Thompson Playa del Carmen Beach House

Thompson Beach Thompson Beach House is a boutique 5 star hotel with an excellent location right on the beach! With 8st , 3 steps from Quinta Avenida . The lovely boardwalk with restaurants, bars, shops and hotels. The rooms are cozy & clean and comfortable, and beautifully designed! Very good amenities! and private beach and pool are small yet super cute! You are allowed to have breakfast and use the facilities of both hotels, Thompson Beach & Thompson main House just a few steps away. What I love most is the service and the attitude of everyone working in the hotel! From bellboys to management. First and foremost, a big Thanks to Mr. Franco Fransico the young successful manager, who upgraded me with my globalist voucher from Thompson main House (which is a wonderful hotel as well on the 12st & 5 Ave, best location ever, with an amazing rooftop pool!) to a junior Suite in Thompson Beach (more of a quiet hotel, but both are amazing !) When there was a wedding in the hotel, and it was fully booked, I was upgraded to Grand Hyatt Hotel, and then returned back. It was an excellent experience! Thanks to Alfredo as well, and the breakfast crew, as well as Fabian the guy who cleaned my suite and the girls too! All bellboys are professional as well! I’m definitely coming back, and recommend to all. If you’re looking for peace, quiet & beach - Thompson Beach House. If you’re looking for more action, rooftop pool and being right in the center- Thompson Main House. Great prices too. I prefer the Thompson Beach House !

Beautiful hotel and lovely accommodations. I stayed at here for four days and attended a wedding. Overall, I was very impressed with the location and courteous staff. The only reason I did not give a perfect score is because check-in was awkward and conducted on paper. There also was a proclivity for superfluous fees despite having the entire facility booked for the event I was there to attend.

Transferred from the other sister hotel due to the bad smell of damp in 2 different rooms. We Paid extra, so the total cost per night was £250 excluding any breakfast. This is just not worth it at all, we were too tired to deal with arguing for a refund after 24 hrs travelling. The rooms and common areas within the hotel are lovely. The bed was really comfy. Great toiletries and shower. However the smell of bad damp persisted in this hotel also. We tried to keep the a/c off as much as possible as it seemed to get so much worse with it on. It is just horrendous as my husband kept stating :-) ! A glass panel randomly shattered on our balcony and we had to change rooms again (this couldn’t be helped) but in the space of 3 days we’ve changed rooms 4 times within the same hotel group :-/ the smell of damp was not as bad in this room in the second floor. There is loud banging music from the hotel next door ‘The Carmen’ but the doors luckily did manage to silence this at night. Forget sitting out and relaxing on your balcony though. We couldn’t hear ourselves think. The metal work and unfinished breeze blocks on the outside of the building aren’t appealing either. The woodwork of the bar area appears to be falling apart with light fitting falling away. The building just doesn’t seem to be well maintained at all. The pictures of the hotel from the beach seriously need updating because it’s a complete misrepresentation. There is hardly a beach, where there is one it’s covered in seaweed. I think this stretch of beach suffers from this. There are certainly no beach loungers as pictured. The food at the restaurant C Grill is mediocre verging on tasteless. We ate once and never returned. The pool looks ok. A few metal sun loungers on one side with little space get the sunshine, then cabanas which have no sun. All in all I know we will never visit Playa del carmen again. It’s full of cheap shops, loud music with every bar competing to be the most loud. It’s just a very tacky area and much changed in the last 20 years. It’s very sad it’s become this over the last 20 years.

Temper your expectations… this is not a four star hotel. It is a friendly laid back beach boutique that happens to have the Hyatt name. It is a little “tarnished” versus what it means for have once been but it’s in the “heart” of the action, if that’s what you’re looking for. The rooms are well maintained and many offer spacious balconies with panoramic unobstructed views of the Gulf of Mexico. Our sunny corner suite with beautiful views was one of our favorite things about the hotel. The bathroom is well-appointed and spacious with generous closet/drawer space. It is a feature we appreciate. Our balcony had a tub- which we assumed was a plunge pool but was an older and not well maintained jacuzzi. They sent a friendly maintenance guy who drained it & refilled with lukewarm water, but the jets didn’t work. The staff is accommodating and friendly. We noted a lot of locals come up from the public beach to use the hotel pool area. A few will order a coke and then spend hours with their large groups dominating tables & areas that should be reserved for hotel guests. The staff seems oblivious to this. I found it intrusive. The single restaurant is nice enough. Menu is pretty basic. But food is fresh and nicely plated/ presented. Limited options for mocktails. Other Thompson properties offer imaginative mocktail menus. But this is a “party” area so they cater to imbibers. I wouldn’t book a stay here again. For this price point, I’d expect slightly better. Maybe Playa Del Carmen just isn’t my cup of tea.

