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Great location
Located in the heart of the cosmopolitan Playa del Carmen, at the intersection of the famous “Quinta Avenida” Fifth Avenue and 8th Street North, both a packed with upscale fashionable stores, boutiques, cafes and restaurants bars, and only a stone throw away from the beach.
Hotel information
The Illusion Boutique Hotel is a small hotel with great personalized service and attention to details. A perfect blend of elegance and tropical freshness with a fusion of Asian/Italian décor and architectural style. Opened in December 2004, this four-story hotel offers 40 well-designed and spacious bedrooms with marble flooring plus balconies or terraces overlooking 8th street, 5th Avenue, Atrium patio, or ocean views. A roof top fresh water wading pool and sunbathing area overlooking the blue turquoise sea water, a pool side bar, health spa with interior and outdoor massage parlour and steam room are just a few amenities that you will find at Illusion Hotel. For your additional convenience, on the hotel premises you will find a money exchange, deli market, PADI certified dive shop and a Japanese restaurant. The resort offers a high speed wired internet connection in every room and wireless internet connection throughout the hotel.
Accommodations
Roomy and Elegance is what you will find entering our bedrooms, each one with a different flair in the decoration, with Fifth Avenue, terrace, pool, and ocean views. Marble bathrooms with the precious regional tikul sink top and high quality toiletries. Continental breakfast is one of the inclusions.
Deluxe
Included: Continental Breakfast.
330 sq. ft room with king or double queen size beds and a convertible futon. Lock-off connecting rooms available for the convenience of larger groups or family. Our deluxe rooms enjoy the view of our central plaza and fountain all surrounded by vegetation, with large windows in the room. All guestrooms have remote control A/C, ceiling fan, 20" TV with remote control, phone, in room safe and mini bar.
Deluxe Balcony
Included: Continental Breakfast
330 sq ft room with a king size bed and a convertible futon in selected rooms. Lock-off connecting rooms available for the convenience of larger groups or family. Our deluxe balcony rooms enjoy the view of famous Fifth Avenue and the ocean view. Each room has large windows and slider doors that open. All guestrooms have remote control A/C, ceiling fan, 20" TV with remote control, phone, in room safe and mini bar.
Luxury Suite
Included: Continental Breakfast
Each room is decorated uniquely with a flare of Indonesian furniture. The 4th floor offers 440 sq ft luxury rooms with a king size bed and a convertible futon, spacious terrace with wet bar and pool only a few steps away. Enjoy the privacy and breath taking ocean front view. Large sliding glass doors for you to embrace the Caribbean Sea. All guestrooms have remote control A/C, ceiling fan, 20" TV with remote control, phone, in room safe and mini bar.
Master Suite
Included: Continental Breakfast
730 sq ft suite one bedroom with a king size bed and convertible futon, spacious terrace with wet bar and pool only a few steps away, and at an additional charge there is the option of a fully equipped luxury second bedroom with a queen size bed and a lock-off connection. The suite enjoys the commodity of a large equipped kitchenette with dining area, full refrigerator, walk-in closet and luxury bathroom. All guestrooms have remote control A/C, ceiling fan, 20" TV with remote control, phone, in room safe and mini bar.
In addition to our amenities
Fax and data port connection, satellite cable TV, iron/ironing board, hair dryer, microwave, safety deposit box, microwave, minibar and coffee maker.
Star Rating:
Local Attractions:
• Airport - 32 miles
• Puerto Morelos - 20 miles
• Cozumel - 13 miles (40-minutes ferry)
• Xcaret (Eco-Archeological Park) - 4.37 miles
• Cancun Hotel zone - 37.5 miles
• Xel-Ha (archeological site) - 36 miles
• Tulum (Mayan ruins) - 40 miles
• Cobá (Mayan ruins) - 84 miles
• Chichen Itza (Mayan ruins) - 162 miles
Have to agree with all of the previous positive comments. My wife and I spent 8 nights and had a great time. We were amazed with the personal service and...
