We stayed at the Posada Mariposa for 6 nights in May, and I really enjoyed this boutique garden hotel right on 5th Avenue.
When planning our trip to Playa del Carmen, I was lucky and found an EXCELLENT deal via Groupon Getaways ($246 for 6 nights = $41/night) for Posada Mariposa. For that price, they can make a lot of mistakes and still get a decent review from me, but they literally did everything right, from start to finish.
We arrived at about 3 am after our flight and rental car pick up in Cancun, so we were exhausted. I was worried about our reservation being lost or denied or somehow incorrect because of the Groupon purchasing, but everything was in order and we were shown to our room, number 33. The room was at the back of the hotel, and away from the noise of 5th Avenue, much to our liking. The interior of the hotel has beautiful vines, trees, flowers and a fountain. Tile floors intersect with boardwalk style bridges taking you to your upper level room. There is a small elevator that two people can fit in, or it can be used for luggage.
Our room was small, but perfectly adequate for my husband and myself. There was a queen bed and a twin bed in our room. We used the twin for laying out our luggage. The beds were hard (as is the trend in my Mexican travels) but not unbearable. We used the comforter from the twin bed as an additional layer of padding, and when the housekeepers noticed this the next morning, they made the sheets up over the comforter so we could still get the padding, but sleep on sheets. Very thoughtful of them to notice and accommodate our preference.
There is FREE wifi with good connectivity (get code from front desk) and room amenities include a mini fridge, flat screen TV, and AC. Since electricity is expensive in Mexico, they require you to used a card attached to your key to turn on the main power of the AC. I have no issue with saving electricity, but since the room isn't air conditioned 100% of the time, the room did have a slight mildew smell when we entered each afternoon. This smell went away after a few minutes of AC, but it did bother my husband.
Each day, housekeeping made cute towel animals for us, which I loved. Two bathrobes and slippers were placed on the bed. These simple touches made me feel cozy. As is typical for Mexico, the water pressure wasn't great, but at least the water was HOT HOT HOT. The window above the shower didn't close completely, but again, not a huge deal. Shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, bar soap, and a shower cap are provided. Bring your own loofa or wash cloth though, as the only towels were hand towel size or bigger. There is a limited amount of storage (just one shelf) and a pedestal sink, so high-maintenance ladies might have trouble with their morning routines in this space. You can get BIG beach towels from the front desk.
The lobby has filtered water and we filled up our bottles every morning before heading out on our adventures. Our room came with continental breakfast which takes place at La Vagabunda across the street. How it works is: get breakfast ticket from front desk, walk 15 steps across 5th and grab a table, present ticket, toast with butter and jam and yogurt with fruit will be delivered to your table. Drink choices are coffee or orange juice -- get the juice, it's fresh squeezed!
Parking is the biggest issue I have with this hotel, because there is none, not even for loading and unloading. You need to find street parking nearby and then tote your stuff. We found safe, free and always available street parking about 5 blocks away on 34th and 10th across from a soccer field. Other than the parking predicament, the location is ideal on 5th Avenue. It's centrally located in the city, so you walk either left or right and there is shopping, art galleries and local artists, dining and more. Beach access is about 4 blocks away.
I plan on coming back to Playa del Carmen, and I'd happily stay at Posada Mariposa. This hotel is perfect for the active traveller that plans to wake up, eat a light breakfast, spend all day out and about, return to the hotel to shower and then head back out for dinner or night life. read more