Wedding Review: After searching for months for the perfect all inclusive resort in Mexico to host our wedding, we decided on The Reef Playacar and it was the best decision we ever made. From the very beginning we were assigned a wedding coordinator to help us plan our special day. Vicky not only became our coordinator, but she also became a great friend. She was not only patient, but attentive and helped immensely with making every dream detail we had become a reality. She helped me get in touch with all the necessary local vendors such as florist, baker, DJ etc and made sure to outline what was included in our package so there were no hiccups or surprises. As part of our package, we got to experience the resort ahead of time as well so we could tour the property and taste food for our wedding menu. That was such a special experience and we were grateful to be able to experience the resort in advance so we could get a better idea of our planning needs and how the big day would go. As for the wedding itself, our day couldn't have been any more perfect. The ceremony was exactly how I envisioned it, a romantic tropical setup with beautiful florals. Then the reception was elegant with candles galore, a light up dance floor on the beach, and lots of string lights. It was too good to be true and I'm so happy with how it all turned out. The food, the music, and all the little decor extras I added were perfectly executed as well. I really appreciate the attention to detail! We had 75 guests total and every single one of them said this was the best destination wedding they'd ever been to. Regarding rates, the resort offers multiple wedding packages all with discounted room block rates for your wedding guests which not only made the wedding itself affordable for our budget, but the rooms affordable for our guests as well. Everyone got a vacation out of it and our guests couldn't have been happier. Destination weddings are the way to go! Thank you to The Reef Playacar for making our wedding the absolute best day of our lives and we cannot wait to come back to celebrate an anniversary in the future. read more

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Just stayed here for a friend's wedding and honestly the reviews are not doing this place justice. First off, it was one of the cheapest all inclusive I have seen, so it was extremely reasonable and I thought the experience was worth what we paid. The resort is small but very beautiful. The grounds were well taken care of, I loved the jungle feel and immediate access to the beach cant be beat. I will say the food was okay, dinner options were great, the buffet and snack bar during breakfast and lunch were not the best but again what I expected for an all inclusive. I loved that there were fun little activities every day and the staff was all so kind. I honestly need to do a separate review for my friend's wedding because I was honestly blown away by the decor, the staff, the food, everything about the wedding was absolutely stunning and exceeded my expectations of what I thought a destination wedding would be like. read more

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We spent 5 days here. The room was comfortable, wasn't crazy about our location near the parking lot. I love that they provide water stations all over the property. They have a wonderful yoga instructor, but wish that the hotel provided better mats and the options of props. The Mexican restaurant was very good. read more

Make reservations, okay. Order all four courses, at one time, okay. Wait two hours and fifteen minutes for food and be disappointed with everything but the soup and salad. Terrible. read more

Great hotel and service. We were upgraded and our suite was absolutely beautiful! A magnificent location. The hotel personnel were wonderful and so accommodating! We can't wait to return! read more

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Sometimes, you just feel like you're being Punk'd, and that Ashton Kutcher is going to pop out and you'll look back and think how funny it was. This was like that, except no one is laughing. Our friend is getting married at this resort, so we booked in advance and decided to treat ourselves to an upgraded experience with a premium room. When we arrived, we were first told by the front desk agent, Manuel, that since we only booked standard, they were going to give us two single beds. I pulled out our booking confirmation that clearly shows premium room reserved at an additional $53 per night, and Manuel changed out our wristband and made a big show of double checking the rooms, and he said that they still only have 2 single beds. After being assured that we can just change rooms in the morning, we were shown to our room. The first room they took us to was absolutely disgusting. There was unfinished drywall on the ceiling, and the room was filled with paint fumes. The mirror was encrusted with black gunk, and none of the amenities for premium were shown. we called Manuel at the front desk, and he sent a security guard to verify our story. Even he agreed it was terrible. So they put us one floor up into a room with half the closet space, mold on the ceiling, the hardest beds I have ever had the displeasure of sitting on, and none of the heavily touted premium amenities (bathrobe, upgraded toiletries, coffee maker, stocked mini fridge, etc.) We went back to the front desk, and by some miracle, Manuel 'found' a king room. It is now 3 am at this point and we have been all over the resort since check in at midnight. The king room was the worst of all. It looked nicer when you first opened the door, but then you start noticing things, like dead moths on the floor, a blood or poop stain on the bed (I wish I was kidding), and more mold. I get it, Mexico is humid. But come on, this amount of mold is just ridiculous. We went back to the front desk, and asked what they planned to do for us since we have been given the run around and filthy rooms over the last 3.5 hours. Manuel said, "you're just going to have to talk to Fernando in the morning. He gets in at nine. I don't know what you expect though because the standard room and premium room are the same, you just get bathrobes and sparkling wine and beer." Yes, you read that right. It's an extra $53 per day for the same filthy uncomfortable room. You just get a bathrobe and some alcohol to numb the rage. I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings. Maybe a nice case of malaria. At this point, it might be an improvement. read more

