Took couple of days to calm down so I can write a review based solely on facts, and not emotions.

1. Property positions itself as "luxury", which is far from the truth, I would say that on scale of 1 to 5 stars, Villas Sacbe is 3 firm ... Mind this, it was built 17 years ago, the quality of craftsmanship, perhaps, at that time was 5 stars and luxury, when there was nothing to compare to, but in 2012, it is not luxury at all, I would say it is more of an average in line with lower class inns

2. The proximity to the beach is unbeatable, I have to state that for the record, the fact that you can use Indigo Beach for free is a great savings perk - however, since it is located on the high intersection point, forget about having a peaceful enjoyment ... Indigo Beach is located in the area where fishing boats are parked, and so you know, they use an older technique of anchoring the boat - ropes, anchors, cement blocks in the water ... To compare, walking 15 minutes either left or right would get you to a better beach, with better access to the water, no boats, no ropes in the water to watch for .. I think you get the picture ..

3. Use of gym facilities - not bad, equipment is clean, in working condition, four flat screen TVs, two would be running MTV music (same channel on both screens), however the reception was not the best and it is hard to work out when the music constantly goes in and out, so we opted to working out using our ipods ...

4. Cleanliness of the room - inn level, not luxury by any means ... Towels are overused and tired; ones day we decided to eat on the patio - and noticed that the cleaning crew has left their cleaning tools and chemicals, along with a plastic bag filled with clean and dirty towels right on our patio ... Well, I have stayed in some 5+ start hotels and never ones have I seen something like this ...

5. Indigo Cafe by the Beach - food is not bad, but not your greatest either ... I can understand that they are tailoring their menu to the satisfy largely American population, but french fries on the beach? You gotta be kidding me ... And fresh juices: only two potions - orange or grapefruit ... To compare, when I was staying in Dubai, even the cheapest road cafe had an impressive fresh juice stand with you-name-they've-got it combinations available ... Can't say, however, that Indigo Cafe is overpriced ... Compared to other places, it is not super expensive ...

6. Waiters - it would greatly vary on who get to serve you ... Some speak English and some don't ... but one day the electric power went out and the waiter serving us calculated our food using a piece of paper .. all of a sudden everything was 5-10 pesos more, we just happened to order exactly the same items we did the day before, but our check was 50 pesos more ...

7. Front desk - keep in mind that if you are staying in Villas Sacbe, you are still to required to check in at Porto Playa, which is a short walk down the street ... We checked in without any issues ... The checking out, however was a different story ... Since we don't speak Spanish, it can be frustrating talking to the companies that serve English speaking clients, but don't have staff who speaks English ... We cam to the "reception" asking for help when we were trying to call our transfer ride to the airport ... It is too bad, I did not get the name of the girl who was helping us ... She listened to what we were after, took the number, called the company and told us that "They are closed, but there is a cell phone number to call, try that" ... We said, we don't speak Spanish and needed her help, as the recoding on the answering machine was in Spanish ... She called the cell phone number, spoke briefly to someone and than hung up saying that she was told that the transfer operator did not have a record of our reservation ... So much for help there ... We were not able to get hold of our transfer operator that day, and decided to wake up early next morning and try calling them again - she told us, that their recording said their business hours was from 9am-5pm ... Our flight was at noon, so we though that if we call them at 9am, we would still be able to make it to the airport fine .. So we go to the reception to check out, she greets us with a smile and says "Your taxi driver was here at 8am, he waited for your and left, because you were not around, but if you want to, we can arrange transportation for you and that would be $150" ... To say that I was furious is to say nothing at all ... I had to restrain myself from using profanity, but all I really wanted to say, you stupid b**ch, we were here yesterday and you knew were not able to get hold of them, why in the world did you not call the room when the taxi was there at 8am? Yes, the transfer operator and the condo are not related, but hiring an idiot to run a reception, com'n now ... We called the transfer operator one more time at 9am, and were told that no taxi was coming for us, since we missed our driver at 8am - my question as to why they picked 8am for a pick up time, not 7am, not 7:30am was left unanswered ... And to add an insult to the injury we were told "You are in Mexico and we don't have to speak English" ... needless to say, Villas Sacbe or any other property under http://www.condohotelsplayadelcarmen.com/ won't be having us back in the future ...

8. Last but not least - one of the contributors mentioned that proximity to the night clubs ... To provide you with more accurate picture image a street lined up with six night clubs, with Mandala Playa topping the sound system ... The party goes on until 6am, and as much as I respect others right to party, it is impossible to sleep ...