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Have to agree with all of the previous positive comments. My wife and I spent 8 nights and had a great time. We were amazed with the personal service and attention to detail of the staff. Every single employee at the hotel was extremely accomodating and polite. My wife hurt her foot running up stairs in her flip flops and staff took great notice and wanted to help in any way possible. Given the chance we will most definately stay at antoher Xperience property. « less
At arrival we were greeted by Marta who was attending the front desk that morning..Cinthia also was the front desk clerk when Marta was unavailable.. . both of these ladies...
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At arrival we were greeted by Marta who was attending the front desk that morning..Cinthia also was the front desk clerk when Marta was unavailable.. . both of these ladies were wonderful and so friendly working the front desk of the hotel. We felt welcomed and like family from the moment walked in. I looked forward to talking to them each morning and evening, they were always very friendly and had good ideas and suggestions of things to do at the hotel and also in the area of Playa. Illusion proved to be everything we could have asked for in a hotel. The hotel lobby is nicely decorated with seating available, coffee service and water are available 24 hours which is wonderful. Very close to the beach, and a close walk to dining, bars and shops. We enjoyed walking to the restraunts which were located a couple blocks down 8th street between the 15th and 20th street area. Burro Burritos and tacos,-just a small stand soon became a favorite with our group. Altogether we had a wonderful vacation and enjoyed our stay at the Illusion Hotel. « less
“Excellent Service”
May 7, 2013
Ruielu, San Jose CA | Trip type: Couples
Nice hotel, recommend the 4th floor rooms. A bit higher but great views & close to little pool. When I say little pool I mean not only outside diameter but...
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Nice hotel, recommend the 4th floor rooms. A bit higher but great views & close to little pool. When I say little pool I mean not only outside diameter but depth. Depth is about 2.5ft. But good place to lounge. We stayed on 3d floor, would definitely stay again. All associated with hotel helpful and friendly. « less
“Amazing Customer Service”
May 6, 2013
Kristi B, Saratoga Springs, Utah | Trip type: Couples
After booking with Illusion I had my doubts (having read several reviews about the "bait and switch" as mentioned earlier). So I e-mailed the hotel a week before arrival to...
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After booking with Illusion I had my doubts (having read several reviews about the "bait and switch" as mentioned earlier). So I e-mailed the hotel a week before arrival to make sure we were in their system. All e-mail correspondence was quick and thorough.
Upon arrival we were greeted by sweet Marta and Cynthia. You could not ask for two better people to be working the front desk of a hotel. We felt kindly welcomed and like family from the moment walking in. Talk to them each morning and evening was one of the highlights of our day. They were always very friendly and had good ideas and suggestions. We were very sad at the end of our stay to say goodbye to them. They remembered our names, hotel room, and our plans for the day. Super impressed with these two lovely girls!
After check in we were shown our room. In my e-mail correspondence I had mentioned that we were coming to Playa to celebrate our ten year anniversary, we were happily surprised when we entered our room to find that they had decorated the room very beautifully with towel art and rose petals. It was lovely! So beautiful and thoughtful.
The room was great and clean, and was cleaned to perfection every day. The air conditioning worked well, the water pressure was good and there was plenty of hot water.
The hotel was beautiful, we went up to the top to see the view and it wasn't as spectacular as I had envisioned but it was nice, and the pool really is as tiny as people say, ha ha, just big enough to go up to your thighs at most. The hotel was booked to capacity the days we were there and the deck was crowded, but we only just went up the one time so it wasn't a big deal.
I thought the breakfast was amazing! For being a complimentary breakfast it was just so great. A big variety of yogurt and toppings, and different breakfast drinks. Then the sweet bread and salty bread with fruit. They were so nice when we had an early excursion to pack us a little breakfast to go, and also we told them my husband didn't like fruit so they brought him extra bread. Very thoughtful. The guys working the breakfast place were SO FRIENDLY and nice. I can't remember all of their names but Jorge was particularly friendly and just made our mornings great!