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Had a great time here with family and my gf. Came for a wedding and it was beautiful. The staff is incredibly friendly and kind so please be respectful! They work hard and definitely underpaid for going beyond for guests. I do wish there were more restaurant options and more than one buffet. Definitely bring bug spray, mosquitoes were bad near the ice cream parlor. Gym should allow guests to control music in there. The gym is small but has enough for effect work out read more

The Reef Playacar - Resort gym - Hotels Near Me - Playa del Carmen, ROO

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I wish I could give this resort a 0. Everything about this place sucks! Save your money and go somewhere else. The rooms? Under par. There was water on the floor coming from who know knows wheNo bathrobes or slippers. No extra towels. The phone in the room didn't work either. The service? So bad. Literally had to wait so long just to get some water. The buffet had maybe 2 people going around taking care of everyone. Also they refused to put tables together for bigger groups. The food? Very few options. Theres barely any meat. There's a buffet, an Italian restaurant, and a Mexican restaurant. It took 2 hours to get our food, and the there were maybe 15 people in the restaurant. The music playing in the second pool is so depressing & boring. It made us fall asleep. Also, there was a lady sweeping the floors while we were eating. Just weird. There's no "luxury" at all. read more

The worst place in Playa. Save your money. I'm a local but over the last year, I have stayed here once and been twice on a day pass. All 3 times have had horrendous service. I don't get bothered by inattentive staff; these guys are actively aggressive and rude no matter how polite you are. Everyone, from the parking attendant to the front desk receptionists to the servers at the beach club, have been outrageously rude to me and everyone I know. Every time. Note: I am Mexican-American and am perfectly bilingual, so it's not a language barrier; and I understand the culture of politeness in Mexico, so I'm always very polite with them. They're just rude and aggressive no matter what you do. read more

It was the best hotel that I met in the last few years. My wife and I were on a honeymoon trip and stayed here for 13 days, the system is all inclusive. I have not seen such a service anywhere. breakfast from morning till 11, then a second breakfast at a pool bar, then lunch, then ice cream, in the evening a la carte restaurant is Italian or Mexican. the hotel has its own beach, and there are various sporting events. we chose parasailing, a catamaran walk and an extreme trip in the park near the Koba pyramid, went swimming in the cenote, rode on a zipline (the highest was 40 meters high!), on ATV quads, and climbed the Koba pyramid. everything was great. the service staff was excellent and helpful, we first sat in building 17, which was old and was renovated, then we were asked to relocate us to another room, and we were settled in a renovated new building 7. thank you for everything read more

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Don't stay here!!! Believe it or not, this place deliberately locks guests out of their room when they want to speak with them at the front desk. Totally unacceptable and unethical, especially when the room has been paid for and our belongings are locked inside. Alfonso the GM, Fernando the front desk manager, and security guard Giuseppe don't understand the simplest of customer service principles, and I assume they are not following hotel procedures and protocols by locking guests out of their paid rooms. As a result, I couldn't access my vital medication in my room, and my teenage daughter was made to stand in the lobby in her dripping wet bikini for almost an hour. Alfonso, Fernando, and Giuseppe would be better suited running a prison camp rather than any kind of hotel in a costly vacation destination. By the way, due to their incompetence, the line in the lobby is always a 30 minute wait to talk to a front desk worker. Additionally, the food in the hotel is buffet garbage, catering to the all you can eat crowd, and all of their cocktails seem to lack any alcohol whatsoever, presumably it's management's way of making some extra dollars from the tourists foolish enough to stay there. Do yourself a favor and choose a different hotel for your Mexican vacation...unless you enjoy paying for your room and intentionally being locked out because the front desk has a message for you. (@The Reef, have you ever heard of a note on the room door or a phone call to the hotel room??) This place is a joke you will absolutely regret staying at. Beware!! read more

Love this resort! Very beautiful! Only thing I would complain about is I wish there was more food options. They only have one buffet and then a snack bar. The other two places are reservation only. Their ice cream place also has weird hours. Our room was so big and spacious though with a king size bed. read more

