Review: Hidden Beach Resort in Playa del Carmen, Mexico

It was surreal how fast those two months in Mexico had passed by, just like yesterday we had arrived at the house of Hector Martinez in the middle of the night and now we were only a couple of days away from our flight towards our next destination, Canada. But there was one place we still had to explore: Hidden Beach Resort at the Riviera Maya in Mexico. Located near Playa del Carmen and Cancun, this is the only resort in the region that provides top-notch all-inclusive adults-only vacation specifically for genuine nudists.
This place was supposed to be a combination of what we had been experiencing before, a nudist resort but soaked in a kind of luxury that could only be found in this particular part of Mexico.

 

While driving up and down parts of the Riviera, we had gotten a slight idea of what would be waiting for us, big names appeared on the side of the road like Barceló and Hard Rock Hotel but never could we see more than just the enormous main gates. This time our names would be on the guest list as well and we would be able to get a peak about what was really out there. We probably don’t have to tell you that we were pretty excited.

How to get to Hidden Beach Resort

Hidden Beach Resort is part of the Karisma Hotel group and the front gate we drove through would lead to three hotels of the group next to each other. On one side was the El Dorado, on the other side the Sensimar and right in between of them was our resort, the smallest one of the three and the only one where bringing clothes would not be a necessity.
Getting to the Riviera Maya is easy, the main airport in Cancun has direct flights to more or less all major airports in the Americas and Europe and even if you’re coming from inside of Mexico, Cancun is still the place where you want to land.

 

The resorts are located at about 20 kilometers south of Playa del Carmen town and as everywhere at the Riviera Maya, you basically have two options to get there from the airport: renting a car or taking a taxi. If you’re staying for a longer time and you want to explore some parts of the area, renting a car is certainly your better option. There are plenty of car rental companies at the airport. If you’re planning to take a taxi, make sure to arrange it via the resort while you’re booking, they will make sure that you get a fair price as the taxi drivers in Cancun are infamous for ripping off tourists big time.
Another more economical option could be to take the airport bus to Playa del Carmen and take a taxi from there. The taxi drivers in town might not always know Hidden Beach, so it’s often better to ask for El Dorado or Sensimar.

Where to stay at Hidden Beach Resort

Because of its inventive architecture, all rooms at Hidden Beach have an ocean view. So that’s one thing you don’t have to consider while picking your perfect spot. You will see the Caribbean sea when you wake up. Based on the other facilities, there are four different kinds of rooms for you to pick from. The Jacuzzi Junior Suite and the Dome Suite are both on the first level and give you an excellent view over the whole resort but we had the chance to stay in the Swim Up Jacuzzi Junior Suite which is on the ground level and has one not to miss feature… You guessed it… It’s swim-up.

 

All these suites are connected via small swimming pools which lead to the main pool. Not only can you relax in the water right in front of your terrace but you don’t even have to get out of it to get a refill at the swim-up bar or when the daily water volleyball game starts. How about that? Your own little private pool is only a couple of steps away from your own indoor jacuzzi where you can have even more water fun.
Top of the bill, however, is the beachfront villas that are directly on the beach and also come with a private pool and an outdoor shower called “Aguas del Amor” (waters of love). Your own butler will make sure that you don’t even need to leave your villa if you don’t feel like doing so.

 

What to do at Hidden Beach Resort

The top facilities at Hidden Beach are of course its beach and the swimming pool, which are both clothing optional. Although Hidden Beach is in the middle of two textile resorts, its beach has been fenced off from the others so it’s perfectly possible to lounge naked in one of the beach beds and to have a skinny dip in the Caribbean sea. Most visitors, however, prefer to spend their days in and around the pool where also most of the activities are happening during the day. A big swim-up bar in the center makes sure that you’ll never get too thirsty while you engage in one of the water volleyball games, quizzes or aqua fit or Zumba classes. Other activities include yoga, pilates, Spanish lessons, or foam parties. On Saturdays, there’s even a blackjack tournament.

 

The Hidden Beach restaurant serves breakfast (buffet or a la carte), lunch, and dinner, and other than that a pool grill bar is also available during the day with a gourmet buffet. And here’s some more good news for those who like to have their taste buds pampered: As a guest of Hidden Beach, your all-inclusive formula also includes any restaurant or bar at the El Dorado and Sensimar resorts next door. A choice of about ten restaurants and bars are waiting for you to explore, but beware: you’ll have to put on some clothes if you want to visit any of those, while nudity is completely accepted at the Hidden Beach restaurant.
Important: Guests of the other two resorts need to buy a day pass to be able to use the Hidden Beach facilities.