The location was convenient to the beach, fifth avenue and the bus station. We didn't really spend our days in Playa, we did lots of day trips, so being a short walk from the bus station was nice. Be sure if you ride the bus in to town that you know where the hotel is, we made the dumb mistake of taking the most expensive taxi ride of our lives the four short blocks to the hotel (d'oh!). It's an easy walk.
Oh and for how close it was to fifth we didn't have any noise issues at all - which I thought was pretty amazing! I even took ear plugs but never used them. That was a pleasant surprise.
Yeah the beds were pretty hard, but that seems to be just the way it is in Mexico :) I wished there had been an extra blanket in the room too, the blanket was really thin, almost just like another sheet. No big deal, just a thought.
So, the hotel is beautiful great and clean and fabulously located, but all that aside I would rate this hotel as excellent based simply on the customer service alone! They've got amazing employees. So the whole package is just great.
Oh and just a tip :) I wasn't a huge fan of the crowds and prices on fifth avenue, and we discovered a great little restaurant/bar practically next door to the hotel, it's called Muza and the prices are really reasonable and the food was splendid. The owner was nice and I wish I had known about that restaurant and we would have eaten there every night and saved some serious cash. Oh well :)
May 4, 2013
Lynnerin320, New York City, New York | Trip type: Couples
My boyfriend and I booked a nice 6 night getaway in January 2013, and finally decided to go with Illusion Boutique Hotel. We were enticed for a couple reasons... great...
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My boyfriend and I booked a nice 6 night getaway in January 2013, and finally decided to go with Illusion Boutique Hotel. We were enticed for a couple reasons... great reviews, excellent location, beachfront hotel w/ pool and price. We don't like doing All- Inclusives as we like to get out and explore more than anything (and this was the perfect location- right in the hub of Avenida Quinta). We booked our trip via Orbitz in November 2012, and had all our necessary confirmations for the trip. Our first day in Playa was January 23rd, and we planned our flight from New York to get to the hotel right about check-in time. When we arrived at the hotel (we were so excited because just walking up to the entrance, we ocean right in front of us!), I was greeted by the concierge with a warm smile and handed over my papers for our reservation. It was taking a bit of time, so we sat down in their entry-way and waited. After about 15 mins, we were greeted by another hotel worker, and they said that, sorry, they were actually all booked up, and that somehow their computer system did NOT book us at this hotel, but their sister-hotel 'right down the road'. I was quite taken aback and confirmed with them again, that, no they did not have any rooms at all- the entire hotel was booked up. Needless to say, we were not too happy about this, but then again, what could we do? They had one of their hotel attendants accompany us to the next hotel. She took us up the street hailed a dirty cab with the back seats falling apart. The new hotel was Hacienda Paradise which was 12 blocks away from the original hotel (away from the center of the beachfront area) as well as was another 3 blocks away from the beach. Upon arrival, we then had to wait another TWO HOURS for a room to be ready for us. Needless to say, I would not recommend booking with this hotel, but if you do, PLEASE be sure to send then an email prior to your travel in order to confirm that you will actually have a room when you arrive. « less
Read management response to this review.
Management response from Giuseppe Crapanzano, Guest Relations Manager
Dear ambassador (as we kindly name our guests),
On behalf of the Xperience Family we would like to thank you for your preference. Thank you very much for taking the time to share your feedback, for us it was an honor to host you and even though at your arrival we had a challenging situation with our reservation system, we offered you a better option at our sister hotel Hacienda Paradise along with the transfer to the other hotel, VIP amenities and breakfast for the rest of your stay that we included to you in order to compensate this inconvenience. We are very sorry to know from what you have currently expressed in your review , that even though you mentioned positive comments about our services in our quality survey, our effort was not enough to make it up to you. We are very sorry for not having noticed this before your departure, we are confident that we could have done whatever it was in our hands to change your perspective. However this feedback along with yours in our quality survey, complement your opinion of your overall stay with us helping us to detect opportunities, finding out the best improvement measures as well as striving to provide a better quality service every day.