Sooooo my experience here wasn't all that as I was staying at the Reef which is a sister property. I was on the European plan which didn't come with access to this resort however no one explained that to me instead I was told I could visit either sister property if I wanted to go to beach but they couldn't come to ours. So there's a service that takes you here every hour and upon arrival I thought it was ok it has the jungle feel but not very modern. The beach is located way in the back and when I tried to get a towel I was turned away and told to get a card from the reception which I tried to do. It took about 30-40 minutes before the GM spoke with me and explained how the staff hadn't been brought to speed about my plan( what happens when your the guinea pig). He tried to somewhat smooth things out by offering a drink..... but I was already annoyed by that time and declined the drink( I'm on the European plan I have my own drank not my first rodeo on this plan) since I had a bit of time to kill before the van service came back I moseyed on to beach, finally got a towel. The beach itself is meh, tons of sea weed that you have to wade through before your in a much nicer patch so the pool looked more inviting at that point but I really wasn't feeling it so I was kinda relieved when it started to rain, I put my things together and within 5 min the van was there phew! I doubt I'd return to stay or visit the resort for one it was a bit way off from town and the drive from the front gate to the hotel itself was like Uber long. This experience is only for beach, I didn't stay at the resort. read more

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I thought this place was spectacular. The staff was friendly and helpful. The security was amazing and I felt very safe. It was clean and well maintained. To the people complaining about a wristband: DUH of course you have to wear a wristband so that they know you are a part of the all inclusive. The food was pretty decent- reminded me of food on a cruise. Pretty good in some places, just decent in others, but the all inclusive deal with the food and the drinks was absolutely worth it. Our AC in our room was wonderful and kept it cool, the shower had a rain head and great pressure, I could go on and on. Sometimes you don't know what you get when you book site unseen, and I was so happy and surprised with this place. The landscaping throughout the hotel makes it feel like a tropical paradise! read more

The Reef Playacar - View from my deck chair! - Hotels Near Me - Playa del Carmen, ROO

Absolutely horrible hotel. The staff is completely rude, unorganized, and aggressive toward their guests. They treated me and my family as if we were criminals there to break the rules (and then accused us of breaking the pool rules even though we never did!). When I questioned why they assumed we had done something wrong, their front desk employee said "Don't speak to me that way, I'm done talking to you" and walked away. I was shocked. As I walked out of their lobby, there was water on the floor and I slipped and fell (I'm 7 months pregnant, by the way). None of their staff came to help me. It was the worst hotel experience of my life and I've never met such rude, tacky staff. Trust me - go ANYWHERE but the Reef! read more

We received a 5 night, 6 day package via a time share presentation deal. The deal was straight forward, and we were not misled about any details. They provided a pickup from the airport, but transportation to return was on our own. I will preface this post that we did not stay the full length of our trip due to my wife becoming violently ill requiring hospitalization and early return to the US for medical reasons. We do not believe that any food or drink at the resort caused this illness. We arranged the timeshare presentation for the second day, and though they say the presentation takes 90 minutes, it comes out more like 2 hours and 30 mins with travel to the other properties. There were no scams, and we received no pressure when we said no. Our presenter was very pleasant and happy to answer many questions about the culture and area as well. As for the property itself, the jungle setting was very peaceful and relaxing, except... the property is undergoing a full remodel, and the sounds of hammers and saws are constant from around 7am to 6pm. The doors, walls and windows to the room offered zero sound protection. While my wife was sick and attempting to rest during the day unsuccessfully, we could hear every detail from conversations in the next room to even conversations out on the sidewalk (we were on second floor). Our room also backed up to a service path, and the noise of passing employees with carts, tools and equipment was constant! The bathroom door would not close and lock, and the blinds fell off the wall when attempting to shade the room. Otherwise, the room had basic amenities. The pool and beach area seemed well set up. The staff was fantastic and very attentive. By day 2 the pool bartender had remembered my drink, and was pleasant to deal with. The beach, unfortunately, was plagued by seaweed. This problem is not exclusive to the resort, as the entire coast is being plagued with seaweed, and was not a deciding factor in this review. The snack bar and buffet were rarely operated on schedule, and there would be gaps of about an hour we couldn't get food. For example, each day the buffet closed at 10:30 for breakfast, and the snack bar was scheduled to open at 11, but usually was more like 11:30-11:45. The food was ok, nothing exceptional. The snack bar rarely had anything available on the menu, and it would always take 20-30 mins to get. The buffet had a wide variety of food. We did not eat at the two restaurants due to the dress code. We packed for a vacation, not a dress code. The resort is family friendly, and seemed to lack nightlife for that reason. It does seem suitable and safe for families. All in all I believe the stay may have been pleasant if the remodeling was not in progress. If the new rooms are lacking the quality and privacy that the old rooms were lacking, however, maybe not. I doubt we would stay in this resort again based on the lack of privacy alone. read more