 

For evening entertainment you will have to move your naked behind towards the Moonlight bar, where daily theme nights are taking place. Every day you’ll be impressed by dancers and singers and on Fridays, they will even hand over the microphone to you for the karaoke session. The evenings typically end with a local band or DJ before you return to your room for some well-deserved rest. Tomorrow you’ll have another hard day of relaxing, swimming, dancing, and meeting new friends.

Around Hidden Beach Resort

The nearest city to Hidden Beach is Playa del Carmen, one of the most famous tourist and party towns at the Riviera. Here you’ll find souvenirs for those who didn’t have the chance to join your nakation and the plentiful bars and restaurants can certainly keep you busy for the day. One annoyance at “Playa” (as the locals call it) is the many touts. Every two steps you take there will be someone trying to sell you tours, fake Cuban cigars, cheap Tequila for a ridiculous price, and all kinds of other stuff you don’t really need.
Playa is also the gateway to the wonderful Cozumel island, a ferry ride of about half an hour will take you to this Caribbean paradise which is famous for its excellent snorkeling and diving.

 

About half an hour south of Hidden Beach you can find the town Tulum, a bohemian village that used to be a very popular backpacker hangout but is meanwhile transforming to yet another tourist city. The atmosphere is still much more relaxed than at Playa and there are some excellent beaches to spend an afternoon. From Tulum, you’re also just a short ride away from the Biosphere which has great views and fauna and flora.

 

North of Playa are Puerto Moreles, a fishing village that somehow managed to escape mass tourism and which we liked quite a lot, and more north is the hyper tourist city Cancun which we disliked quite a lot. We think that the only reason why you should visit Cancun is to take a ferry to Isla Mujeres, another Caribbean pearl away from the Mexican coast.
All previously mentioned places can be visited via custom made tours arranged by the Hidden Beach travel agency.
 

 

Staff at Hidden Beach Resort

As soon as we walked into the reception of Hidden Beach we were greeted by a beautiful smile called Linda who gave us an extensive explanation about all the facilities and possibilities that Hidden Beach has to offer. A slight hangover from the day before made us refuse the glass of champagne but we were very happy to accept the cold wet towel to refresh our sweaty faces.

 

 
Something that we had never seen before but we believe is well worth a mention is that you get a choice of pillows which you can try out to make your nightly rest the most comfortable ever.
Other staff names we have unfortunately forgotten but not the quality of their service. From the bartenders to the waiters at the restaurant to the animation team, they all did a perfect job to make sure that all our needs were served.

 

Guests of Hidden Beach Resort

Although the all-inclusive adults-only resorts in the Caribbean often get the name to attract more “lifestyle” guests, we are happy to say that at Hidden Beach we encountered only genuine nudists. The majority were clearly Americans who had found the perfect place to escape from family, children, and the daily rat race. At Hidden Beach, it’s not difficult to forget your sorrows and get absorbed in a piece of paradise which you can call home for a couple of days, a week, or who knows how long your planning to stay.

 

 

Summary

If the words “top class”, “adults only”, “all-inclusive” and “perfect Caribbean weather” describe your perfect naked holiday, search no longer! Hidden beach will provide everything you have been looking for and days of lounging naked in and around the pool are waiting for you!

 





 

Read more about this resort on  NUDE
More info and reservations: https://www.hiddenbeachresort.com

 

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Disclaimer: We have been invited as guests of Hidden Beach Resort, but of course all opinions are our own. We are super confident you will love this place as much as we did!

 

 
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25 thoughts on “Review: Hidden Beach Resort in Playa del Carmen, Mexico”

  1. Nick Lins can i ask something?
    I understand all this stuff, and its cool .. u are helping alots off ppl with ur advices ,pictures and stuff ,but still , .. its not like i counted ,but alots alots of these resorts are for sure not for every1s pocket.
    And words, or descriptions like “top class”, “adults only”, “all-inclusive” ,are for sure not on par with the moto , that every1 can be a nudist ,when we are naked, we are all equal and same ,nothing devides us.
    So ya i understand really but at the same time it kind of bashes that philosophy ,and of course there will always be differences ,but when u see nudies at a resort like this or the one b4 this, for sure that philosophy that when ur nude, ur same as any1 else ,cause no1 knows if ur a president or garbage collector wont really work.

