La Tortuga Hotel Trip Report
La Tortuga Hotel Review and Photos: We stayed at the La Tortuga hotel 9 nights from December 15-24, 2007. Our full report lists more information in sections below. This is a first class hotel that has earned and deserves the #1 rating on Trip Advisor. With all that La Tortuga has to offer, what really makes La Tortuga an outstanding hotel are the people. Every single person at the hotel is friendly, attentive and dedicated to the guests. At the front desk, Anne Marie was always smiling and greeted us by name every time we came in or out of the hotel. She made suggestions for dining, trips, etc. Everyone greets and watches each guest to make sure everything is perfect for your whole trip.
Servers: Our dining servers were fun and playful. With Daniel, Jose, Pablo, Luis, Micky and Santiago, we felt like we were with a group of close friends in their home. Dan now knows a new word – tocayo, which means a person with the same name – he learned it from his tocayo, Daniel. Dan also learned a few Mayan phrases from Santiago and others. At the bar, Fernando, Victor and Armando took great care of us. We learned several new Spanish expressions and how to make some of the specialty drinks at the bar. This is a world-class hotel delivering an exceptional experience for their guests. Afredo the bell captain is a charmer. He is always laughing and joking and made us smile every day we were there. He interacts with all guests.
Our amigos at the bar, Fernando, Victor and Armando took great care of us and always made us laugh with them.
The bar area is right next to the pool and sitting area. The standard rooms we stayed in are up the stairs in this photo. You can see the internet screen at the bar.
Location, location, location. The hotel is just a few steps away from 5th Avenue with all its action. The street buzzes during almost all hours of the day and night. You can shop, sit and sip a drink, watch the crowds go by, enjoy the breezes off the Caribbean or participate in active bargaining with the local vendors. It is also just a few short blocks from the shores of the Caribbean.
Arrival at La Tortuga was a joy. Anne Marie at the reception desk welcomed us and quickly checked us in. Everyone in our party was presented a free welcome drink in the reception area. We arrived a little earlier than expected. We had booked 4 standard rooms for 9 nights. We discovered first-hand why La Tortuga is rated #1 by guests on Trip Advisor. We also learned that they are not sitting back happy just to be the best – they are continually improving their property (more on this later). Our standard rooms had just been repainted and Anne Marie was concerned about the fumes, so she immediately offered us upgraded rooms for our first night at no additional cost. We were given 4 junior suites – one a superior junior suite. Our rooms on the first night were 101, 304, 305 and 306. There is more on the rooms in a section below.
Hotel Gardens. The hotel property and grounds are more beautiful in person than they are in the photos. The hotel property is shady with numerous cozy sitting and lounging areas. It is serene, quiet and peaceful. The grounds are immaculate and the tropical gardens are meticulously maintained.
TIP: Find the solarium patio. It is an open air public patio just above the bar. You’ll find padded lounge beds with drink trays and tables and chairs. It is wonderful at night. They will serve your drinks and meals in this area if you ask.
Hot tub & pool. There is a hot tub large enough for about 8 people. The hot tub is surrounded by a unique swimming pool. The water in the pool was ambient temperature. It was refreshing during the hot afternoon, but a little chilly in the early morning and in the evening. We enjoyed the hot tub in the cooler evenings and the pool when we needed a refreshing dip.
Bar area. Every hour at La Tortuga was a happy hour. The official happy hour at the bar is from 5-6 PM with 2-1 drinks. Our buddies at the bar – Fernando, Victor and Armando stretched that hour beyond its limits several times and kept our drinks flowing at happy prices. We learned about several local specialty drinks including the Yucatan with Kalua, Tequila and cream. They also carefully followed our instructions when we asked for a drink to be prepared in our customary way. There is free internet access at the bar. The maximum time per guest is 30 minutes so the computer is always accessible, sometimes with a short wait. Other guests were always considerate when someone was waiting – I think the friendly spirit at La Tortuga rubs off on everyone.
Pool Table. There is a pool table that costs 5 pesos (50 cents) per game. The charge is a great idea because it is inexpensive, but you can usually get a game in without waiting or after a short wait.