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THIS WAS THE WOST, DISGUSTING ROOMS, THANK GOD I GOT A REFUND!! I HAD TO BOOK A AIRBNB LAST MINUTE, ITS SO FAR FROM SHOPS, GATED COMMUNITY AND SUPPOSE TO BE RICH LOL SMELLS LIKE MOLD ALLLL EVERYWHERE, I GOT BIT HELLA TIMES AND SMELLS LIKE SEWAGE. GROSS! AND FOOD IS DISGUSTING!!! STAINED BED SHEETS!!! I DO NOT KNOW WHY PEOPLE RAVE ABOUT CANCUN. THE LADY FROM FRESNO IN THIS REVIEW is 100% CORRECT! We stayed at a better all-inclusive resort and here was my review for Secrets the Vine MY COMPLAINTS: A little about me I am a neat clean quiet person who likes peace and relaxing type of atmosphere, I am not a partier I am in my mid-30s. If I spend 1k on an all-inclusive 3-night stay in CANCUN, I better have a good deal, because I can spend the same amount at the Standard or W hotel in Los Angeles and get a better service and not a steak dipped in a crap ton of oil. LOL SMELLS LIKE MOLD! Yes, it's humid in places like these but the mold is everywhere people don't clean that up. If my bed was sanitized the pillows wouldn't smell like mold it would smell like bleach! Lol I've been to Miami, Orlando, Key West, North Carolina (humid places) and non of the hotels or Airbnb smelled like mold! IT IS NOT THAT AMAZING as everyone writes Our AC was leaking PILLOWS BED THE WHOLE ROOM SMELLS LIKE MILDEW IT IS NOT THAT GREAT it's basic I have stayed at hotels downtown Los Angeles with 179 per night and had WAY better staff and offers. It's overrated and stay away from their restaurants outside of the hotel, they are overpriced as f*, The whole trip of Cancun is overrated The only cool thing is their pool and beach that is it. But even that has a lot of seaweed that is not soft. And the 200$ credit that they tell you you can use at their spa, it is in coupons and you can only apply 40$ off with that coupon, their massage is 245$ for 1 hour LOL I get one from massage envy for 100$ or a high-end couples massage for 175 in Bellevue, WA. IT is LUDACRIS! The view is terrible too unless you get a frontal view of the beach, you stare at another run down hotel that's falling apart , paint is chipping off, oh and the glass at their upper rooftop pool is broken and cracked, so its dangerous not sure why they did not fix it. Yes, the staff is nice but they get paid to be nice, food is definitely good but expensive!!! Use only their beaches because if you swim else were the water is dirty and smells like sewage. I posted some pics. Also, few of the pics are from walking into Play De Carmen, the vendors pull you left and right harassing. the hell out of you, angry and lying that they know you from the Reed or ask you to get high lol it's a 45 min walk from your hotels pls use a taxi. It's only 200 pesos which is 9$ yup! Food is t cheap I'd your earring at a fancy restaurant and oh my god what's with ITALIAN food anywhere and everywhere your choice is Italian or Mexican lol hilarious. read more

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The lobby staff are racist. If you are black or simply do not look like them, they will ignore you, disrespect you, and dishonor your package purchased. From the moment we walked in, our skin color was enough for them to conclude that we were less worthy of service, respect, and dignity. The manager, Antonio Hernadez, shouted at my mother amongst a crowd of guest after she simply asked for covid test. He continued to humiliate her and when I simply asked for his full name, he kicked my sister and I out of the lobby. How could a manager kick out his own guests from a lobby they paid to have access to?! It happens here. And the most disappointing part is that after we informed them of our professions they (Antonio Hernadez and a man named Ivan) immediately changed their posture. It is disappointing the the quality of service is based on their first appearance of you, then shifted based on your status. This was the worst service I've ever witness in all my twenty two years of traveling. Do not waste your money. Unfortunately, every day of our 6 day vacation we could expect some form of disrespect and discrimination. Every day. And to top it off, they cancelled all of our paid sevices (etc. massages) after we complained of the horrible service. If you'd like to enjoy your trip, do not book with this atrocious resort. read more

