We stayed at Reef 28 on December 15th for my birthday trip, and once again, it was an incredible experience. We've been visiting for several years in a row, and every single time, the service is exceptional. The staff is consistently polite, attentive, and genuinely committed to making guests feel welcomed and cared for. One thing we always notice -- and appreciate -- is how clean the entire resort is. There is always someone tidying, sweeping, or refreshing the space. It makes such a difference and really shows how much pride they take in maintaining the property. The rooms are HUGE and clean also. And the food... absolutely delicious every time. Whether it's breakfast, lunch, or dinner, everything is flavorful, fresh, and beautifully prepared. We always look forward to the meals here. I also want to take a moment to personally thank a few team members who made our stay extra special: Leandro (he always remembered my name! ) Armando Alejandro Isaid Francisco Abel Anel (good luck on your 1/2 marathon ) Daniel Luis Lenny Lezlie & Oriel (thank you for the front desk hospitality. Our last few hours were amazing thanks to you ) Thank you all for your kindness, professionalism, and outstanding service. You helped make my birthday trip unforgettable, and we can't wait to return again next year! read more

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This was the first time my boyfriend and I stayed at this hotel. The pre-registration process was seamless, though it did require more information than we're accustomed to providing at other resorts. Check-in was relatively easy, and the employee who assisted us was genuinely kind, especially considering we requested a room change due to the noise level outside of our initial room. The restaurants were unexceptional overall; however, we did enjoy the rooftop restaurant. One suggestion would be to add a buffet-style option to complement the existing dining choices. Also, this is not a beach front property. In-room USB charging ports would be a welcome addition, particularly for international visitors who use 220-volt plugs. The highlight of our stay was definitely the rooftop bar and pool area. With the DJ, drinks, and food, it created a very pleasant and enjoyable atmosphere. Exceptional employees, Stephanie, Roberto, and Freddy made dining and lounging by the pool an absolute delight. All in all, the hotel was cozy, accommodating, and friendly. read more

Reviewed 4 days ago We booked the reef28 for my 40th birthday celebration. Overall, everything has been as advertised. Our package included one way transporting from the airport. We were sent instructions via email which were simple to follow. Upon checkin, we were provided a welcome cocktail and given a quick tour. We were able to use rooftop while we waited for the rooms. Very budget friendly and payment plan option at check-out. Please book via their website to avoid any issues. We had a hydrotherapy session included in booking which was great. We also meet a few people traveling solo and they would occasionally hang out with us. Room: Spacious and clean. I had an oceanview room. I LOVED the space. Rooftop: my absolute favorite location. There's a dj daily. We had an amazing time at the foam party held Saturday's 3p-5p. The food is good and so are the drinks. You'll have to move fast to get a lounger by pool as they fill fast. There are high top tables as well as our seating throughout rooftop. I don't think they could host a fee more events during the week to maximize the space and view. Maybe an all white party during the week? Or a a cute neon night party? Notable staff: everyone was amazing but we had a few favorites. Rooftop staff: Freddy and Francisco were great on the rooftop. Both are very attentive and give great service. Venti8ocho: Donaciano was out favorite daily for breakfast. He made sure we had everything needed and checked on us throughout dining. Location: very close to lots of restaurants, shopping and the beach. read more

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This is the new adult only resort in the reef family of resorts. It is just off of the main strip for shopping, nightlife, restaurants, and the beach. It is truly in the best location. The staff is awesome. Israel is the best front desk person, he will get you situated with any and everything you need. David at the front entrance bar will ensure that your liquid taste buds are fully satisfied. Antonio at the concierge desk and Brittany will make sure that you are having the best trip with recommendations for excursions restaurants places to go things to do and not to do. I had a king suite with a balcony Ocean view, which was phenomenal. The accommodations are great and they are environmentally, friendly as well. Your room comes stocked with drinks, a carafe for water (which you can fill down the hall outside your room) ceiling fan, and even a scale to make sure you maintain your pre-vacation figure :)! The food absolutely awesome. However, I would suggest if you get drinks mixed drinks, just get whatever you would like spirit wise and then an accompanying beverage, like pineapple juice or a Coke, because the mixed drinks have after taste, like it's made with crystal light. Also, you can eat breakfast in the restaurant and don't always have to go to the buffet so there are a lot of options. Great people great location. I would definitely go back and don't forget they have an entertainment as well rooftop!!! read more

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I was so unhappy with my service at the reef 28. We were introduced to Alejandro. He promised to give us 2 sessions of the hydrotherapy and paid transportation to the airport. He started by saying he would send us to the sister hotels one being coco beach. Well that was not the case. I knew it would be too good to be true. The next day after our stay, we when to the coco beach hotel. And we were told by ALEJANDRO that we would just check out the hotel and eat breakfast and enjoy the beach there. We were NOT told we this was to buy a timeshare, pretty much this "look at the beach coco" was a business deal. The ladies who signed us up for a 2 hours presentation were extremely rude. They were both upset that we did not want to be part of the presentation. They told us to leave the hotel and get our own ride back to our hotel. We felt like trash. Once we came back to speak to Alejandro about the situation, he brushed it off and told us to eat. Now, for the food. It's was probably the worst food I HAVE EVER tasted. Hospital food is probably better. It was cold, no flavor, no presentation. Drinks, were decent. Cleanness was decent. Waiters were nice, specially Abel. Nice gentleman. Transportation, both drivers, Omar and Martin were extremely friendly and were drivers. Great customer service. Overall, I will never ever book here again and I will not recommend this hotel to anyone. It was unacceptable about the whole situation with Alejandro. read more

