Needing a recharge and sick of winter, we (AlphaHusband and I) stayed at Planet Hollywood Adult Scene. The price was agreeable for a warm, adults-only, all-inclusive respite and off we went.
Firstly, Planet Hollywood Adult Scene is located in the Costa Mujeres area of Cancun. This is roughly a 40–50-minute drive from the airport and 30 minutes from Cancun’s hotel zone, times depending on traffic. Costa Mujeres is out of the way, in the middle of nowhere with the exception of back-to-back resorts. If you plan on spending your vacation solely on the resort, you’ll be good. If you go off the resort to explore on your own, you’re looking at costly rideshare or cab rides. The resort does not have a shuttle to town.
Planet Hollywood is a well maintained, simple, pleasant property with plenty, sun-drenched, open spaces. Shaded areas are in very short supply. The beaches are gorgeous with powdery, white sand and clear water. Observe parasails and sailboats glide past, as you sip a Paloma con Mezcal from the beach bar only feet away.
If you’re a pool side lounger, you’ll have to be up pretty early to mark your spot. I’ve personally witnessed fellow vacationers claiming their stake as early as 6:30 am. It’s common to see pool side seating/loungers void of bodies for hours at a time with personal effects in their stead. For this reason, I recommend a room with swim out. You can’t swim in them, but you can kick it beside the water or in it.
Already given a heads up about the above mentioned, we had booked a junior suite swim out. Like the resort, out room was simple, clean and comfortable with plenty of storage. Mini fridge is stocked daily with two each of bottled water, pop and beer. The bathroom has lots of lighting, two sinks, and shelving. It’s on the small side yet you’re not maneuvering around a badly placed door or toilet. In fact, the toilet is separated by a pocket door.
The artificial turf patio is furnished with two chairs and small table. In the swim out are loungers for two and behind them, a large cabana. Along with the beach, this room was the best part of our holiday. We loved it! Our only disappointment was with the room location. Building 12, (and those on either side of us) never got sun. This made the unheated water, cooler than expected and not as enjoyable. Switching rooms was not an option as the resort was sold out.
If you’re wanting a true, adults-only resort, look elsewhere. Despite Planet Hollywood Adult Scene being advertised and described as an adults-only resort, it isn’t. We found this out during our stay and were annoyed. We believed we had booked our stay at a true adults-only resort hence our disappointment. More accurately, this property has an adults-only section with a pool, two small bars and two dining options. I can certainly understand why some would feel deceived, especially if your room is in buildings fifteen or sixteen. The only separation between these adults-only rooms and general rooms are a few feet, wide area of grass.
The property is easily navigable. As stated earlier, this is not exclusively adults-only, therefore, just about everything is located in the general public area. There’s not much in the way of entertainment or activities; they’re limited and repeated frequently. Planet Hollywood does offer off-property excursions via third party. These can be booked at the designated desk in the lobby.
The resort emphasizes dining reservations, making walk ins next to impossible for dinner. Restaurant reservations fill up quickly, often days in advance. When inquiring in person for availability, you’re referred to the app for slots even though roughly 1/3 of the seating is empty. We did eat at Gusto Trattoria once for lunch and enjoyed our meal. I was skeptical of the tiramisu I ordered because good ones are hard to find. Imagine my surprise when I had my first forkful, it was heavenly. The raspberry coulis was the perfect accompaniment. If I could, I would have ordered the tiramisu for each of my three course meals, it was that good.
When we couldn’t get in elsewhere to dine, we went to Overtime Sports Bar, twice. Sports bar is an exaggeration. It’s a sad little place. A few tv screens, a single pool table in the middle of the room and kids running around, some having tantrums others throwing pool balls. The food here is just alright, try the onion rings, they’re not bad. The server, whose name I’ve regrettably forgotten, was wonderful. He held down the fort, being short staffed, with a smile and great attitude.
Room service has a limited menu. Wait times for food delivery were consistently at 45-55 minutes. Be sure to order doubles or triples of everything you order. Portions are small, snack size to be precise. For example, a single order of chicken strips is two pieces, an order of poppers are two jalapenos, halved. FYI the poppers are pretty good, so order accordingly. Careful now, you’re capped at nine items. We also found it easier to order room service via the tv over the app. The app, like most apps, is unpredictable and wonky.
The food was slightly above average with the exceptions being room service and the sports bar. They were more of a miss than hits. Throughout the resort we experienced food with varying stages of temperatures. Something of mine was overcooked, while AlphaHusband’s was cooked proper and vice versa. While eating an order of fries, some were hot, others cold and barely cooked, all on the same plate. I was again disappointed, that two of the gyoza from East Teppanyaki were room temperature and the third warm. They were still good but probably would have been better hot.
Want a coffee? At times, expect to stand in line as long as 20 minutes at Fuel. After the hike from the adults-only section, you wait in a long line with families with kids getting ice cream. Why would coffee and ice cream be served in the same small shop? Why not have a separate line for each? This is beyond comprehension and not efficient. Just another annoyance.
Overall, the resort is quiet and laid back, particularly the adult section. The Planet Hollywood staff is average. There were a few times when we encountered inconsistencies. It was frustrating being told one thing, someone else said different or had no knowledge. For example, no one could get us the promised (totally useless) resort coupons. We were told to go here, go there, talk to this one or that one; getting answers at times seemed like a chore. Dining room staff and bartenders are hospitable and attentive. If you’re not sure what to drink, they’ll throw out recommendations or surprise you with a custom made, tasty libation.
This resort is best suited for vacationers looking for an all-inclusive getaway at a steal of a price, if you can get it for that. If you’re flexible with adults-only confined to an area and not the entire property, consider here for a vacation.
If all you want is relaxation or dozing off peacefully on an ideal beach setting, then this is the place. It’s probably the only time your laziness would arouse jealousy from others back home. And that’s alright too. – MMR