AVOID AT ALL COST: Possibly seeking legal action due to threats of false imprisonments. Awful from the start. We booked with this resort because my sister had stayed at one of the sister adults only resorts, enjoyed her stay, and they offered her a discount to book again. Since she would be with her children we opted for the "family friendly" option. Booking was via the WhatsApp which is strange on its own and from the start the communication was not great. When she found out she wouldn't be able to fly until the day later, due to circumstances outside of her control, she immediately tried to update the reservation A MONTH PRIOR to our stay. She was told she would have to cancel and re-book on her own (no discount) instead of just updating the dates. She tried to explain why she just needed to change the check-in date but they went silent. Didn't pick up the phone, answer emails nor messages on the app. They only responded to her on the day she was expected to arrive finally. Due to their negligence they offered her the change charge free and apologized for the lack of response. When she arrived they again apologized and let her know they would waive the change fee. So pan forward to our check out date. At breakfast my sister let me know to head to the lobby early because they let her know I had a balance to pay for my transportation... I had already paid cash as they had instructed and had the email to prove it. So when I went to the lobby, they had updated the charge to my sister's change fee. I explained that she had settled that and I had not actually changed my reservation. This is where it gets messy. The man presenting me this charge told me he would not allow me to leave unless I paid, and signaled for security. Shocked, i calmly waited for my sister to come and explain. She did, and showed them the communication she had clearly stating there would be no charge. The person who she communicated via phone/messages with was also there and vouched that she shouldn't be charged. This man became irate and asked the security to lock the doors so we could not leave. He refused to call management, so someone else had to. This took 45 minutes and our driver taking us to the airport let us know he had to go and pick up someone else, so obviously with a baby & 3 year old, on the verge of missing our flight we became irate as well. When the manager finally arrived and was obviously on our side, the man that insisted on charging us called me over to now charge me for 2 NY steaks via room service to my room for one night.... I was a single person in a room, never ordered room service, let alone 2 steaks for myself. When I refused to pay, he "recognized the error". THEY ARE SCAMMERS TRYING TO GET MONEY OUT OF ANYONE. read more

Costumer service was terrible. Staff can't admit when they are in the wrong. Tv did not work the whole time we were here and they said it worked before we came. Reservations were a mess as well. Fernando who was working the front desk was very disrespectful and unprofessional. read more

Great place to visit. We have gotten the day pass the last couple times we were in Playa. Located inside Playacar, it's a great place to visit for the day. Breakfast and Lunch and also drinks are included with the pass. It's pretty nice just taking a nap on the beach. The meals are served buffet style in the restaurant near the pool. Restaurant is a pretty nice set up. There is a swim up bar in the pool and also a smaller snack/restaurant that serves pizza, burgers, smaller items. Day pass here is pretty reasonable and it's a nice way to relax for the day from 9/6. We will continue to go there for the experience. read more

I stayed at The Reef Playacar in July/August 2019 with a friend. This resort is really middle of the road, but I do suggest bumping yourself up to the premium package. Get ready to wear that gold bracelet. It just makes sense for a trip like this! Let's start with the food. The Reef Playacar offers multiple dining venues, some higher brow than others. There's the classic buffet, which serves up satisfying food to get your day started. I always found something tasty to eat here, which was where we ended up for breakfast, but it required more than one lap to properly load up my plate. I didn't use it, but they offered a design-your-own-omelet bar. For lunch, the on-site snack bar filled us up many days. Great hamburgers! Bad nachos! The ice cream in the snack bar disappointed, too, and the machine wasn't always in operation. The final meal of the day (but who's counting at an all-inclusive joint?) is where The Reef Playacar really shines. We alternated mostly between Botticelli for Italian fare and Terraza Grill, which is the fanciest dining you'll find on site. All around, the food was good but especially amazing at dinner time. What about the drinks? Well, this is where things (not the drinks, but yeah, the drinks, too) do get mixed. If you're on the beach and ordering drinks, the service will be slow. Or, your drink may never arrive. That happened to us once. I also had at least one drink on this trip, a supposed Long Island Iced Tea, that was very questionable in taste. Also, a rainbow-colored mix (I never knew the drink's name) from the swim-up pool bar didn't quite do it for me. But if you're going to beer, wine, and basic mixed drinks, they do a good job overall. One area for improvement at this resort involves pool temperature. Both of them were too warm. Cool the pools, especially since it's already so hot in Mexico. OK, let's talk about the beach. You're here to enjoy some sun, right? First off, the chairs aren't very good. You don't have the ability to set their backs at just the comfortable angle. But, on a positive beat, thank goodness for the scattered umbrellas to protect you from the indiscriminating sun! There are many informal activities available, some involving extra cost and others not (but definitely know what your package includes). Staff will recruit people to play volleyball, for example; my friend played. I was more excited to try out the paddle board. Kayaking is an option, and we also headed into the ocean for that. Snorkeling excursions run from a nearby stand and there's parasailing and skydiving galore. You regularly get to see the jumpers land in the sand. The room we stayed in was pretty small and definitely nothing special--not a single piece of wall art around--but I was impressed by the daily cleaning service. We did tip our cleaning staff. (As a side note, please be considerate and tip regularly throughout the resort. Drink servers, wait staff, cleaning staff--do them well. If you need to break large bills, we discovered you could do so by walking to the nearby plaza.) The bathroom shower was nice, too. The nightly entertainment at The Reef Playacar leaves much to be desired. One night, fire throwers performed and that was really enjoyable. Many other evenings, however, it felt like staff were pulling together limited resources to make magic happen. The Reef Playacar needs to offer better shows by bringing in talent. What about a magician, a comedian, or even a local band? Those are just some ideas for how this part of the experience could've been better. Swinging back to an area of this resort's strength, transportation to and from the airport was smooth. The timing always worked well and though we'd booked a shared shuttle, we ended up having a private drive for each stretch of the trip. Also, if you want to visit a nearby resort, the shuttle for that was also reliable. As a wrap-up, here are "must go" places within the resort: -The spa (Don't hesitate--I had the Men's Facial and it was lovely.) -Nico's Bar (They'll help you out!) -Botticelli (Pick this place for amazing Italian food, only served for dinner.) The Reef Playacar won't blow your mind, but it also won't blow your budget. Know what's good and take advantage of those options. Most of all, enjoy your trip! read more