When our room was ready, we got our key to check it out. And the rooms here are nicer than the other hotels in the brand. The finishes were much more expensive looking. We checked the sheets and there were stains. The housekeeper changed them a few minutes later. The rooftop bar was pretty good. Miguel was a great server up there. The music was extremely loud and one of the speakers was right behind a cabana we were using one day. The best day was Friday around 1pm with the dj and saxophone player. We stayed for 4 nights. This place is adults only, but instead of screaming children, you'll trade it for drunken yelling adults. Our second night, the adjoining room was playing loud music around midnight, then they left. They returned at 2:15 am and were drunk talking (yelling) at one another and some new friends they met. They were so loud they sounded like they were in the same room as us. We called the front desk and they sent security twice to knock. The neighbors didn't hear any of this. Instead we called. I asked my husband to call because he's nicer than I am. He called and told them what was going on. They yelled shut up, then apologized to us. They were significantly quieter after that. We agreed to the timeshare talk since they promised it would be 90 minutes and it would give us a day to explore the other resorts. The talk was at coco beach. The beach there is small. The unit they showed us was in a building where the ground floor had flooded. The unit was old fashioned and the finishes weren't of a very high quality. We got some "gifts" for our time even though we didn't buy. Afterwards we went to Playacar. That beach is larger and there was a wedding happening that day. The warm sea water was nice compared to the HOT pool with swim up bar water. I asked myself, "Why is this water so hot?" Despite my disgust, it was fun to people watch as middle aged men in the pool yelled at all the wedding attendees, groom, and finally the bride. Back to Reef 28: I liked the appetizers at Asiatico. There was a mix of different cuisines. There was a lack of sauce for many of the dishes--most noticeable was the Thai fried fish and beef satay. The pasta at the Italian restaurant was undercooked--about 2 minutes before al dente. Cachito's food is the best option in this hotel. There's a little spin to each dish that surprised us in a good way. If you each need, the beef tacos have bits of bone marrow. If you're a pescatarian, the sea bass "al pastor" is very tasty with crispy skin. We also enjoyed the guacamole with crickets. The guac at the pool is terribly runny. read more

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Just doesn't rate acceptable for me to return to this hotel. All inclusive... it is NOT all-inclusive at The Reef 28. There's an extra charge for visiting sister hotels, even if you are so called "all inclusive". I have stayed at The Reef Coco Beach, The Reef Playacar & now The Reef 28, and very disappointed. read more

I LOVE REEF 28. I've stayed here before and had an amazing time. This time I stayed at Coco beach with my kids. Coco beach in my opinion wasn't as nice has Reef 28 but that's not why I'm writing this review. My bestie and signed up for the Hydrotherapy (HIGHLY RECOMMEND) at Reef 28 and I mistakenly forgot the certificate that said we got the service for free as an extra perk for the timeshare meeting. The front desk lady at the spa said we could not get in without the certificate . I DID not want to walk back to Coco beach in the VERY HOT SUN, and the shuttle had already left. The customer service representative at Reef 28 named IVANNA (I hope I spelled that correctly) was AMAZING. She called the Coco beach resort, got it all handled for me in less than 5 minutes and we were able to get the service. I am so grateful that she got it taken care of. The customer service at all 3 Reef resorts are top tier but she deserves a review because I was very stressed out and she told me not to worry. THANK YOU!!!! read more

This all-inclusive adults ONLY hotel is smack dab in the middle of the tourist destination and all things shopping known at "5th Avenue". The hotel offers day passes for the public, so the pool area can pretty chaotic during the day. I like the mix of hotel guests, locals and other people from all over. There is something for everyone here *thumbs up* The Reef 28 is the higher end of the 3 sister properties. They do offer complementary transportation to the other 2 properties (or a ~15min walk). Those 2 properties have a wider variety of restaurants that stay open much later than this place and they are family friendly. I wouldn't use those pools, but it's great for the variety of restaurants and late night eats. You can't get food here at the Reef 28 after 10:30pm and that's a limited bar food menu on the rooftop. Last call for drinks is 11pm at this place. Coco Beach (a sister property) has a bar/restaurant that serves until 2am, but think that you are on your own for transportation after 10pm (depends). Rooms here with the BEST Views and a spacious balcony are 3401-3414 (4th floor). Specifically that side of the hotel since it faces the street, but you're high enough up that street noise isn't an issue. Rooftop music stops at 11pm nowadays. Convenient to walk up 1 set of stairs to get to the rooftop pool/bar. Anything on this side of the hotel will have a usable balcony and great for people watching at all times of the day/night. When we checked-in they only had king rooms available on the other side of the hotel (ocean view my azz). Terrible view even on the 4th floor. The "balcony" can't even fit a single plastic chair and your view is of a graveyard of rusty a/c units and other buildings rooftops as far as the eye can see. If you're only here to sleep, then these rooms are on the quieter side of the hotel. 4th floor rooms with crappy views and un-usable balcony are 3419- 3426. Same room numbers for lower floor with views of a cinder block wall from the next door hotel or maybe a fake grass wall nailed to the cinder block wall are 3319-3326, 3219-3226. IF you don't care about your view and don't care about having a balcony then any of these rooms will be just fine. ALL of the rooms are nice inside and identical. Depends what your priorities. The Asian restaurant has changed quite a bit since our last visit. Every dish is a work of art, but the flavors have dumbed down for the general population. We tried a wide range of appetizers and mains and everything was pretty bland. On the plus side, the vegetables are all cooked to perfection (crisp and vibrant), no soggy vegetables here *YAY* I asked IF they had anything spicy and they said "no, but we can get you some siracha". This restaurant had a plenty of senior citizens dining and I think that says it all. The onsite Mexican fusion restaurant "Cachito" is yum! They incorporate local favorites and give them a modern twist. A lot more flavor goes into these dishes and not at all spicy unless you make a special request. I could eat the Napal Salad everyday (think cactus with fresh salsa), very well balanced with just the right amount of lime juice. Outdoor seating is great for people watching since it's located on the corner of the main street that has beach access. Breakfast is buffett only. They no longer have a menu to order from. The Buffett is fine, just come early for fresh offerings. They always have a guy who makes custom omelets made to order *tip the guy* The juices are no longer fresh squeezed except for the green juice. All the other juices taste like they are made from jugs or mixed from frozen concentrated cans. The coffee, latte and cappuccino are still solid options *thumbs up* This hotel has THE BEST location right off of 5th avenue. It's walking distance to everything you can think of and a 15-min walk to Walmart or The Mega (essentially Mexico Walmart, but they have more pharmaceuticals and appliances). Walmart ATM's seem to have the best exchange rate and lowest service fees, you can also get cash back at checkout in local currency *no charge* read more

