We arrived early and they very nicely stowed our bags and gave us our wristbands. Then as we had a couple hours to kill they handed us off to a concierge for an orientation that quickly turned into sales pitches for different stores. All of which came with discount coupons upon which our host printed his name and hotel (to get his kickbacks I presume) This then slid into a time share. oh wait not a time share, a "private residence" pitch. One we were able to get clear of that we walked through the very lovely grounds down to the beach and had a drink while we waited. A cold beer and some Don Julio Anejo. When the time was right we went back and finished the check in and were told that they had given us the wrong bracelets and that if we used them at the a la carte restaurants we would be charged additional fees. Well I had paid for a premium room that gave us access to all a la carte meals with no fees so we allowed them to change our bracelet to the proper one. We went to our room and stowed the gear, changed into some swim gear and went back to the bar where we were now told that we could not have the good tequila because our bracelets were now the wrong color. Back to the front desk we went where a different fellow explained that our package did not include the top shelf drinks. The price upgrade was minor and meant the difference between cuervo and don Julio so I clarified that the upgrade would cover all the drinks and get us into all areas and then I purchased it. He dug out the exact same bracelets that we had first been given and when I protested that we didn't want to pay any extra fees for the a la carte he said that we would not. I explained what had happened previously and he said the other gentleman had given us the wrong bracelets and then rather than admit his mistake and explain them had lied about them to get us to give them up voluntarily ( I guess we could have refused and kept them at the get go and saved a $200).
So with the new/old bracelets back on we went back to the bar and watched the bar tender pouring the top shelf Julio for 3 guys wearing the exact same arm bands as we had been wearing and had just paid to upgrade from. Same bar tender that wouldn't pour for us was pouring full shot glasses of the Anejo for these other guys. He seemed to know them or maybe he was just working for tips but needless to say it left a bad bad taste in my mouth.
Oh and despite the front desk assuring us that everything was covered with the new armbands. The a la cartes wine lists cost extra (15 - 25 us for a so so bottle of red) and the chef recommendations at the bottom of the menu cost $20 dollars per plate, not covered under the bracelet or any bracelet as far as I could see. Lobster was one of the things not covered so on our last night in Playa del Carmen rather than fork out money to eat a special meal at a "not so all inclusive" we went down town and had a wonderful dinner at the Blue Lobster Restaurant.

The snack bar by the pool had really bad food, hot dogs and tostado chips with fake melted cheese puked over them (think 7-11)

The buffet was nice and food was varied and the a la cartes' meals were very good and the service was excellent.

The buildings and the grounds were beautiful and the beach was simply heaven

If it hadn't been for that first day and the garbage reception and sales pitch I would have given them a much higher score. instead I went away feeling cheated and stolen from

I won't be back and will certainly make everyone aware of my unpleasant experience there.

Returned yesterday after a week in The Reef Playacar. This is the third resort we have stayed at in Playacar. It was alright, a bed, shower and a beach. We thought that there were some high points, a lot of averages, and a few lows.

The lows included lack of late food. We went to Xcaret and returned to the resort at 9:30pm. The resturants were closed. They had a special Mexican themed dinner in another area of the resort, but we had to ask at the desk to find it (after 5 days at the hotel already). We had minimal choices at that point and the service staff seemed more annoyed than helpful. The bars were hit and miss, with no two bartenders making drinks the same way. Often we were told that the bar had run out of a liquor or a mixer, with no plan to restock that day. The room was older, some mildew in the shower area,and a definite musty smell (which was worse than we are used to in other resorts).

The average included the buffet resturant. The food was adequate, but not always hot. There were a fair number of choices so one could always find something to eat. The grounds were nice, but not spectacular. The other two resorts in which we have stayed were much more focused on keeping the area extremely neat and clean.

The highs: Beach- large and beautiful with plenty of chairs. The Reef Marina- Staff terrific (see seperate review). All staff- specifically Roslie and Paulino in the Chulavista Resturant and Orlando at the beach bar. The beds were the most comfortable we had slept in in the area.

In general we would not likley stay again, unless there was not another option. We would move further south in Playacar. The week went well, but its not where you stay but the attitude and company you keep while on the trip.

I have to admit that I was a bit nervous heading into this trip based on previous comments on TripAdvisor. I am glad to report that I was pleasantly surprised that we did not experience any of the issues expressed by other travelers. The staff could not be more engaging and friendly, from the bellman that greeted us with a beverage of our choice upon check-in, to Hector at the front desk who did everything in his power to accommodate us at check-in and throughout our stay, the cleaning staff, our favorite wait staff - Gladis and Guillermo and everyone from the grounds crews, bartenders and activity staff.

We had an issue with a smell of cigar smoke in our room when we checked in and there wasn't a comparable room available to move us to so we decided to stick it out and air out the room, Hector offered to have the linens and curtains changed if necessary to air out the room and sent up a cleaning staff member with air freshener (and fresh linens) which they allowed us to keep and continue to spray as needed. It definitely got better after we kept the doors and windows opened off and on throughout the week. This was definitely no fault of the staff or the resort and I really think they went out of their way to make us happy.

The food at the buffet was excellent for breakfast and lunch. Not as good for dinner (though there were many options), but Botticelli and Terraza were nice options and we had excellent service and food (went to Botticelli twice and Terraza once). We ended up eating out twice - with the close proximity to 5th Avenue we couldn't pass up an early evening walk into town.

We were with our 2 teenage daughters and at no time did I feel uncomfortable leaving them in their room alone if they wanted to sleep late or allowing them to walk up to their room or sit on the beach without us.

If I had to find something negative to say, my husband would want me to point out that since The Reef Marina is technically a separate entity and their credit card machine was broken all week, it was a bit of a nuisance to keep going to the ATM to withdraw Pesos if we wanted to use the wave runners, para sailing, and/or snorkeling trips (which are all highly recommended). Not sure why it couldn't be charged through the hotel or simply get the machine fixed??

Overall it was a trip to remember - I hope we find the time to go back some day.

Thank you to everyone at The Reef Playacar for making our first trip to Mexico a memorable one.

My husband and I just returned from the Reef after a week stay. I was referred by a friend who had previously stayed at the resort. She was correct that this is a great place to stay in Mexico. Plus, after reading so many negative reviews I was a bit scared of what to expect but I respected her opinion and was blown away with the place. First, it's a wonderful small resort that isn't overwhelming to the point that you can navigate the whole place with no problems. We stayed in a room with 2 beds on the third floor of building 7 with a lovely view of the garden area. We enjoyed seeing the little critters running around and the views of the foliage. The location was close to the pools, beach and buffet area. The beds were comfortable as well as the pillows. Clean and spacious enough for the two of us.
The pools, the dining area and beach was fabulous. I didn't have a bad meal or a bad drink for that matter. I am not sure why I have read that there is not enough variety. I always found some good eats, and I loved the variety and the foods that I would like to eat everyday, such as fruits and a salad.
The location of the resort was great. Close to shopping on 5th avenue by foot or bike.
The staff were the greatest! I have to mention Irma, our housekeeper, always asked if we needed anything since we really don't need daily housekeeping. Great gal. Humberto, Gerard, Jose, Willy and so many other folks that really made our stay so wonderful. I forgot Ana and Nadyli too. Fun crowd. I would highly recommend the Reef if you want the experience of a large resort on a small scale. I am ready to go back next year. I can't say enough good things about this wonderful little place of paradise! Thanks to all for a wonderful 1st time visit to Mexico!!