I love Mexico and the people are very kind but this resort i will never come back to,first of all they need to get their head out their ass and take care of their customers instead of preasuring their customers to purchase a timeshare. I liked the hospitality of the bartenders but people on the reception are fucken clueless ,and they advertise a restaurant of site but cant even provide transportation to it .i think its so stupid . Once this hotel gets you here your on your own . Beware of false advertisements my friends. A very fucken angry customer that stayed at room 1712 in this shit hole. read more

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

They give you wristband to wear the entire time you're staying there! Not as classy as it looks. We did't like the wristbands because when we went into town, we were targeted as tourists. We took the wristbands off the next morning after breakfast and went to the hotel's beach for about an hour before our taxi to the airport arrived. When entering back onto the hotel property, the security treated us like criminals who were trespassing. We were not informed that we needed to have our wristbands on the entire time. The security was very rude and disrespectful. Also the way the resort is presented online does not reflect the way it looks in person. We will never stay here again. read more

The rooms are fine, food is terrible, location is good. Bartenders are not fun, they definitely have a huge stick up their butt. Would not recommend read more

I really was going to give The Reef Playacar an amazing review until I discovered that one hotel lobby worker had gone through my personal belongings that were in my closed luggage and stole the cash I had to get back home to San Francisco, as well as my drivers license. There is no excuse for that at all, it should have not have happened and it just proves that their lobby staff cannot be trusted at all. The hotel is beautiful, really. The location was perfect, the grounds were beautiful, the spa was awesome... We loved our stay there until we found out that we were pretty much robbed. Luckily they didn't take our passports! I had asked if anyone had turned in my driver's license and of course they said no... All I know that is that's very unprofessional and downright disrespectful. We wanted to make The Reef our go to hotel for the next time we visit Playa del Carmen, but forget that. They lost my business and I will let friends, family and travel websites as well know what really happens at The Reef. If you value your belongings, bookmark this place in hotels to avoid! read more

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Meh. Not a great resort. No super wow factor. Got to the resort just after lunch and soon as we walked in, got greeted by time share people who say it's not time share but it is time share they selling. The atmosphere by the rooms is cool, like a rainforest feeling. With a cenote in the middle. Also in the middle between all the buildings of rooms is their little "cafe" for tea time between 3-5 pm. If you're looking to just relax. Sure it's a decent place to be. Just beware, some of the bars are pretty far from each other. One closest to the beach is by the pool and the snack bar. Snack bar got usual "in-between" snacks like pizza n hot dogs. Nothing great tasting. If you're looking for their a la Carte restaurants, access through the back of the buffet round the ping pong table n up the stairs. Once ur up in the Italian resto tho, it looks gorgeous inside. Nightlife.. ends at 10 pm. Which is toward the main lobby up the stairs. If you're looking to book your sunwing excursions... Good luck trying to find a rep. They're upstairs by the Disco and the main desk doesn't tell you that. Long story short, if you can go somewhere else for a bit more money. Go to the Likes of the RIU or the Viva Windham Maya 2 doors down. At least there the vibe is more welcoming and relaxing. read more

Amazing. It was like living in a jungle while also being at a spa. Very clean rooms, great service. They all had positive attitudes and were very friendly. Just like any Caribbean resort there are people trying to sell you stuff but a simple no thank you, will send them on their way. Our group had an amazing time and we can't wait to go back! read more