    Reply
    • There’s something for everyone’s taste… It’s not because you’re a nudist that you have to like camping in the woods. Some nudists like their comfort and don’t mind paying for it.
      Interesting fact: At Hidden Beach resort we met several teachers. Which isn’t exactly the best paid job in the world. But they save their money for this kind of holiday, they prefer luxury and want to spend their holiday naked (and additionally try to get away from kids 🙂 ).
      So you still can meet people from all kinds of different backgrounds at places like these.

      Reply
      • Its not a matter of taste , every1 would like to be served like a king (many not actually) but its not a matter of taste, but rather a matter of $.
        I think we are at the different ends of what, not earning enough means.

        Tho its a sad world where a teacher ,cant earn more money then some guy that makes stupid useless games for smartphones..
        Also , sounds like bashing, but.. i dont care.. if they can save up money for this, i hope thats not all the money they saved up, spec if they have kids, but with all of that ,saving up for a place like this AND having kids,and that costs alots , that doesnt sound to me like they are doing that bad..

        Reply
  2. Thanks for the great review. I’ve been to Hidden Beach about eight times, I think. Some things I can add that you left out. Part of the delight at Hidden a Beach is that unlike most resorts on the Riviera Maya, it is small—only about forty rooms—and guests really do make friends with each other, hang out together chatting and drinking, pull tables together so they can share meals. That friendliness in nakedness is the prime reason why I go. Also, the two pool volleyball games daily are friendly and very fun. Great way to meet people, as is gathering in the hot tub. Breakfast and Lunch are usually excellent. Dinner varies in quality. Far better food than at most nudist places I’ve heard of. As many drinks as you like, and if you are lying around somewhere someone will bring them to you every hour or so. The beach has king size beds covered by big thatched roofs, so if you want to enjoy the warmth and sea breeze, you can, even if you don’t like lying in the sun and turning into leather. No question: Hidden Beach is expensive. If you can’t afford it, somehow (many of us set aside an amount each month until we can), you won’t be there. But it is definitely not “classist.” As said above, without clothes, we are equal. No one is flaunting money or privilege at Hidden Beach. I know some people who have millions, but most certainly don’t. It’s a wonderful place, and many of us go at the same time every year and find our friends waiting for us.

    Reply
    • “No question: Hidden Beach is expensive. If you can’t afford it, somehow (many of us set aside an amount each month until we can), you won’t be there. ”
      “As said above, without clothes, we are equal. No one is flaunting money or privilege at Hidden Beach”

      Im sorry bro, but these words are so against each other ,that it hurts my eyes ..
      Just the fact that u are there or can be there already showes that u have the privalage to afford it, hence that wont make nudists equal.
      I dont care/mind if one can afford it or not ,but that fact it self means ,those ppl arent equal ,and its kind of .. sharing false informations or abusing that word when one says it.

      Reply
      • You misunderstood, with equality we mean among the people in the same space. Not with everyone around the world. Of course some can afford a place like HB and others can’t. Sadly that’s how the world goes…

        Reply
        • I dont think i misunderstood it, cause nudies say when we are nude, we are all the same. Ive never seen it anywhere mentioned as in the same space,pool camp sea house .. and its said that it doesmt make a difference if ur poor or a millionare ,well in this case it does, cause at a resrot like this, u wont see a poor nudie , so of course you gonna be the same there ,hence ,there will be no poor nudies. Its like a VIP stand at a stadium will only have VIP guests and they are equal in that same space.
          As i said ,i agree with ur last words, sadly thats how the world is, but then its cheesy to say that all are equal.
          Just cause we both have cars, that dont make us equal, i have a 20yo ,and u have a 2 week old .that kinda thing.

          Reply
          • That’s what we meant that you misunderstood 🙂
            With “we are all the same” is basically meant that we treat each other the same. It doesn’t matter whether you’re the mail man, the accountant or the queen of England. We will treat you alike.
            At this resort, believe it or not, you will also find lots of different incomes. Especially because of its proximity to the USA where people often don’t have more than 2 weeks of vacation a year, many opt for a week of pure luxury to spend that holiday.

            Does that make them different than a poor nudist somewhere on the other side of the world (or the country)? We don’t think that there’s a need for comparison. At Hidden Beach, we were all the same. A month earlier at a nudist party with a bunch of students we were also all the same.

