Recently stayed at the Illusion and was very pleased with the hotel. The staff was very accomodating and very friendly, especially the evening Front Desk Manager, Miguel. He bent over backwards to ensure everything was in order for our stay.

Our room was extremely large, it had two queen size beds and still had plenty of room left over. The major diappointment in the room was the lack of dresser facilities so that you could unpack your clothes. We had a closet type area but no drawers and so we were forced to live out of our suitcases while there. This was the major problem, not insurmountable to be sure.

The continental breakfast was appreciated in the morning to get ourselves going for the day. As stated by others, the location is excellent, certainly staggering distance from most PDC bars. We did our share of staggering, too.

Unfortunately while we were there it was low season so many of the facilities were not available like the roof top bar. The pool area was cute with a great view out to the ocean.

Finally, we secured our room through an auction site so we especially felt we had a GREAT value, under $90 per night. I easily felt the rooms were worth at least $150/night given other places I have stayed in PDC (Luna Blue, Playa Maya, the old Contiental Plaza plus others). Overall, strongly recommended.

I had stayed at the Boutique Hotel in May 2008. The Hotel was beautiful and in a great location! You are right in between the beach and 5th Ave where all the restaurants, bars and shopping is at. The beaches were just gorgoues and clean. The hotel staff were super friendly and very accomodating. The hotel rooms were very clean and I loved the big tile showers in the bathroom. Breakfast was also very yummy. The staff helped us out with any question we had about the playa del carmen area and also suggested a few places to see while we were there . . .If you are looking for a great inexpensive hotel in Playa del Carmen than look no further than the Illusion Boutique Hotel on Calle 8. I can not wait to come back.

Please contact me if you have any questions about Illusion Boutique Hotel.

This is the BEST hotel in Playa del Carmen!!! It is perfectly located - half a block from the beach and half a block to 5th Avenue, where all the shopping/dining is located. It is literally right in the middle of everything. You couldn't ask for a better place!!! All the staff members are the nicest people you can possibly find - they are genuinely nice!! Miguel was our favorite staff member - he is the sweetest guy! Miguel can give you any information about anything you would like to know and will always recommend the best places!!! Miguel was always willing to help and went above and beyond to make our trip pleasurable. The rooms were very clean and contained everything you could need. The pool on the roof is also really nice. Although it is shallow, it is perfect for wading and you have a nice view of the ocean as well. Continental breakfast is included in your stay and it was great and ready each morning for a vast amount of time depending on what time you would like to get up. The place was exactly what I was looking for on my honeymoon. For dining you definitely have to check out Mr. Kiwi's which is located on 10th Avenue (8th is cross street) which has the best tortas you are going to find in town. IIt is a whole in the wall but excellent. No kidding. Also, there is an excellent juice bar/restaurant on 5th Ave called cafe tropical. The food is great and the juices are even better. Also, make sure you take advantage of the cheap massages (about $35 for an hour). We loved Playa!! we will defenitely be back and stay at the Illusion!

Just returned from an absolutley wonderful stay at the Illusion. (5/2-5/6/08)
Both of us have been to Playa Del Carmen a few times in the past but have stayed at the larger, crowded "all-inclusive" resorts. We booked the Illusion on the internet. We originally had a Deluxe Balcony room (a very nice room ) but as soon as we saw the Luxury rooms on the roof-top we asked to be upgraded. Javier, our favorite staff member, got right on it. Before we knew it, we were unpacking our bags and sitting by the pool drinking Margaritas. Our room was just lovely. A king canopy bed with shear drapes, mini bar, fridge, and microwave. Each morning, we awoke to a lovely ocean view. It should be noted that the hotel did not want to move us to this room at first because the air-conditioning was not working properly and they didn't want to inconvenience us. We told them air-conditioning wasn't important and that the view and location were spectacular. Although we didn't care about the air-conditioning, Javier made certain the air-conditioner was fixed by 2pm that day! That pretty much sums up the treament we received. No request ever was ignored. By the way, we never found the music or construction to be an issue, as was commented in previous reviews.
The location of this hotel is unbeatable. A few steps to the right is the ocean. A few steps to the left, 5th Ave. A Dive shop, mini market and money exchange are adjacent to the Hotel.
I love the fact that this is not an all-inclusive, as we wanted try a variety of restaurants and not eat the same 5 ingredients re-arranged at breakfast, lunch and dinner in 5 different "themed" dinning rooms, as most all-inclusive's offer.
Our favorite, by far, was "Babes" about 2 blocks away. Great thai food and drinks. VERY reasonable. Sit on the street and watch the crowds stroll by.
Here is the best Tip of All!!! When you arrive at the Cancun Airport, walk past all of the cabs and private shuttles. They want to charge$60-80.00 each way to Playa Del Carmen. Continue to walk down the side walk to the "ADO" buses at the very end. You can not miss them. They leave regulary (don't believe the Cab drivers that tell you the bus just left and it will be hours before the next one). These are luxury, air-conditioned buses that go directly to Playa. The cost is $ 8.00 dollars per person and the trip takes about 45-50 min.
There are also ADO buses that go to Akumal, Tulum and other destinations. The bus station in Playa is right on 5th ave so it is an easy 4 block walk to the Hotel. I could go on and on about the Illusion Hotel but I'm running out of space. Take my advice and just go there for your self. One small neg is that it's more of a quiet romantic boutique hotel and would be boring for small children. Older kids would love being able to walk down 5th and the beach.