Two weekends ago my two best friends and I traveled to Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. We had been talking about doing a girls trip for YEARS and we finally made it happen. Unfortunately, we had to keep the trip short because #adultlife, but it was so worth going even for the short time we were there.
Before we went, we did tons of research on where to stay and what were the best places for all-inclusive resorts. We discovered Royal Service at Paradisus Playa Del Carmen La Perla and knew it was exactly what we were looking for.
The Resort
Paradisus Playa Del Carmen La Perla has wonderful options for anyone traveling to Playa Del Carmen. The resort is located directly on the beach and is divided into two sections, one for adults only and one that is more family friendly. Since it was just my two friends and I, we stayed on the adults-only side in their exclusive Royal Service part of the resort, where we were provided with top-notch service including our own butler, a bottle of champagne each day, a hot tub on our balcony, and priority for dinner reservations.
There were tons of things for us to do while we were there, but we decided to have a more relaxed time during our stay. We spent our days tanning on a private beach and drinking at the swim up bar while making friends with the other guests. We did spend our Monday afternoon snorkeling along the beach, but for the most part we wanted to sit back and enjoy the warm weather. The resort had a ton of other activities available like kayaking, sailing, jet skiing, and excursions, which I definitely want to do next time I visit.
We arrived late Saturday night and were greeted in our lobby (which smelled like heaven) with fresh towels to cleanse our hands as we checked in. We then got led to our gorgeous one bedroom suite that had a bottle of champagne and chocolates ready to greet us. The room was beautiful, and had a fully stocked mini bar, espresso machine, coffee maker, and even it’s own jacuzzi on the balcony. Since we arrived around midnight and were super exhausted from traveling, we ordered in room service, had a couple cocktails, and went to bed.
Each morning during our stay we woke up to see the sunrise. I can’t begin to explain how beautiful the mornings in Playa Del Carmen are. The sky glows bright with pinks and purples; it was beautiful to watch while roaming along the beach. Even though we were running on minimal hours of sleep, it was completely worth it.
The Food
What was fantastic about Paradisus Playa Del Carmen La Perla was that there were 14 different restaurants to choose from throughout the day. We spent two of our breakfasts at their buffet, where we feasted on fresh omelets with delicious salsa verde and sipped on homemade Bloody Marys. The other morning we were there we ordered in room service so we could eat while watching the sunrise from our balcony.
Throughout the day we snacked on food at the pool (queue the chips & guac, french fries, and fish tacos) and grabbed appetizers at one of their restaurants, La Palapa. They had incredible prawn ceviche and tuna sashimi that I definitely recommend.
For dinner, the one meal that blew our minds was at their modern Mexican restaurant Mole. I’m not kidding when I say we feasted. We started off the meal with octopus ceviche, shrimp aguachile, and guacamole with red grasshoppers. Yes, grasshoppers. We were mildly terrified to try them but surprisingly they weren’t that bad! The ceviche and aguachile ended up being so good that we ordered another round along with our entrees, sea bass, grilled salmon, and flank steak. We were completely stuffed and satisfied with everything we had eaten, but that didn’t stop us from getting dessert. Their chocolate molten lava cake was absolutely incredible and definitely was the cherry on top of an excellent meal.
The Drinks
We were all so happy with the beverage menu at Paradisus. They had a variety of margaritas, homemade Bloody Marys and micheladas, classics like pina coladas, but our absolute favorite was one of their signature drinks, the Bana Mint. Essentially it was a minty mud slide, made with Irish creme, mint liqueur, chocolate syrup, and cream all blended up with ice for the perfect creamy concoction. It made us feel like we were kids sipping on mint flavored milkshakes and it was pretty impossible to only have one.
Aside from their wide variety on their menu, the bartenders were open to creating any beverage you wanted. One of the afternoons, I asked for something light with cucumber, and our favorite man Ramon made us up a refreshing cocktail with vodka, cucumber, lemon, cranberry, and soda. It was the ultimate pool-side drink.
The Service
I think if I were to ask my friends what the best part of our trip was, we would all agree that it was the staff and service we got throughout our stay. Since we were staying in Royal Service, we were provided with our own butler, Angel, who would help us with anything we needed. Angel went out of his way to make sure we had an excellent experience. He surprised us with champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries, organized our snorkeling, gave us food recommendations, and made sure we were always happy.
Not only did Angel help us, but the other butlers befriended us as well and would help us with any simple requests we had. It was so great not having to stress about anything since they would take care of everything from making reservations to getting us change so we could tip our bartenders.
The rest of the staff at the resort were incredible as well. The waiters were always open to giving suggestions on what to order, which was great because I am so indecisive when it comes to ordering food. The bartenders and wait staff at the pool and beach were so attentive and made sure we always had a drink in our hand or the food we requested. One of the days we were there we wanted to order food by the pool but the kitchen wasn’t open yet. Our waiter was kind enough to get us food from the other side of the resort just to make us happy.
Even though our trip to Playa Del Carmen was short, it was completely worth the trip. We were so happy to be able to go and relax for a few days on the crystal blue beach. We are already discussing when we can go back and visit our new favorite resort again because our stay was that incredible.