We remain at your disposal and hope to have the opportunity to serve you in a near future.
Warm regards,
Carolina Baca Guest Relations
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These reviews are the subjective opinions of individual travelers and not of TripAdvisor LLC nor of its partners.
Cancellation: Group Cacellation Policy-You may cancel up to 30 days before arrival without a cancellation fee.
Typical Group Deposit:
20
Total Taxes:
14.00%
Total Misc Fees:
$0.00 USD (mandatory resort fees/taxes)
Room Types - Illusion Boutique Hotel
Mirage Balcony Adults Only
One King Bed
This room overlooks the garden. Complimentary wired and wireless Internet access keeps you connected, and cable channels are offered for your entertainment. Request an in-room massage. A minibar is provided. The private bathroom has complimentary toiletries. A ceiling fan, a safe, and a laptop-compatible safe are among the conveniences offered. This room is Non-Smoking.
Mirage Adults Only
One King Bed or
Two Double Beds
This room overlooks the garden. Complimentary wired and wireless Internet access keeps you connected, and cable channels are offered for your entertainment. Request an in-room massage. A minibar is provided. The private bathroom has complimentary toiletries. A ceiling fan, complimentary bottled water, and a safe are among the conveniences offered. This room is Non-Smoking.
Amenities - Illusion Boutique Hotel
Air conditioning
Airport Shuttle
Alarm clock
ATM
Baggage storage facilities
Breakfast in room
Camping or barbeque facilities
Car rental
Central location
Clothes drying
Complimentary breakfast
Concierge service
Conference facilities
Credit card accepted: Mastercard/Visa
Credit card accepted: American Express
Currency exchange
Dinner available
Elevator
Express Check-Out
Facilities for the disabled
Fax available
Free local calls
Grocery service
Hairdryer available
Handicap accessible
Ice Maker
Internet - wireless
Internet is Complimentary
Ironing facilities
Laundry facilities
Licensed bar
Mini bar
Microwave in room
Non-smoking rooms
24 hours opened
Office or business center
Private bathroom in room
Quiet location
Radio in room
Refrigerator
Restaurant
Safe in rooms
Self controlled heating/cooling system
Shop
Shower
Solarium
Spa
Swimming pool - outdoor
Tea and coffee making facilities
Telephone
Telephone in all rooms
Television
TV - Free Cable
Terrace
Travellers cheques accepted
VCR or VCP
Voicemail
Pet Friendly?
Sorry, pets are not allowed.
Airport & Shuttle Information - Illusion Boutique Hotel
Cancun International Airport (CUN): Approximate driving time is 45 minutes and distance is 32 miles
Driving directions from Cancun International Airport: From the Airport exit, turn right and take Hwy 307 South for 32 miles toward Playa del Carmen. Turn left in Juarez Street and drive through 10th Street, turn left on 10th Street and right on 8th Street toward the beach the Hotel is situated a block and a half at your right.
The Illusion Boutique Hotel is about 32 miles south of Cancun. Authorized taxis, buses, and rental cars are convenient ways to get from Cancun International Airport to Illusion Hotel. Transportation options and ticket booths are found as soon as you exit the airport. Authorized group taxi to the Hotel: More than $70 dollars per group, individual taxi to the hotel $60 dollars per taxi. There is a ADO bus service from the airport to Playa del Carmen with a cost of $8 dollars per person. Once you arrive at the bus station you go left on Fifth Avenue for 3 blocks
Airport Shuttle? Yes! There is an airport shuttle.
Testimonials: Why use Hotel Planner?
"By taking advantage of your product we estimated that we saved around $300. I still shake my head at the fact that I was going to get on the telephone and find a hotel." D.H. - Dayton, OH
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Based on 498 traveler reviews 
Value
Rooms
“Wonderful time”
“Bait & Switch- Beware”
Mirage Balcony Adults Only
Mirage Adults Only