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This is a great hotel in Playa Del Carmen. The room was cleaned and spacious, and the staff was really friendly. It's in a great location, so you can easily explore the city via walking and taxi. We did do the all-inclusive option, but we rarely ate at the restaurants. I didn't really like the food, but it was nice to be able to get included drinks and snacks at the hotel. The rooftop and spa are great, and we loved going to both after spending our days exploring. Mamitas beach club is right down the street, so it was convenient to be so close to it. If you're looking for a hotel that's not like the typical large resorts in the area, and you don't want to stay at an Airbnb, Reef 28 is a great option. read more

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Zero or negative stars if I could. The place is a complete tourist trap. They will up-sell you on everything. Every package you get, you think it might be a decent deal but then the workers persist on add-ons. Also the hotel smells really bad and they cover it up with a cheap synthetic rose essence. Honestly, it's not luxury at all. Oh! And the minute you get there they will trap you into losing half a day vacation to get you to buy time shares. Honestly, most of playa is an expensive tourist trap. Not my vibe at all. read more

GREAT!!! Awesome friendly staff. Boutique style hotel, get the master suite and spoil yourself for once! It's totally worth it! We enjoyed the restaurants but the breakfast buffet was not very good at all in my opinion. The rooms were very nice and comfortable. If you have a rental car pull up and have them valet it. There's a roof top with bar, DJ, pool, ping pong table, and 2 jet tubs that are warm not hot and would've been better had it been hot because it was windy and cold at night. read more

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Luis the CHEF is amazing! It was our 10th anniversary and he went all out! His special salad, octopus and rack of lamb!! The people that complain are a bunch of Karen's or have never traveled outside their own neighborhood. The hotel is beautiful and the people make it even better. Florencia, gio, ede and Diana are just a few of the super stars read more

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We fled to The Reef 28 after a disappointing VRBO condo grossed us out. This is the first "all-inclusive" resort I've stayed in while in Mexico. My first impressions of the lobby area were that they wanted to be "hip" and attract a certain type of customer. House music played loudly in the lobby and there was an overpowering, perfumy fragrance throughout the hotel that bothered my allergies and gave me a headache The staff was very attentive, sometimes to the point of being annoying. At one point it seemed that they were trying to sell us a timeshare, and I hate having my time wasted on a sales pitch when I'm already paying for the hotel. It seemed a bit scammy. We were offered drinks immediately. A room was not ready when we arrived, so it was suggested that we head to the rooftop pool and lounge area where there was a full bar and a basic food menu. As it was all inclusive, we ordered fancy, tropical drinks the likes of which should be served with umbrellas. The drinks were gross. The alcohol was BOTTOM of the BOTTOM shelf. The mixers were full of artificial colors and flavors. The bar area had several bottles of Grey Goose and Belvedere vodka, but when I asked for either one for my next drink, I was told they didn't have any. The bottles were for show. There were three restaurants, the main one was open for lunch and dinner and served some local, Mayan specialties. The food there was good, but if I'd been staying for more than two days I would have gotten very tired of it. The other restaurants were open intermittently, the Asian restaurant was available for two nights of the week and the Italian available for two nights. Breakfast was a buffet, but had options for omelets. There were some interesting Mayan foods too. Overall, if I stayed here again I wouldn't do the all-inclusive package. And I probably would stay somewhere else. read more