Agora Restaurant. La Tortuga isn’t sitting back now that they have achieved the #1 rating on Trip Advisor. They are making systematic, continual improvements to the rooms and the hotel. They have just completed a full remodel of the Agora restaurant. The remodel project was completed during the last few days of our stay. The newly refurbished Agora now features new tile flooring, a new bar/serving area, new ceilings and new décor. They were nearing completion of the new front enclosure and full AC system for the restaurant when we left.
Dinner. We also ate dinner several times in the newly refinished Agora restaurant. They gave us a 20% discount for every dinner and the food is delicious. The 20% discount is not available during the high winter season at the Agora. The favorite entrees for our group were the pasta Carbonara and the Chicken Cordon Bleu (mmmmmm….).
Breakfast included. Free full breakfast is included with all rooms at La Tortuga. The free breakfast includes the breakfast entrée, juice and coffee or tea. If you order a soft drink or extras, there is a small added charge. There are multiple breakfast options including huevos rancheros, omelets, fresh fruits & breads, yogurt, baguette sandwiches, quesadillas, cheese plate, eggs any style and specialty dishes.
The specialty dishes we tried were sincronizadas (ham & cheese quesadillas with beans & guacamole), motuleños (2 eggs sunny side up on corn tortillas with black beans, tomato salsa, ham, cheese, potatoes and fried platanos), chilaquiles (fried tortillas topped with tomato salsa, eggs, beans, onions and potatoes) and tasty and the servers again were warm, friendly and personal in the way they treated us. The coffee is perfect – strong without any bitterness. There are also a variety of fresh and flavorful juices.
Our servers at La Tortuga made breakfast an experience. We felt like we were with a group of close friend in their home. Our servers were Daniel, Jose, Pablo, Luis, Micky and Santiago.
Rooms. There are 51 rooms at La Tortuga. Our group of 4 couples stayed in 11 different rooms during our 9 nights. We were happy with all rooms and only changed rooms because Anne Marie and Laura graciously offered upgrades at no additional cost. It was also nice because we are travel agents and we were able to see more of the rooms at the property. On the first night, Anne Marie upgraded us to 4 junior suites at no charge because our standard rooms had just been painted. She was concerned that the fumes would bother us. We spent the 2nd night in our standard rooms. For nights 3-7, Laura generously upgraded us to the other available rooms at no extra cost. We had 4 rooms for 9 nights – a total of 36 “room nights”.
These are the rooms we were in:
101 - Superior Junior suite (8 nights)
219 - Superior Junior suite (7 nights)
201 - Junior suite (7 nights)
303 - Standard Plus (7 nights)
304 – Junior suite (1 night)
305 – Junior suite (1 night)
306 – Junior suite (1 night)
22 - Standard room with small balcony (1 night)
23 - Standard room with small balcony (1 night)
24 - Standard room with small balcony (1 night)
25 - Standard room with small balcony (1night)
All rooms at La Tortuga are wonderful. Every room comes with AC, TV, telephone, alarm clock, ceiling fan, mini bar, in-room safe, coffee machine and hair dryer. Most TVs have now been upgraded to flat screen. We watched a little TV during downtimes (and while waiting for significant others to make themselves adorable before leaving the room). We didn’t count the channels, but there are quite a few channels available in both English and Spanish. Spanish stations are generally dubbed in English or have English subtitles. The safes are about the size of a toaster oven – large enough for wallets, cameras, jewelry, small purses, etc. Laptops and larger video cameras will not fit in the safes. There is no deposit for the safe key, but there is a charge if you lose the key.
Disco noise. We have read online complaints about disco noise at La Tortuga at night. When we tried really hard from our deck or with our windows open, we could hear the disco music. Our group of 8 stayed in 10 different rooms at La Tortuga and the disco music didn’t interfere with anyone’s sleep on any night of our stay. Even the most sound-sensitive sleeper would need is a cheap pair of foam ear plugs at night. If you are worried, bring the ear plugs – everything else makes this hotel worth the stay!