I bought this package along with other destinations for a time share presentation. This trip was 6 days 5 nights. We arrived at airport, and the transportation to the hotel was included. Driver was super nice. Arrived at the All inclusive resort- we were immediately greeted by the bellboy and another staff member offering me and my husband champagne/wine/beer. Already off to a good start. Time Share Tour was scheduled for the following day- transportation included- drinks included- we said no, and returned back to our resort. No hassle, easy breezy. The resort was absolutely beautiful. Jungle like resort, alot of walking, but everything was in one spot. pools, restaurants all in on place. Buffet was delicious, we ate there everyday for breakfast and dinner. Different variety of food to choose from and everything was great. The Mexican Restaurant and Italian Restaurant upstairs are alot more quieter and intimate. Great set up, and the options of food were minimal but the meals we had were great serving size, especially with an appetizer, and dessert included. Pool is nice, swim up bar and bartenders were attentive. Lounge chairs on the beach are included and set up very nicely. Our Bartender delivered our drinks to us on the beach so we would not have to keep walking back and forth. The entire staff was nice. Everyone always greeted you with a hello while walking by. Staff always looked happy. Other customers looked happy. Never came across any disgruntled staff or customers. Rooms were nice. nothing to fancy,but the A/C worked wonderful. The ceiling fan was a plus! the shower was beautiful , with the glass doors and the rainfall shower head. There was also nightly entertainment upstairs in the theater by Papo's Bar. So even though the pool closes up about 8 or so, the bar scene and entertainment stayed alive throughout the night. Never a dull moment at this resort. They also have a excursion office to purchase tours,etc. We purchased the Coba Sunset Tour and transportation was included, food, water, and wine, and a Mayan show for the culture. Absolutely Worth It. Outside the resort, we bought a Catamaran package with Diamond Bright Catamarn Cancun, transportation was included, drove us to Cancun, the catamaran included snorkeling, and a private tour to Isla Mujeres. There the food and drinks were all included. Overall, the trip was absolutely amazing. I would definitely recommend the Reef Playacar to anyone who would like to stay in Playa Del Carmen. I would stay again! :) read more

Nice resort clean and friendly staff Jungle style with apartment rooms Nice open concept buffet with beach view If you are looking for American style ! Don't even come to Mexico It's Mexico so it will be Mexican quality and style read more

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This has got to be the most unorganized and underwhelming resort I have ever had the displeasure of staying at. We came for a wedding and I was hoping it wouldn't be as bad as some of the other reviews. I'm actually impressed how much worse it is. Our issues began before we even got to the resort with the paid transportation we organized through the hotel. Then they didn't have the room we paid for, and gave us a truely grungy room for the first night. After that we realized the drinks and food were horrendous. We then got moved to another room, only to arrive and have other guests walking out of it... Our new room does not have a working fridge and we have given up trying to get anything out of the staff. We paid for premium which I do not recommend as it means nothing and we have received non of the so called perks even after asking multiple times. The daytime food options are useless and the nights aren't much better. We are here for another fews days, wish us luck. read more

I stayed here in June 2019. It's a pretty relaxed resort and on the smaller side. If you're looking for a luxurious resort this isn't it, but I still enjoyed my stay nonetheless, considering 90% of my stay I was off doing excursions or exploring 5th ave. Staff was very pleasant and made it a point to say hello as we passed by. The bartender in the lobby was our go to guy, he was fantastic during our entire stay and our concierge was also professional and polite. Our room was clean upon arrival and housekeeping kept it that way. I would recommend this resort if you're going on a mini vacay and need somewhere low key to stay. read more

Brief summary of our robbery at the REEF PLAYACAR. PLEASE SHARE before this happens to anyone else: Security was lacking. We got robbed over $15,000 dollars from our safe in the room #712, during a two-days period where the room's A/C was being repaired, and no video-camera footage to prove it ( because they have no cameras around the hallways). We were shocked at the administration's slowness in action and their resistance to compensate us after suffering this violation of trust. Ever after the robbery, we felt unwanted in the property, and as if they were waiting for us to fly back home and forget about it. We had chosen the Reef thinking it was a safe place to combine our business/pleasure trip but... boy, we were wrong! Mr. Rafael Laguna was furious at us for reporting and pursuing this terrible loss. It's no negligent amount of money, and the result of months of my husband's hard work at the biggest hospital in Houston (especially during this pandemic). Mr. Laguna's attitude and demeanor certainly made us aware that we were not in a 5-star facility. He singled it out as "the only case of robbery as such in his last 20 years on the job" and he, countless times, shared his doubts that we could be the culprits of our own robbery. We welcomed all the protocol searches of our bedroom and property, honestly hoping they would find our money. But when nothing was (obviously) found, I feel we became a nuisance to Mr. Laguna and his staff. We later learned from the Ministry of Tourism that we were indeed NOT the first case of robbery ( from a safe) in the Reef chain of hotels in the last few months. Because of the way he made us feel and his unresponsiveness to our suffering, I shared with my friends my experience. The next day he was furious about that too and made me aware of it. All in all, I'm heartbroken, embarrassed that my husband got to see that side of Mexico, and just relieved to be back home from that nightmare; although still worried that the hotel will soon brush it under the carpet. As it's usually done. Please, guys, beware of #ExperienceTheReefs PLEASE SHARE!!!!!! Note: My husband's words made me cry: "I hope that whoever took the money really needed it for health reasons, for a child, to improve their life in a meaningful way. Then, it'll somehow make it better." read more