We booked Reef 28 (all inclusive) for my birthday and stayed from 9/27-10/2. As soon as we walked in we were introduced to Angelo (concierge). I ABSOLUTELY LOVED HIM! He was funny, helpful, outgoing, and just an all around good guy. We were brought up to our room (junior suite) where I found my bed covered in rose petals & towels in the shape of a cake. On the table there was a delicious dessert that had "feliz cumpleaños" written in chocolate & a bottle of champagne. After unpacking we headed to the Mexican Restaurant in the hotel. The margaritas were very tasty (I used to bartend for over a decade & was very impressed with the quality ingredients). We had the beef & bone marrow tacos (My only complaint is that there wasn't enough bone marrow... But I'm kind of biased because I love bone marrow), bean cheese & chorizo dip, guac & chips with crickets (it was my first time trying crickets & they were actually tasty & tasted like super dry beef jerky to me). After eating we headed up to the Rooftop bar where we met Paco. Paco was kind, welcoming, had a beaming personality, he provided great service, was outgoing, and genuinely made me feel special every time we saw him. The vibe up there was very relaxing (even with the music). They had giant Jenga, Connect 4, a pool table, and a ping pong table, in addition to the pool & 2 big hot tubs. There were bed lounges that were comfortable & almost always available. I also enjoyed the food they had available, the Baja Tacos, chicken wings, & guac were my favorites. We had intentions of going to the beach that day (a 5 min SAFE walk) but we ended up having such a good time we stayed there until dinner. The next morning we went to the breakfast buffet & there were so many options (some of which changed each day). They had drinks like beet, carrot juice, apple juice, orange juice, and green juice. In addition to anything you wanted at the bar. The food was comprised of things like an omelet bar, a bread bar that had regular types of bread and bread covered in things like Nutella bananas & strawberries, Bread topped with lettuce, mushrooms, & tomatoes, avocado toast, and more. The other food consisted of different things like plantains, bacon, chorizo, pancakes, French toast, waffles, fruit, sausage, grilled tomatoes, and more. They also had a really cute yogurt area or you could pick from three different types of yogurt dishes. My favorite was the vanilla yogurt with chia seeds and a lemony syrup. The presentation on everything was beautiful. The next day we ate at the Asian style restaurant in the resort. This was my least favorite, the food was good but not great. However, the service was always impeccable. After dinner, we walked down to the beach in the dark, played in the water, & didn't feel unsafe. The food, drinks, and hospitality made me not want to leave the resort but I made it a point to walk down 5th avenue (one block from the hotel). This was definitely a bustling tourist area. We had a great time bouncing from shop to shop. However, you will have street vendors semi-aggressively approaching you trying to get you to buy things. I didn't have any negative feelings about this because I understood that that is their hustle and tourists are a big part of their income. All in all, I 100% plan on returning. Recommend the reef 28 to everybody. Get the all-inclusive package, it's absolutely worth it! The other staff members that stood out to me were Carlos and Miguel. They both provided great customer service with a great attitude. read more

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I wish I could really maybe give this 4.5 stars. Why not 5? I'll get to that in a few. This is a Covid-19 review. All staff had masks on the entire time. There was hand sanitizer at the entrance of all main doors, before going into any restaurants my temperature was checked and they made sure I used hand sanitizer before entering. At no point did I ever not feel safe. Starting off. I found this hotel online, I wanted to stay in a boutique hotel that wasn't too big. The beach is everywhere so staying on the beach wasn't a bit deal for me. This hotel is small and personable. The staff was very friendly the entire time. Never any issues. I did all inclusive, which isn't always the best thing at hotels. This place was cool, with one exception. The room service was non existent due to Covid which I get. But being able to order my meals and they came out to order was a plus. I never had any bad food here. The only thing that I didn't like and I'm pretty much 100% sure of. The liquor is watered down or not what they say it really is in the bottle (switcheroo). If you plan on drinking and eating and that's what you want to pay for be careful. Don Julio is not what they say. None of the drinks were. I ended up getting a bottle by day 2. If you drink beers, you're fine. The drinks. Ain't it. Other than that, everything was decent here. My stay was pretty good. They have all inclusive and just lodging options. Get what works for you. The rooftop pool was dope, the vibe reminded me of miami. There was a DJ nightly and one night a band. It's not a lot of beds, so people pretty much hawked the beds. But that's normal. Didn't get to check out the spa, but I heard it was nice. When you check in there is someone who tries to get you to do excursions or visit the spa. Personally, I didn't want to do any excursions. I just wanted to relax. read more

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We stayed here for almost a week. The aesthetic is great! That is primarily why we decided to stay here. The rooftop is beautiful. However, we soon realized that we would have much rather stayed elsewhere. We noticed many older couples receiving tours of the resort from workers upon arrival. This was not the case for us- we are early/mid 20's. Aside from the guy who helped us bring our luggage to the room, no one shared any information with us about food options or when they opened. Additionally, we noticed they are pretty short staffed. When we first arrived, we went to the rooftop to order some snacks and a drink. We sat down and waited for a server to come take our order. After waiting about 20 minutes, no one came. My fiancée went to the bar to ask if we could order food there and she was told a server would be with us. After another 15 minutes of waiting, we decided to go downstairs and try the restaurant because we were starving. It took about 1 additional hour to receive our food from the restaurant. In addition to the poor service experienced, there are also several menu options not included in the all inclusive package. It didn't really make sense to me to pay money to stay at an all inclusive where food options are not all included. I know this is common for liquor that is top shelf, but haven't experienced food items on the menu unavailable in an all inclusive package. The rooftop was also a bit much at times. We learned that people who are not staying there could purchase a day pass to the rooftop. We had an awful interaction with a couple of guys who purchased day passes. They were completely drunk and stumbling and were saying inappropriate things. I wish there was security who could have noticed this and acted accordingly. It definitely made the resort seem far less exclusive. I also noticed those who purchased day passes received pretty good service in comparison to our below par service. We always made sure to tip also. One of the women on the rooftop was phenomenal, as well as one bartender, but aside from them, it was just okay. Our room was very nice. However, the service was below par. We have stayed at Hilton resorts before and will continue to stay there for their service. We were pretty disappointed because we have had this stay booked since August 2021 (We went June 2022) and we're really let down. read more

