 2 children, 4 total
All rooms have deluxe spacious all-marble bathroom with shower, including marble bench for added comfort, air-conditioning, satellite television, telephone, mini-bar with water, soft drinks, and beer, safety deposit box, hair dryer, and balcony overlooking exuberant native forest. Junior Suites are distributed in 16 buildings of 10 units each. Every building has a solarium and private pool, creating a Mexican village atmosphere.

Nonsmoking Rooms

The hotel has 30 nonsmoking rooms, based on availability.

Handicapped Rooms

The hotel has4 handicapped rooms, based on availability.

Additional Bedding

Rollaway beds are available free of charge.
Cribs are available free of charge.

DINING
Restaurants

Grand Buffet Festival - International cuisine, offering breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Broccolino - Italian cuisine, offering dinner. Reservations are required and a dress code is enforced: no beach wear. Long pants and sleeved shirts are required for men. Formal dining.
Los Alcatraces - Mexican cuisine, offering dinner. Reservations are required and a dress code is enforced: no beach wear. Long pants and sleeved shirts are required for men. Formal dining.
Ola-La - snack bar offering afternoon light fare
Meditteranean Restaurant


Some restaurants may only operate on select schedules. Some restaurants may require reservations and expect appropriate dress. Consult the hotel upon arrival for hours of operation,reservation policies and dress codes.

Lounges/Bars

Dance On Disco - Domestic and Imported beverages
La Bambola - Sports coffee bar
Ola La Bar - The pool side bar offering domestic and imported beverages
El Agave Blue Bar - the beach bar offering domestic and imported beverages

Gala - Outstanding

4.0 Rating by Dave on January 23, 2005

We just got back (Jan. 2005) from a 1 week stay at the Gala with a large charter group. Everyone in the group was very happy with all related to the Gala. Our biggest concern going into it was the food and drinks ... based on an "all inclusive" stay in Cancun a few years back.

The food ranged from good to outstanding. Only 1 meal was disappointing for several, otherwise everyone liked the food and the variety. We didn't get into the Italian restaurant but did get into the Mexican one. It was outstanding! I would reccommend making ala carte restaurant reservations early in your trip to ensure that you can get in. They seemed to fill up quickly.

The drinks were good and the bartenders were very entertaining. You got GLASS glasses for your drinks unless around the pool or on the beach. This was a big improvement for us as the Cancun hotel only provided plastic glasses.

The beach area was very nice and I was impressed the the number of activities that were free. Kayaking, sailing, boogie boards, bikes, etc. Although much of the equipment was a little cheap or broken, but what do you expect for free.

Playa del Carmen was a really nice town and we enjoyed it several times during our stay.

Now for the bad parts:
If you need to phone home, figure it out ahead of time. In town, there are stores that provide long distance to the USA for about 30 cents per minute, but they aren't open until late morning and close early. We used Telmex phone cards, 10$ for 24 minutes. We tried to pay an extra on our cell phone to eliminate roaming charges down there. It didn't seem to work, so if you go this route, make sure your cell phone provider gives you good instructions and provides some guarantee. Other phone options were VERY expensive.

Stay out of Carlos n' Charlies, Senior Frogs etc. They are a huge rip-off. You'll have fun there, but be willing to pay. The Carlos n' Charlies in Playa del Carmen charged us $11 for a beer! Of course this price wasn't on the menu we saw.

Bring lots of $1 bills for tips as you often will feel obligated to had over a tip.

We tried the Xcaret, an aquatic park. $49 to get in plus $10 to rent snorkel equipment. The place was nice, but not that nice. Food and drink was very expensive there as well. Buy and bring your own if possible, it'll save you time and hassle.

All in all a good vacation and I would highly reccommend the Gala resort and Playa Del Carmen, far far better than Cancun.

Gala Playacar Family Resort - Great Value

5.0 Rating by Gerry & Lisa on January 11, 2005

I was reluctant to go to Mexico. We went to the Gala Playacar in Sept 2004 with our two teenage daughters and 4 year old son.

The vacation was incredible. The Gala service was awesome. We could not get our 4 year old son away from the Galaxy kids club. I would rather spend my money there then Disney. It was a quiet family vacation. Very quiet in September. Weather great. Parasailing, scuba very reasonable. Except for tips, which are not required but certainley appreciated by staff, you could leave your wallet at home. It is a safe $4.00 cab ride to Playa Del Carmen. A nice Mexican town with bargains everywhere.

Just the wife and I are actually going back this Friday 14 Jan 2005 with some friends. The food was great. We arrived the day after the Hurricane and the weather was still nice. The entertainment was enjoyable. You never have to leave the resort. Fall out of bed, eat, beach, pool, sports ect....We got two adjoining rooms and it was well worth the money, which was not that much for our girls to have thier own room. The Gala Playacar is not the fanciest or gaudy. It is beautifull and is very Mexican, lots of tile and terra cotta and tile everywhere. Free bikes, ocean kayaks, boogie boards ect... I would bring a $20 snorkle set. Tipping the bartenders gets you the good stuff. 24 hour all inclusive room service is really fun for the kids. Nobody got sick. My wife got a little Motezuma's revenge after we got home. she had ice in a drink down town. The ice at Gala is fine. Lots of fun activities at the pool. The staff is a lot of fun. You can make ceramics by the pool which the ladies take and fire overnight. The girls made really nice Mexican plates. There is also a grat Catamaran day trip for $65 that we may take this visit. Bring a phone card, like MCI or ATT and get the international code for Mexico before you leave home. Calls have a $4.00 surcharge for each call but the phone card is only .36 a minute. There is also a computer room with easy computer access so you can check and send email. A hotel photographer walks around taking candid photos. The are posted in his shop near the lobby. no pressure to buy. We bought two great pictures of our kids. There is a free mini-bar and safe in your room. There is some english TV and there is 120 VAC power. Bottom line is that we loved our time there and the kids want to go back only to Gala.

2 Sandos Playacar Beach Resort Reviews
Add Your Review