We stayed at Suites Fenicia from Nov 6-15. We loved it and would return in a heartbeat. The owners, Laura and Tony, are excellent hosts, exceedingly helpful, and will do whatever they can to make your stay enjoyable. They are very generous and genuinely interested in their guests.
Though the hotel is about 15-30 minutes walk from the centre of the action in Playa del Carmen, there are lots of small, interesting restaurants in the area that offer good, authentic, Mexican fare without the crowds. Access to the beach is 10 minutes where you will find mostly local families enjoying the sand. The neighborhood is safe and easy to navigate with large grocery stores only a few minutes away. Though the suites are just off a main thoroughfare, the road noise was never an issue. Exploring the area was fun.
The rooms were simple, clean, quiet, with well appointed kitchenettes. Air conditioning too. It is not luxury living, but it is definitely pretty nice.
Laura and Tony have bikes, snorkels, beach towels, chairs, etc, for your use. You may not be cooking dinner in the rooms but breakfast and lunch are easy. The continental breakfasts include fruit, juices, coffee/tea,cookies, toast, etc. Everything is in your refrigerator ready for use, including lots of bottled water. We wanted for nothing.