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Checked out their rooftop pool as a day guest, minimum spend is 600 pesos which can go towards your food and drinks or anything. Good music but very slow service. They need more servers for the amount of people that are there. Waited over an hour for a drink that sometimes came, other times didn't. When you leave, they'll go over the bill with you to see if you went over to pay the difference. However, my friend and I both got overcharged. Good thing we paid attention and went over the pricing with the server or else we would've paid for stuff we never got or overpaid the actual cost. read more

The Reef 28 - Hotels Near Me - Playa del Carmen, ROO

I stayed here in 2020 and had a great experience. This is a hotel not a resort within walking distance from the beach. They had a beautiful pool and bar on the roof overlooking the ocean. During the day you could walk around the town and there's a mall walking distance as well. The room was large clean and met expectations. read more

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I struggled with that 5th star... just because the pool service sucks Overall- I had a 5 star experience. EXCELLENT customer service. I flipped through the reviews and I think the people who purchase all-inclusive were the most disappointed. I booked directly through Orbitz and had only breakfast included. I had to book my own airport transport (see my review for Oscar Shuttle). LOCATION The hotel is located in the heart of the city restaurants and shopping, we walked everywhere. Very safe and lots of different restaurants all around. Guests that did the all inclusive and ate in the hotel were not happy... I bookmarked a bunch of restaurants and had great dinners at reasonable prices all within walking distance. A full Starbucks is across the street. The beach is a block behind the hotel. Very safe neighborhood. ARRIVAL We were greeted with a chilled glass of champs. We were taken on a brief mini tour of the hotel before we checked in. At the end, the guide sits you down and offers you Tulum tickets or a spa gift card to do the membership sales pitch. SALESPITCH FOR MEMBERSHIP In exchange for a gift, the hotel pays for your taxi to go to the Coco Reef resort. My friend really wanted the massage so I caved and went. It wasn't that bad. We took a 5 min cab, had a shitty ass lunch at the shitty ass resort (made me love the reef even more), and then they try to get you to purchase the membership timeshare-style. We declined and they gave us a $500 resort card and we left - 3 hours round trip. The $100 spa card covers 2 Swedish massages at their spa. BREAKFAST I loved this breakfast! Lots of fruit, fresh bread, pastries, oatmeal, hot chocolate, Mexican brunch food, hash browns, bacon, sausage, lox, salsa, vegetables, mimosa tower, Bloody Mary station, fresh pressed juices ... it goes on and on. You sit at a plated table and they bring out your coffee or tea and then you get up and self serve your meal. The egg station has chopped veggies and protein that you hand to the cook and she makes your eggs to order. Breakfast goes until 11am. ROOM Great view and very clean and spacious. I loved my room and the shower. My patio overlooked the city and I had great sunset views. In addition to the clean, they do a turn down service. Read the booklet when you get to your room- lots of tips. TIP- the fridge is stocked free every day with beer, sodas, and water. SPA The spa is gorgeous, large and modern. We upgraded the Swedish massage to the 80 minute hot stone massage for $25 extra. The spa can't charge to your room, bring the credit card or cash. For $25 you can enter the spa and do the hydrotherapy or it comes with the massage. The hydrotherapy starts with laying on a wood recliner inside the glass sauna, then you get ice shocked in a shower, back in the sauna, dip in the ice bath and then you experience several different high powered jets and end with the hot tub. After that you relax in a room with heated burlap sacks around your neck. The masseuse comes out for you and then you get your massage. It was awesome! Lots of relaxation. GYM AND POOL The gym is on the top floor, exit to the right of the elevator, spacious with a few treadmills, elypticals, weights, TVs, yoga mats, towels and fresh water. There is a schedule that gives you the yoga class schedule. The pool is nice but the service is terrible. It's weird as hell, trust me... just go there to tan and sleep, and not much else. The beds and chaise lounges are plentiful. The servers all congregate at the bar, they never come out and when they do they don't seem happy about it. The menus are difficult to locate. The drinks. OMG, there was no alcohol in them. I think this is because some people have all inclusive and they don't differentiate from the people paying a tab when it comes to skimping. I really wanted to do 4 stars because the pool is supposed to be the focal point ... but overall this was a 5 star experience for me mostly because of how I booked and what was Included In the price. Beautiful hotel and the nicest staff read more

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This review is based on a one week stay in the fall right after the end of hurricane season. Guest access to the other resorts is typically reliant on a 90 min "noncommittal" timeshare presentation that includes breakfast and coffee or a mimosa If your host hotel makes you a dinner reservation at one of the sister resorts it is your responsibility to confirm the shuttle service transpiration there and back. We had an issue where we attended the timeshare presentation in the morning and were given a reservation for dinner. However, our names weren't on the list for the shuttle. Mind you, the morning trip didn't require a reservation to get there or back. The master suites are primarily located on the fourth floor. We had room 3413 and our view primarily consisted of neighboring hotels/resorts and some of the inner city restaurants and bars. As previously stated if you are on the fourth floor then yes you will smell residue or chlorine as the pool is above your rooms ceiling. We didn't experience any leaks. The noise level ranges from moderate to loud from the surrounding areas (bars and restaurants on the nearby strip) the hotel does a solid job of shutting down the operations around 11 pm (this is also a bad thing as with other all inclusive experiences food and beverages were available a little later). There are several restraints inside the hotel and one restaurant and bar on the rooftop. Food at the rooftop hotel must be eaten in the cabana and not in the area near the pool. Overall, I would recommend this resort to any individuals looking to enjoy the rooftop pool with easy access to some of the regions more popular restaurants on 5th avenue. read more