Booked a room there arrived then they said they didn't have our room. So they moved us out of playacar to there other hotel. Then we got there they informed us they didn't have the room we ordered there either. So they put us in a double bed room. So my wife and I had to sleep in separate beds. And then instead of a Gardenview they put us under the walkway that leads out to the pool so all night and all morning or we could hear is people walking down the wood walkway no Gardenview as promised and paid for horrible experience horrible hotel that didn't seem to give any amount of care. Don't ever go there!!!!!!!! The only thing good was their bartenders they were all sweet and if you're going to stay there you better drink a lot that's the only thing that makes it enjoyable read more

A beautiful resort.. Very jungle-like. Just stayed here for 6 nights. Beach is beautiful, resort is nice. There are three restaurants to choose from. The buffet gets old after eating there for breakfast and lunch, but 5th avenue is just about a mile walk away. There are taxis to take you for about $7 each way, or the resort has bikes to take for free and lock up when you get there. Room was clean and has a nice balcony. If you have the gold wristband you can get top shelf liquor drinks. You do need to specify the liquor you want, or they'll just give you the cheap stuff. I was worried after reading the other reviews about this place but it was truly beautiful! 4 stars because the food was mediocre. read more

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Excellent service, close to local shops and restaurants. A short walk , bike ride, or cab ride. Well kept property, friendly and helpful staff. Italian and Mexican restaurant, daily buffet, snack bar, and ice cream parlor on-site. Affordable with quality, feels like home away from home. Quiet, and clean with character, built in 1998. Family friendly, singles, couples, and groups. Live show nightly, except Sunday. All inclusive options available, recommend upgrading to max band for top shelf drink options. Free non motorized sports/activities. Everything needed is on site, but close enough to downtown if wanting to venture out. Highly Recommended! read more

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Just stayed there with friends and family. I had an amazing time in Mexico no thanks to this resort. Half of the resort smells including the rooms smells like rotten egg farts. Good things 1. Beach 2. Easy to navigate 3. Some of the food 4. It's 10 min to the city of playa del Carmen Bad things 1. Pool is small and dirty 2. Most of the food is low grade and made everyone sick 3. Alcohol quality is extremely low 4. they try to sell you a time share when you get there...come onnnnnn. I hate that guy so much, he was a rude terd 5. Their wifi is sooooooo bad. Paid for 5 days and it maybe worked for 3 hours. Even when it's working is so slow that you can't even use it. 6. Overall the service was pretty weak. I've been to much friendlier, cleaner, better quality places. Bottom line: Had a great trip because I was there with 12 friends. But I'd never go back to this specific resort. Choose another hotel and save yourself the diarrhea, stomach pains and bad service. read more

Not sure why some reviews are lower. We were staying in a house in Playacar and did a Day Pass here. It's is a small all-inclusive hotel. Two pools, lots of cabanas, good food and a great swim up bar. Of course, the liquor they use is cheap since it is all-inclusive, but that's just how they are unless you have VIP access. I felt the day pass was a little pricey at $50 given that they don't include dinner, but overall is a nice hotel with good amenities. Easy to access for a Day Pass. read more

Similar to another reviewer, I love Mexico and have plenty left of it to explore, but to The Reef Playacar, I will never return. From the moment upon arriving, I witnessed nothing but displeasure by other guests. Our stay (July 1-July 6) was a total of 5 nights, 6 days and of those there were very few things I can count as pros. The highlight of our stay was La Noche Mexicana on Thursday night, the waterfalls at the coffee station near the center of the hotel grounds, and Rubén, the entertainer at the pool area. He made for a great time while relaxing poolside. Kudos also to the bartender at the swim up bar. His name has slipped my mind, but during our stay, he (with little help) served more than 2,000 drinks one day. The cons include that the food was just okay at the buffet. We didn't try any other place because of the dress code for men (must wear long pants and closed shoes). With the heat, humidity, and the fact that we were on vacation at a tropical beach, long pants and closed shoes, were things long forgotten. Another con was the time spent at the time share presentation, but because I knew about it going in, I don't blame the resort for that. I will say that having attended several presentations in years past, these were the friendliest I've ever encountered, including the general manager. The worst of the resort, honestly, was the beach. The water in the area where guests are allowed to swim, was a nasty brown and smelled as bad as it looked. Sadly, the entire area has been plagued with a terrible algae. I'm not sure why guests are not allowed to swim further out, where the beautiful, picture perfect ocean water is. read more

DO NOT stay here! Police near here harassed us to give them $100.00 because we were tourists! Worse experience ever! Besides this place is dirty and rooms and just the same! Poor service and the security from the entrance denied we come here while staying at the new luxury hotel Reef 28. They literally called the police to have us escorted away. They absolutely ruined my vacation. read more