          • I dunno really about how holidays work in USA , 2 weeks only for 1 year sounds like slavery to me tbh.
            Even so, tastes are different ,but me personally for the heck of it ,i would not spend my 2 weeks only hoilday in a luxury place just cause of this reason..
            Ah ok , so we are the same quote is refered as we treat each other the same, .. well .. i can agree with that then i guess ,tho it has nothing to do with the official quote it just that as i mentioned b4 those word games are the ones i dont like, cause they are misleading.
            We talked about the nudism and sex here, and how nudies always say NO! its nothing to do with sex or sexual,runing away from it like a plegue,eventho we know there are such places, heck .. theres Cape d Agde, an entire nude town/beach , where u have like a vanila nudist beach meters next to a swinger nudist beach, ive heard even in Ada Bojana theres something similar, only 100000x smaller.
            Anyhow now im off subject lol but ya..

      • Iceman, I am making a guess right now, but I assume you have never been to Hidden Beach. Therefore your criticisms seem undiscerning. I am a retired teacher. My wife and I went there for our honeymoon after putting dollars in savings monthly. It was money well saved and well spent.

        Hidden Beach is fabulous. Their staff, waiters and chefs are excellent and very accomodating. I had the misfortune of coming down with a massive case of stomach flu caught either on the plane or a day or two before. The dining room provided a special diet specifically for my needs each day.

        The grounds are gorgeous and beautifully maintained, beaches raked every morning, shrubs and bushes and lawns manicured. The staff from the gardeners to the waiters always had a smile and hello. When I was able to eat, the plate prep was beautiful and the food very tasty.

        We are saving up for a visit next year. We like to use Castaways Travels for Hidden Beach asthey have special Hidden Beach packages.

        Reply
  3. Great review! We were there two weeks ago and really enjoyed the facility. The staff was awesome! We’ve been going to the Couples resorts in Jamaica for years but wanted something a bit closer and HB is perfect. Far better than Couples. A fairly diverse group, but all friendly. You had the younger folks getting away from kids for a few days, the retired and then the rest of us who are almost there. Wish we were more into the nightly entertainment but we aren’t though that didn’t matter, very quiet for us to relax in the evening while those who wanted to dance the night away could!

    Reply
  4. Our favorite home away from home. The staff has become our extended family. I’ve lost count but I think we’ve been to HBR 28 times. And yes, it’s expensive. We save our dollars too, to get to this gem! A total relaxation holiday every time we are there and THAT money can’t buy. Priceless!

    Reply
  5. Probably the wrong place to start a tussle with Iceman, but I think we give a little too much attention to the lack of clothing as the ultimate equalizer! I wrote a blog post a while back that essentially reflects that notion from the perspective that everything IS equal when you get naked UNTIL you try to start a conversation. You can talk about being naked for about three minutes until everything else starts to emerge: religious and political affiliations, sexual persuasion, social status and all the rest! In fact, I would say that has become even LESS of a game-leveler since Apple and Microsoft execs can wear ratty jeans and t-shirts to work, and you’ll likely meet a sales person from the mall in a jacket and tie. (And are we ignoring the parking lot of the naturist venue as well when you walk by a row of Audi’s near the front door? Or the fact that some very wealthy people don’t know how to shop for a swimsuit?)

    I realize this is off the topic of the review of Hidden Beach, except to say that we’ve been there three times and have found the crowd to be quite different each time – luck of the draw. A couple times we’ve met people who we resonated with very much, and other times we’ve felt COMPLETELY out of our element. (Last time, the 50-year-old woman dancing on the bar looked like a laugh a minute, but the chance of striking up a thoughtful conversation with her did NOT seem imminent.) Likewise, we’ve visited places abroad where we’ve met incredibly thoughtful and intelligent people who were simply working a day at a time trying to make ends meet, lacking what most might call “social status,” but we connected immediately and had a lovely time with each other.

    As a footnote, when we were first married, we were as poor as dirt and couldn’t scrape together enough money to pay the annual membership at our local naturist club. Thirty years later, we have the flexibility to visit a place like Hidden Beach, but the criteria for what we seek out in terms of social interaction is essentially unchanged.

    My point? I think we might be setting up a false expectation when we tell people that if you take your clothes off, a doctor, a lawyer, the Queen of England, and a backhoe operator will immediately have everything in common!

    It just isn’t so.