Went there for a week. The reef 28 is linked to another hotel (the reef coco) which has more amenities and a private beach but the shuttle stops from 12 to 6:00 pm. Good: - rooms, we liked them, comfortable and classy. - diner: they are ok, some are better than others. - a lot of personnel at your disposition and very courteous. Bad: - their concierge only job is to sell you extra that is not in the package, they are not helpful when we ask them other questions. They also tend to lie by omission. - the reef 28 do not have many interesting things to do beside the roof top. Once again, take the shuttle to the other reef. - wifi kind of work but way too slow if your job depends on it. - hotel price for everything not in the package is expensive (more than USA). - music of the neighborhood bars loud until 3:00 am sometimes. What they do not tell you: - this is our first time we went to a resort so our expectations might have been higher than normal. - drinks are included (except for the wine which is quite expensive and low quality). They made us a margarita when we came "on the house" which made you think that normally it is not. - they try to make you go to a sell speech on the other resort, totally ignore you if you choose not to. - touristy quarter around the hotel, it was obvious that we had a $ sign above our head. Really not appealing. Here too the price is over what you'll get in USA. I will not go back there, the hotel and surrounding are focused on selling you anything at a USA price (even more on many occasions). read more

This place was extremely nice! I had such a great time. The rooms were super clean and organized. Please be mindful this location is Adults Only. Upon arrival we received our all inclusive bracelets (if you got the all inclusive package - which I suggest) and in our rooms was a complimentary bottle of champagne. They take you on a tour of the facility which is nice and you can grab a drink while touring. All the staff is super nice and informative. I felt safe with their COVID rules. For those entering back into the US they offer onsite COVID testing for a little under $30. It is also super close to 5th Ave where you can do a lot of shopping and dining! As far as all inclusive restaurants I really wouldn't suggest the Asian food or the Italian but the Mexican restaurant was super good! Anything on the roof was good also. The breakfast buffet changes everyday and they food was delicious. During COVID it really isn't self serve they have staff plate the options you choose for you which was a nice extra measure for COVID safety. The drinks were just okay - lots of bottom self liquor but not bad just not great but does the job. With all inclusive you have access to their sister resorts at Coco Beach and Playamar - I would suggest going to Playamar - there is so much more to do where as I think Coco Beach was more child friendly. I think this is a really great place for those looking to get away but also being around a lot of dining, shopping, and no children (lol sorry I needed to add that - because sometimes we all need that break) read more

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It was a nice hotel located close to the area's popular tourist trap, which is better known as 5th Avenue. Upon entering the hotel, we were immediately greeted and checked in. Our bags were brought into the lobby by the concierge attendant. The hotel was considered all inclusive, so we did not have to worry about eating or drinking elsewhere unless by choice. The hotel featured three restaurants offering Mexican, Italian and Asian fare. All of the aforementioned types of food are my favorites, so I knew we were in for a treat. The breakfast was buffet style and all you can eat. There were also daily made to order omelets along with every known breakfast item and then some. The hotel was pretty decent. Some elements had a modern boutique feel in my opinion. Check-in was efficient and the staff were cordial. The actual hotel was nice. The open concept afforded views of every floor along with a view of the Italian restaurant from upper levels. The hotel room was really nice. It was very modern in appearance. However, the view from our room was not that great, but it wasn't too bad either. We were literally across the street from some condominiums. The location of the room did not afford much in terms of privacy. However, the natural light was amazing. At night we had to close the blinds because it appeared that the people across the street could look directly into the room. Even while sitting on the balcony, it never felt private. The only other thing about the location of the room was the two restaurants/bars that played music from about 12 pm to 2 am, which could clearly be heard through the balcony doors. The food was either really good or it missed the mark completely. Early on the food was just okay. As the trip progressed, the food improved in a major way or we learned what and what not to order on the menus. Though I enjoyed the hotel, there were not enough in-house activities. The gym was a little outdated, but served its purpose. There was a spa, but we never made it there even with a $100 voucher that was gifted to us. There were no parties at the all inclusive and no onsite club, which was not good because I personally did not feel comfortable venturing outside of the hotel after dark. There was a Jamaican club a couple doors down. The first evening when we arrived, the club was in full swing. By the next night, it was closed pretty early. While the service was not bad and the hotel was clean, I would like to stay at a hotel on the beach the next time with beach views from the room. read more

The Reef 28 - Balcony view - Hotels Near Me - Playa del Carmen, ROO

Didn't stay here but the customer service was super nice! They made sure I was getting picked up in the right place. Free wifi here too

Beautiful hotel in the midst of Playa del Carmen! My daughter brought me here as a Mother's Day gift for 7 days. She knew I would prefer to stay at the adult hotel, minus screaming kids! Lol! And with the all-inclusive, we had access to their other two beautiful hotels on the beach as well. The Playacar and The Coco Beach. We had a wonderful time, I highly recommend staying here! We especially loved the staff, a shout out to "Isreal"! He was one of the most attentive and friendly of their staff and helped us with taxis and many things. He really helped us a lot! As far as activities, I highly recommend Xcaret Adventure Park. Well worth the price of admission, even for this 63-year-old! Ziplining, amphibian vehicles, and walking and kayaking through underwater caves. A wonderful time! read more