To sum it up ... we paid $290 per night ... got front desk that was less than helpful .. could not sleep until 6am ... not a hint of luxury if you ask me .... the only positive outcome of this trip was that we now know where we don't want to stay on our next trip to Playa del Carmen, 'cause we absolutely loved the place minus the boutique-condo experience ..

Thank you for reading, hopefully it will help others to make an educated decision ...

Let me start by saying I wanted to give this property five stars. We stayed in Villas Sacbe Unit #6, and it was every bit as lovely as the photos showed. The owner and property managers have clearly taken very good care of this apartment, which has two bedrooms, two full baths, two balconies with streetside views, and a gorgeous palapa rooftop terrace with bar. The owner was delightfully easy to work with, and the property manager, Heidi, was also very responsive and helpful. The apartment was very clean and well stocked (including purified water cooler, dishes/silverware, beach chairs/umbrella, iron, hairdryer, etc.). We had absolutely no complaints with the service and attention we received.

However... and this is a VERY BIG however... the condo is located 1/2 block from the intersection of 12th and 1st Streets. Having not been to Playa previously, I had no idea that this intersection is the heart of Playa's clubbing district. And when I say "the heart," I really mean "the heart." Starting around 11pm, about 8 different clubs in direct proximity to this intersection begin to blast (yes, blast!!!) bass-fueled techno music as they compete with one another for volume. And unfortunately, one club has a rooftop dance floor, where the music/bass carries louder than anywhere else, including to the apartment's bedrooms. It's a massive cacophony of unbelievable sound that goes solid until anywhere from 4:30am (at the earliest on Sunday night) to 6am (a Saturday night). We tried to drown out the sound by blasting our alarm clock sound machines (rain/thunder/ocean sounds), and it did help, but the overall volumes of all that sound did not lead to quality sleep. The club music's bass actually vibrates through the beds into the pillows and shakes the house, and the bedrooms of unit 6 are on the front of the house closest to the noise. I felt really badly for my 66 year old mother, whose room was closest to the club-side of the house, but she was a pretty good sport about it -- we actually started laughing somewhere around 2am b/c the sound is just so unbelievable. It is without doubt the loudest location in all of Playa del Carmen.

We spoke to the night guard, and he said that it has gotten worse just in the past year (2011); he told us it didn't used to be like that, but now the music plays 7 nights a week, 365 days a year (and we can attest that it was at its peak on the night of Xmas eve).

In terms of noise, this place deserves a 1. However, in terms of cleanliness, service and location (it really is in one of the BEST locations in Playa - a block from 5th ave and the beach, close to grocery shopping and public transport), it deserves a 5. So I averaged it out to a 3. In sum, I'd recommend it if you're looking to party into the wee hours or if you can sleep like a rock through any noise in the world. If you're a night owl or if you want a place to party and entertain in the heart of bass-filled techno action, this is your spot. However, if you're looking for a peaceful vacation with quiet nights, I'd look elsewhere. This place is the loudest place I've ever slept in my life.

Note: It might be somewhat quieter to stay in the interior units of the condo building, but it still seemed like it would be pretty darn loud.

"“Villas Sacbe is a luxury boutique hotel in Playa del Carmen, surrounded by tropical greenery and charming ponds. It was such as discovery for us to stay at this property, which is also ideally located – just a step away from the main pedestrian 5th Avenue with all the restaurants and bars! Villas Sacbe is perfect for a romantic getaway – you get your own suite with a living room, private terrace and a bedroom, surrounded by tropical plants. We also got free access to Beach Club and gym. Amazing, cute property!”
..Raminta is typing ....

My wife and I decided to experience Villas Sacbe, a beautiful boutique condo-style hotel in Playa del Carmen. What a pleasant surprise! First of all, you cannot beat the location. Situated right next to the main pedestrian 5th Avenue with all the restaurants, cafes and boutiques, Villas Sacbe is at the same time its own quiet and pristine tropical oasis, surrounded my lush greenery, fountains and a pool. Moreover, the value of this condo is also unbeatable. For the price of one hotel room, we had our full suite with a large living room, modern kitchen, marble bathroom and bedroom, with the services of a 5-star hotel, including pleasant daily maid, security, front desk and concierge. It was our romantic home away from home! We usually do not right hotel reviews, but I felt we had to share our experience… condo hotels it’s such a wonderful concept. Thank you for a wonderful vacation.