February 2024 It was our second family stay at the Thompson Beach House, and we walked away with one irrefutable conclusion – the joke is on all of us suckers who think this property is worthy of the Thompson brand, who don’t read these reviews, and/or who come back for more agony and dissatisfaction. I rarely write reviews, but I consider this one to be a form of community service, because as long as you know the truth, you can judge the hotel’s value proposition in full context. Two years ago, in February 2022, when we arrived at Thompson Beach House, we were struck by how painful the check-in process was. It began with them saying that their “systems were down”. Then, the front desk staffer got on a series of phone calls, and began furiously typing for roughly 6 minutes while we sat there confused. Then, a long form was printed out, and we were asked to sign it. Then, our credit card was run through a machine that looks like a point-of-sale card machine at a street vendor. Then, we waited. And waited. And no keys came out, and nobody said anything, even though we were sitting right there. After waiting so long, we asked them to walk us to the room and give us our keys later. After waiting another ten minutes, they did. Total time from arrival to room-entry was roughly 19 minutes – and there was nobody in front of us, and no issues with ID’s or cards – just long awkward painful silence and a sense that they didn’t know we were coming. It was the longest check-in experience we’ve ever had at any property – for any reason. In February 2024, when we arrived at the Thompson Beach House, we were also struck by how painful the check-in process was. Like 2022, it began with them saying their “systems were down”. Then, the front desk staffer also got on a series of phone calls, and furiously typed for roughly 6 minutes while we sat there thinking that it was odd that the exact same thing was happening again. Then, a long form was printed out, and we were asked to sign it. Then, our credit card was run through a machine that still looked like a point-of-sale card machine at a street vendor – this time TWICE. ONCE for the room rate, and ONCE for incidentals. This was strange since they could have run it ONCE for both, but did not – for reasons they did not explain. Then, we waited. And waited. And no keys came out, and nobody said anything, even though we were sitting right there. Total time from arrival to keys was roughly 17 minutes, and just as before – there was nobody in front of us, and no issues with ID’s or cards – just long awkward painful silence and a sense that they didn’t know we were coming and/or didn’t care. Shortly after keys were issued in February 2022, the staff let us know that there would be a few changes at the resort. It turned out that the restaurant was temporarily closed. As a gesture, we could eat at 50% off at their sister property, Thompson Main House, down the street a quick walk. We were happy to learn, though, that their pool *bar* was still open, which was nice. Room service, however, was unavailable. Shortly after keys were issued in February 2024, the staff let us know that there would be a few changes at the resort. It turned out that the restaurant, bar, AND room service were unavailable – meaning, yes, there was NO food or drink for purchase at this beachfront property for our entire stay. As a gesture, they offered complimentary breakfast and 50% off dinner at their sister property, Thompson Main House, down the street a quick walk. Hmm…. This seemed odd – what were the chances that *both times* multiple F&B options were closed? Shortly after checking in back in February 2022, we heard a knock at the door. Then we heard somebody try to open the door. I quickly approached the door and opened it. The gentleman seemed surprised that we answered the door, said “no, it’s ok”, and then left. Feeling nervous, confused, and frankly, afraid, I said “Wait. What do you need?” He said “No, it’s ok” and then walked away. We were nervous. Why would somebody try to enter our room, then not explain themselves, then suddenly leave? We immediately called downstairs, and were put on a 15 minute hold while we waited for some sort of explanation. Then the hold disconnected, and we heard a busy signal. Frustrated and scared, I went to the lobby. The lobby could not explain who the staffer was or what he was doing entering our room after check-in. So, as a safety measure, we said that we did not want any more staffers entering our room without a phone call and advance notice. Shortly after check-in in February 2024, we heard a knock at the door. Then, when I opened the door, I saw TWO employees standing there. “Hi. How can I help you?” “No, it’s ok. No.” Then, they started to walk away. I said: “No, it’s ok. What do you need?” Them: “No. No. It’s ok.” Then they quickly vanished. I called down to ask, with deep irony, why they were there. I was put on hold for 10 minutes, ending in a busy signal. So, as with February 2022, I went to the lobby in haste – and without my room key. This time, I was fortunate to run into the manager, who did his best to try to explain the issue. According to the manager, the employees were trying to perhaps adjust the balcony’s small plunge pool. So, I said, “Great. If so, why did they just walk away? Why wasn’t this done before we arrived? Why didn’t anybody call us?” The manager suggested that language and communication barriers may have been a factor, and we decided to respect that, although having the same thing happen twice made us frightfully afraid. I then asked the manager for a copy of my room key, and he said that the system was down and they couldn’t print one, but he’d walk me to my room, which I accepted. The manager was also kind enough to give us his contact information and did the best he could to work through our nagging suspicion that something is terribly wrong