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I stayed two nights at The Reef 28 in Playa Del Carmen but my true honest option about this hotel. If you're a hotel snob then DON'T stay here. The food is absolutely horrible, the alcohol taste watered down, the hotel is small boutique style and nothing to do or any entertainment, it took forever for our food to come whenever we ordered, two of my friends got sick at dinner from the food and threw up. The rooftop pool was nice and cool besides from having a lot of bugs in the pool and the missing tile at the bottom of the pool. The Reef 28 do have two sister properties that's a plus that you have access to roam freely and eat at so it's like three hotels in one but their about 7 minutes away from one another. Now the million dollar question would I recommend this place NOPE. read more

We just got back from our stay here. We stayed for one week. We stayed in a Master suite on the 2nd floor. Pros: * The location is in the center of everything * Shuttle service to the sister resorts is great, if you have all inclusive, you can play, drink and eat at all three resorts. * Free wifi * Great food/ Restaurants *They are trying to go "plastic free" so if you bring your own cup they will fill your drink right up. Cons: * Our first day, we went to the rooftop to get something to eat and drink. We waited 20 mins and went up to the bar asked if we could order. We ordered 2 drinks nachos and an order of guacamole, that took 45 mins to get. No one ever came around to ask if we wanted another drink or anything we had to stand up and then someone would finally see we wanted service. * The rooftop is VERY loud. It's a nightclub vibe. For us we didn't care for that because we wanted to relax and read a book by the pool...at 10am that was a tad excessive. There is also bars located around that tend to be loud as well * Our room was gorgeous, however there is a huge mold/mildew smell. We asked other guests and it's pretty normal. But if your allergic to mold it's not great. My wife got very sick. Thankfully there's pharmacy's all around. We left the balcony doors open all day to let the smell air out. *The elevators work when they want to. So be prepared to walk the stairs if they don't work. ** Also do not put anything in your safe, housekeeping has 100% access to this. I had money in there in specific bundles for tipping, and 1 of my bundles of 5 dollar bills was stolen. Im sure there was more i just didnt notice that. Be mindful! The hotel says they are not responsible for any "lost" items put in the safe. Be careful with your belongings read more

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If you're planning staying in Playa del Carmen this is the place to stay. The hotel is all inclusive and if you stay at Reef 28 you have the opportunity to use the facilities of the other 2 sister properties. The rooms are very spacious. If you stay you should also take advantage of the SPA! That's a must! The hotel is right off of 5th AVE. I loved the stay and I can't wait to come back! read more

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I was looking for a boutique hotel so I gave this place a try and it was a good experience. The hotel is located by all the action (Quinta Avenida) which was a plus. I really liked the fact that they took all the precautions necessary to make guests feel safe such as sanitizing your hands before entering the restaurants and checking your temperature. The guys in the lobby were great and very helpful! I booked my hotel on Expedia and selected ( all-inclusive) but it wasn't all- inclusive because when we checked in I was told that certain meats and fish were not included. I would have liked to have known this before booking but the only place I found the verbiage was on the food menu when ordering. The breakfast was good but I personally was not a fan of the Mexican food. The hotel has a pretty view of the ocean but I did not get in the pool because there were too many people up there partying it up. The hotel is close to the beach so it wasn't too bad. read more

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Beautiful spa , hydrotherapy and massages are amazing and affordable! Yolanda gave me the best massage I ever had, most definitely recommend to everyone who likes to get pampered ! Ruth top lounge has a nice pool with beautiful ocean views and live DJ.Rooms we're comfortable and quiet, stuff was friendly and respectful. read more

The Reef 28 - Ruth top pool - Hotels Near Me - Playa del Carmen, ROO

I stayed at reef 28 for 5 days and aside from room cleanliness, location, and transportation staff, this place was a bust. Transportation to and from the hotel was good and the cleaning staff did well on daily maintenance. For an all inclusive hotel, reef 28 was not good. I had teetered between just booking an Airbnb and this hotel. I should have chosen the Airbnb as I ended up eating off of the resort daily. The resort food was awful with the exception of the the sister resort playa car. Playa car had a good Mexican restaurant. Reef 28's food was awful and bottom barrel. It was also difficult to order drinks and food. The majority of the wait staff ignores you and spends their time talking to each other and playing on their cell phones. I asked for service 3 different times from a staff member and was ignored each time. Also, don't bother calling the hotel prior to the trip. I called for 4 days in a row and was only able to speak the the front desk one time and only to be dismissed. Aside from the location of downtown playa- there are so many other better choices to stay with better service. The wireless internet also worked for a total of 12 hours of our first day stay. I asked multiple staff members to assist and reset their router and I was never give a solution. If I wanted any sort of wifi, I needed to be in the front desk reception area. Oh, and on our last day, a front door staff member tried to beat a dog with an umbrella that had followed us. After screaming no and that we weren't bringing her inside, the staff member continued to try and get after the sweet dog with his umbrella. Heartbreaking. Don't stay! read more