    Reply
    • One of the flaws of the decades of promotion of naturism by the federations is that they have taken things a bit in the extreme. The best example is probably that many non-naturists now think that naturists are asexual but this is certainly another good example. Of course people are different. It would be pretty boring if everyone was the same. But we do believe that the lack of clothes makes us treat others more equally.
      Consider it the same as school uniforms, which were also invented to eliminate the social difference between the kids and which work well until the kids start talking…

      Reply
      • Huh… Interesting metaphor in the school uniform example, but does it actually work? Especially in a private school where there was a bar to cross simply to get in. But even without that, how long does it take people to figure out who another person is through the vehicle of normal conversation.

        Despite my democratic, socialist tendencies, I have something of a disdain for bringing everything down to neutral so everyone is equal and nobody feels outside of the norm. We are ALL outside of the norm. There IS no norm. I simply wonder if we’re getting off message when we try to make naturism a vehicle for thing it simply is not. (IMHO)

        Reply
        • We believe that to a certain point it does work. Imagine the kid in the sloppy clothes on the playground… The other kids might hesitate to play with him. When everyone has a uniform, they will eventually still figure out he’s poor but not until they first got to meet him and already like him for who he is.

          Reply
      • Nick Lins, i udnerstand the school uniformes,and i understand their point, but isnt that fake?
        That is my point, the fakeness, the intention is good, but its fake,and thats my whole point,actually my whole points are, that eventho i udnerstand how nudists wanna be accepted as a perfectly normal thing, same as swingers, i ,what a timing but i read yesterday an article on VICE about 2 couples that went to a swinger resort/club whatever, and how the writer said that almost every1 had kids back home , and how to those they have talked with about it said that their kids know where they are and what they are doing, so i udnertsand how ppl wanna normalize sertan things, i can agree with it or not, hate it or love it, that wont change a thing thats for sure.. but i dont like it when ppl are using or should i say abusing sertan words ,to justify something they wanna present, or talk good about ,or wanna normalize it.
        And ya i 100% agree, there is no such thing as normal, normal is only what we are used to and learned to live with, thats normal, normal isnt a measurment for good or bad.

        ps “Despite my democratic, socialist tendencies, I have something of a disdain for bringing everything down to neutral ”
        I understand this ,considering ur an American aka a capitalist country, but at same time then you have to understand that it isnt socializm then, you cant really have socializm in a capitalist society.

        Reply
    • Well said, Dan Carlson.
      Iceman seems to have a radical and anarchic political idea of nudism as the great social leveler, leaving all people equal. Perhaps that’s a common position, but I’ve never heard it before. Relatively speaking, nudism is to some extent a social equalizer, but as you point out, there are a lot of other aspects to choosing who we want to be friends with. I used to Sunny Rest Naturist Resort in Pennsylvania, an hour from my home. It is far less luxurious than Hidden Beach and far less expensive, but it was still $60 for a day pass and ten times that for the summer. That too cuts out people who can’t afford it. People enjoyed themselves, but I didn’t find it easy to make acquaintances. Hidden Beach isn’t really a naturist resort or nudist resort the way they often are in the U.S. It’s a small, expensive luxury resort in a foreign country that happens to be clothing optional and draws people who want that. There are a few hardcore naturists who go there and also are members of naturist resorts elsewhere, but I think most of us aren’t. There are no kids at all and not many people under forty, though they are welcome if they want to come and be friends. We love being naked, and we tend not to be judgmental. We enjoy looking at other naked people, and we enjoy being seen, but we aren’t on the make, though we may flirt a little at times. We talk a lot about how much we enjoy being naked, but we seldom talk about American naturist camps we go to. We avoid talking about politics and religion. We don’t talk too much about sports or music. Some of us like to talk about books or movies or food. We spend a lot more time learning about each other’s lives. Lots of people have lives very different from what we are used to. People come from a number of countries. Most of us enjoy making new friends. Whether or not that meets Iceman’s definition of equality, I don’t care. I don’t go there to be equal. I go there for fun, naked luxury.

      Reply
      • Wrong right from the start ..
        “Iceman seems to have a radical and anarchic political idea of nudism as the great social leveler”
        God u are so wrong?!!!
        This is exactly the opposite of what im saying and exactly what 99% of nudist say ,anywhere i`ve seen a post ,article news or whatever about nudism!!
        Is my english that bad that u cant figure that out??
        I dont have a definition of equality Ed ,cause there aint no such thing as equality.

        Reply
  6. It’s important to update the facility description because the recent series of hurricanes have washed the beach away. What remains is a very rough rocky seabed that is pretty hazardous..

    Reply
    • Thanks for the update Pete. We only share our own experiences on this blog, so some of our reviews may be outdated. It’s important to always check the date of the review

      Reply

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