at Thompson Beach House. Later in our stay in February 2024, we stopped by the front desk to ask for help with a small dining adjustment from Thompson Main House and arranging transportation to the airport. The front desk said they’d get back to us. SIX hours later, we’d heard nothing. At check-out in February 2024, despite having pre-authorized our stay and having reviewed our bill earlier, the front-desk staffer chased me down and demanded that I sign a *third* credit-card authorization form. It was bizarre. So, to paraphrase a classic SNL skit, fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, can’t be fooled again. Here’s what we have learned, despite the hotel’s best attempts to hide it. Note – the hotel will also pretend in their response that the following information is not true. But, it is. They will also avoid discussing each item directly, because, for example, “renovation of the restaurant is why it was closed” and “health code violation posted on the restaurant’s door” are obviously not reconcilable facts. First, the Thompson Beach House does not actually have a functioning independent reservation system, but they won’t tell you. Every transaction is processed through their sister property, Thompson Main House. What this means is that your check-in will *always* be horrendous, because they are secretly communicating with the front desk at the other Thompson, and running your card and information through them, and verifying your room in the Main House system, and getting approvals and room-checks through *that* system. Since billing and folio adjustments also run through that system, you will never get a basic and quick response to any check-in, check-out, or folio related matter from the Thompson Beach House front desk. Second, I’ve attached a picture of the *HEALTH VIOLATION* notice posted on their restaurant. They didn't tell us that it was closed for more than a WEEK before we arrived, and they simply didn’t notify us in advance – for no reason. They will probably say the restaurant was under renovation. This is false. Fun fact – in February 2022, they said the same exact thing. The restaurant is NOT under renovation; it has been cited repeatedly for health code violations that the hotel simply will not admit because it makes them look bad. And, separately, what quality hotel or resort still doesn’t have the decency to tell guests in advance: “Hey, our entire food and beverage operation is closed during your stay.” Answer: only this one. Third, when the hotel needs to suddenly stop by your room on the day of check-in to make unspecified adjustments, something is wrong. Why is it suddenly being adjusted, just for you, which you did not ask for? They’ll tell you a story about why it had to be suddenly done after your check-in, but the real truth is that they are actively disabling a feature of the exterior plunge pools – on purpose – presumably to save $15-$20 a day in energy. One proof point of this – if you read the earlier reviews here, you’ll notice, not coincidentally, that another guest was told the exterior plunge pool was fully broken and beyond repair. That’s not true. They just don’t want to pay the cost of keeping it turned on during your stay. But they can’t tell you that, so they make up a dozen stories as an excuse and then when they come to actively disable your balcony plunge pool and you’re there, they run away. Fourth, the hotel is in severe disrepair. I’ve attached a picture of when the bathroom *ceiling panel* broke during our stay and a nail popped out from above us. We were so dismayed and surprised we didn’t even complain at that point. We began to *expect* things to go wrong. Fifth, you should know that Thompson Main House is 21 and over in the pool area. So, if you’re at the Thompson Beach House, where *no* food or drinks are served at the pool, and you want to bring your child to Thompson Main House to swim – you are out of luck. We learned the hard way when the Thompson Main House – despite the complete lack of food/beverage at Thompson Beach House – said that we could not enjoy any part of their pool with our youngin' because of the 21+ rule. Sixth, the reason why your basic requests to the operator won’t get answered in a timely manner is because the operator is working 7 minutes away at Thompson Main House and thus lacks the context for any of your specific questions about any issues at Thompson Beach House. Seventh, the Thompson Beach House staff *also* work at Thompson Main House. As such, you’ll eventually wonder if they are all working 18 hours a day, since you’ll see the small number of staff repeatedly at both venues throughout your stay. Given the above, because the exact same things have happened two times in a row – we *know* the truth. The hotel is run-down, out-of-code, has strange alleged sudden maintenance requests, has no functioning internal reservation system, has an operator from Thompson Main House, doesn’t follow through on basic guest requests, doesn’t tell guests in advance of their stay about these challenges, and the list goes on…. but….. we’d still consider staying there again. Why? We are suckers for punishment. We LOVE the location of Thompson Beach House. We love the layout of their largest room with its small ‘broken’ plunge pool/tub. We LOVE having a nice balcony and staring directly at the ocean. And frankly, we’ve loved getting accidental 50% discounts for dinners at Thompson Main House’s fairly sophisticated and well-executed restaurant. And since we no longer have any basic expectations of Thompson Beach House providing customer service, food and beverage, responsiveness, transparency, or safety and security, we can choose it comfortably knowing that view and location are our two most important factors – and it can always deliver those. But watch out for those flying nails, keep that door locked, and don’t arrive hungry! See you in 2026!