The Reef 28 - Hotels Near Me - Playa del Carmen, ROO

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A lot of good things to say about this hotel. I stayed here for 5 nights in August.First off it's in the city which I really liked and was able to basically move around Playa and still have the feel of resort. So it's an all inclusive but I was a guinea pig for their European plan which I preferred. From the moment I walked in the staff was awesome. A mimosa on arrival, it was quite hot.Anna was my go to person for a lot of things. I stayed in a junior suite with a balcony ( glad it didn't have view of street or beach) and the room was amazing. There are little plaques on the door to let them know when to clean your room and someone came by to see if I needed water or towels each evening. With the European plan you only have breakfast and no access to other sister properties( coco beach and Playacar which I visited and have reviewed separately) The roof top pool is quite relaxing and they have a DJ as well so day party but very chill. The staff is very attentive. Food is served poolside if you like but please be sure to tip your servers.I didn't try the restaurants in the hotel other than breakfast, I tried once but they were fully booked. The spa was a nice, Ana had me down for aqua therapy which was intense but after walking tons that day it was quite refreshing. They have massage as well but I didn't have one. On my last day I rented a vehicle to pick me up at 3AM but it never showed up so thank you to the staff that was there as they attempted to call the car service to no avail but also got me a taxi which enabled me to get my flight on time( it's a 45min drive from hotel to Cancun airport). If anything I will be returning to this hotel, the staff here was awesome. read more

The Reef 28 - Turn down service - Hotels Near Me - Playa del Carmen, ROO

amazing marijo from the rooftop was excellent , sirel the host was helpfull friendly. the best hotel in playa del Carmen Ivan the server 10/10. read more

Albert is the GOAT has some sick Star Wars tattoo taught me some good drinks and made sure I had the best time and this it at the bar alone !!! Everywhere else in this hotel has been nothing but superb everyone is friendly and nice and make sure your good at all times ! Definitely recommend and thank you again Albert ! read more

The Reef 28 - Bar alberts Star Wars tattoos ! - Hotels Near Me - Playa del Carmen, ROO

The location was great being near to the 5th Avenue was perfect. I like the ability to travel to the other locations via the resort shuttles, but getting a seat on the van can be difficult. They should either run the shuttles more often or INvest bigger shuttles. It was wonderful to be able to have access to the all of the restaurants and beaches at the other locations as well. One issue I did have was we purchased our resort stay for three, but they kept restocking amenities for two and we had to keep calling down to the front desk for additional items. All in All it was an absolutely lovely holiday. read more

This was my first stay at a resort and I was blown away by the ambiance inside-- I was going to give 5 stars when I walked in the door-- the decor and rooms are great. This went down to 4 stars because of the poolside service and the just okay food. Then it when down to 3 stars when my traveling companion got food poisoning-- not once but twice, from the chicken wings (rooftop bar) and from an undercooked Angus burger (room service). Not only does food poisoning really suck, but he definitely didn't get his money's worth as he couldn't drink for most of the trip. I didn't have any adverse effects from the food, but as I said I was less than pleased with the rooftop poolside service. It takes forever to get someone's attention to take your order, all the while they are serving other parties (so it's not like poolside service isn't included in the all-inclusive package) and even when you get drinks, it's nowhere near the frequency you want at a resort (I hardly felt anything with the watered-down drinks coming 1 per hour). I ordered 1 drink that never came and the next day ordered a drink from the same waitress who brought me the drink 30 minutes later and the ice was melted and the drink was just sugar water. It definitely messes with the relaxed vibe you want to have on vacation. If you tip more you may get better service, but I didn't really want to tip someone who forgot my order twice. On our fourth day we saw two couples have their poolside chairs stolen by less than remorseful guests who refused to get up even after being told/asked to. That's more of a guest issue than a hotel issue, but just a warning that it happens here. If you do go, the croque-madame is definitely worth getting-- even though it's just on toast rather than a croissant, it's delicious. The margarita pizza (rooftop bar) is also good and a safe bet -- didn't give either of us food poisoning. Tips for survival: * keep the bottled water coming to avoid getting dehydrated from the sun, heat, and alcohol * for rooftop service, you need to make eye contact and/or wave over a server; otherwise, you won't get a drink and maybe not even then * get to the rooftop early, 11AM or earlier, to get a good spot for the day, like under a cabana, and guard your spot with at least 1 person in your party read more

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I'd give this Hotel a solid 3 stars. Nothing to go running to momma about. Location is perfect , rooms are decent, food is just "ok" , facilities, Roof top pool is small but enough to enjoy only if it's not crowded . The gym needs some improvement it's very small. They advertised buffet as an all inclusive option for lunch , but the only buffet I've seen was breakfast. To sum it up I would recommend this hotel for anyone who's looking for a cheaper version for all inclusive. But the plus of staying here is you have access to the sister properties that are beachfront read more

Excellent hotel. The all inclusive is great and comes with breakfast, lunch, dinner and all adult beverages. The rooms are very spacious and have a luxurious feel. Would recommend to all my friends and family. read more

The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable about the city area. With the all inclusive option - we enjoyed the restaurants (Mexican and Asian, didn't try the Italian) but the breakfast buffet was not good. The rooms were clean, nicely appointed, and comfortable. The HUGE complaint is the rooftop bar - the NOISE from there is heard all day and through the night throughout the entire hotel... Horrible. Spending any time up there for the pool or 2 hot tubs can be painful on the eardrums (and the hot tubs are always warm, not hot). Turn the music down or at least to a level where one can have a conversation over it and you'll go from good to great. read more