Standard room. There are 12 standard rooms at La Tortuga. Of those, 4 include a small balcony with a table and 2 chairs. Our group spent 1 night in the 4 standard rooms 22, 23, 24 and 25. These rooms are very nice. All four rooms had very small private balconies. The balcony in room 25 had the nicest view of the grounds. Room 22 had both a queen bed and a single bed. There is a small private patio area with table and chairs serving just these 4 rooms. Our group of 8 enjoyed our “private spot” for the 1 night we stayed in these rooms. All these rooms had queen size beds. Three had new flat panel TVs. All included the standard amenities listed above. We had plenty of closet space and drawer space for our 9-night stay.
We have read some reviews on Trip Advisor with complaints about lack of space in the rooms at La Tortuga, but we do not share that opinion. All rooms we stayed in, including these standard rooms were very comfortable, recently refurbished and well-worth the low standard room price. The standard rooms are a wonderful option if you are on a tight travel budget and still want to experience the #1 hotel in Playa del Carmen. You’ll still enjoy this prime location, the outstanding service and enjoy most of the same amenities
Standard room plus. There are 22 rooms in this category. These rooms are larger than the standard rooms and offer better balcony options. One couple in our group spent 7 nights in room 303 which is in this category. The room is larger than a standard room and has a very nice balcony with a great view.
Swim up rooms. There are 5 swim up rooms at La Tortuga. These rooms are the same size as the standard plus rooms. They are on the ground floor and have direct access to the pool from the balcony. We did not stay in one of these rooms, but they looked like fun.
Junior suite. There are 10 unique junior suites. All include a VERY LARGE Jacuzzi tub, a private terrace or deck, bathrobe and slippers. Some Jacuzzis are in a private roof-top terrace and others are in the room, in the bathroom or on the balcony. Our group spent a total of 10 nights in 4 different rooms in this category – rooms 201, 304, 305 and 306. These suites are spacious and luxurious. If you want to enjoy a private Jacuzzi for 2 under the stars, ask for one of the junior suites on the third floor.
Superior junior suite. There are unique 7 superior suites. All include the VERY LARGE Jacuzzi tub and INCREDIBLY COMFORTABLE Spring Air King beds. Other options include a small private pool, a private balcony, a private lounge mattress or hammock or an in-room sofa. We can safely say that “YES! There is a SOFT, LUXURIOUS bed in Mexico. If you love a top-end bed, this is the room you want. Guests in this category can choose to have their free breakfast served right in their room. You can also choose to have dinner service provided in these rooms.
Our group spent 15 nights in 2 rooms in this category – 101 and 219. Suite 101 is ground-level, includes an in-room Jacuzzi with an access door from the Jacuzzi to the private pool and the wonderfully comfortable king bed. Suite 219 is on the 2nd level, has the in-room Jacuzzi a sofa in the room and a large private balcony with a table and 2 chairs looking down onto the beautiful interior patio and grounds. If you want to splurge at the #1 hotel in Playa del Carmen, reserve the superior junior suite. You will be amazed with the incredibly comfortable king bed and other amenities in these amazing rooms.
Other hotels in the area. We have previously stayed in Playa del Carmen at the Shangri La hotel, another top-rated hotel on Trip Advisor. We loved that hotel and location on the beach, but their service is well-below the service we received at La Tortuga. We booked this trip 10 months in advance. We had originally planned to stay at Luna Blue Hotel & Garden, which at the time carried a higher Trip Advisor rating than La Tortuga. We read a few comments from the Luna Blue management on Trip Advisor which concerned us. Luna Blue also started their holiday season rates earlier than La Tortuga. We were actually able to book La Tortuga for about the same price as that offered by Luna Blue. On this trip, we took a walk to Luna Blue and looked around the gardens and hotel. From our observations, La Tortuga is in a category well-above Luna Blue. If you are comparing these hotels, or any other hotel in Playa del Carmen, do yourself a favor and run to La Tortuga. If you book anywhere else, you are doing yourself a disservice.
