We just returned from 5 days at the reef coco beach (3/29/04 to 4/2/04) and it was a good, good time. The hotel staff is awesome and friendly....they try gently to include you in every event going on at the resort.The rooms were very nice and new(not fancy but nice) and had a small refrigerator. Be sure to leave a tip and note for more bottle water....you will want it . The food was very good and the bar area is a hit while swimming. We liked the Italian restaurant much better than the mexican restaurant at the hotel and you have to make reservations early morning or get "boxed" out. The beach is 1st rate and the walking is forever...didn't want to leave. This place is terrific for families or couples just wanting to get away and "kick back". The town is only about a 5 minute cab ride or you can just walk down the beach to town which will take you 15-20 minutes. In town there is a ferry dock for trips to cozumel and a few clubs like Senor frogs, Carlos & Charlies, Blue Parrot, etc.. We will definately go back. One note of caution....don't let them assign you to rooms 2227-30 by the bar unless you are a bonified "night owl". The noise level at night would probably bother most people or families.

We just returned from a fabulous 10 day vacation at the Reef Coco Beach
resort ( March 19 - 29) and it was everything we could have wanted. We
read all the of the reviews, both postitive and negitive prior to our
trip, and were alitttle nervous. We saw nothing of the negitive
comments we read about and would give it a 9.9 on a scale of 1-10. We
too had a small problem upon check-in (3 families,6 kids ages 14-16
traveling together all needing connecting rooms) however by the next
day the hotel had everyone situated to our satisfaction. We personally
did not have a problem and had a great connecting room with a wonderful
view of the pool. We were however were initally given the wrong room
keys and walked into a occupied room with a sleeping guest. But again
the hotel corrected the problem. I chalked it up to new hotel blues.
The hotel itself is great!!!!! It is not luxurious, but it is perfect
for families and couples who don't want to be in their rooms all day
but rather out by the fabulous pool or beautiful beach. The rooms are
very nice and the entire hotel is extremely clean. The food is very
good. Breakfast's offer a wide varitey of fresh fruit, eggs, danish
etc. Lunch in the buffet was great offering the freshes vegtables
around and the snack area by the pool offers a wide variety for all.
The kids along with adults really enjoyed this area. The dinner buffet
was very good, but I would have loved to see alittle more variety each
night especially seafood. The Mexican restaurant was ok, not great. We
never made it to the Italian restaurant. Drinks were abundent with
services offered at 7 different locations throughout the day and night.
The Staff was Fantastic!!!!!! Friendly beyond words and helpful as can
be. A special thanks to Jesus who, like most of the staff, went out of
his way to bring us anything we requested. The Animation team
(activities Staff) was alot of fun. They work very hard to engage guest
in the activities, however they were not pushy in the least. The kids
as well as the adults did a variety of activities in the pool, on the
beach and at the entertainment at night. The hotel is approximately a
10 to 15 minute walk by beach or 5 minute cab ride into to town where
we went shopping and partying a few times. The Reef Coco Beach also has
one of the best beaches in the area. The kids boogey boarded and
snorkeled everyday and boasted about the great waves. It is also great
walking for miles.
There is so much to do in the area that paying the bigger bucks for a more luxurious hotel when you spend so little time in the room itself would in my opinion be a waste of money.

We just returned from the Reef Coco Beach. It was difficult to leave the resort. The entire experience was positive with the exception of arrival. We were greeted pleasantly enough, and told we would be unable to have connecting rooms (which we had requested prior to arrival). We are a family of six with children ranging from 13 to 4. We were given rooms that were next to each other. When we got to these rooms we found that in one room there was an occupant asleep in the bed. My husband went back to the front desk and explained what had happened. He was a bit upset about the situation. After checking again they "discovered" that indeed there were connecting rooms available. These rooms turned out to be the best rooms at the resort (from my perspective)--they were on the ground floor facing the ocean with easy access to restaurants, pool, beach, game room and excellent view. These rooms were 2166 and 2167. I don't know if you can request a room but it is worth a try!
After our misadventure with check-in, all was fantastic!! Drinks were plentiful and not skimpy. Jesus at the pool bar was very pleasant. The buffet was very nice, could have possibly been better. The Italian restaurant delicious with great service and attention to detail.
Mexican restaurant not quite as good. Pool very nice. If you have kids that are not yet swimming be sure to bring floaties of some sort as the kiddy pool is small and the kids will want to swim in the larger pool.
Pool is a bit cool. Beach beautiful. White sand, turqouise waters, roped off section, shallow and not much of any undercurrent when we were there. A coral reef further out protects from currents big waves.
Take a walk along the beach into town. Town very interesting although tourist spot (5th avenue) is typically overpriced for what you get. I purchased a wooden snake toy for my son for about 15 U.S. dollars, only to see the same item at the Charlotte airport for $4.99. Oh well.
Definitely go see night show at Xcaret, and if you can go to Xel-ha which is unbelievably beautiful. Tulum also worth the visit--beautiful ocean view, interesting Mayan ruins. We all were sad to leave the Resort and could have stayed another week--I predict we will return!!

Our family of 5 just experienced a wonderful vacation at Reef Coco Beach. The staff, resort, food...the total package was amazing!!!! If you wanted to participate in an activity, the staff was right there to insure that you were included. By the same token if you wanted to be left to "veg", that was respected and you were accomodated by having refreshments brought right to you. They were great with my 10 year old daughter and there were plenty of other children around her age for her to play with. There were also a good number of teenage guests for my 15 year old son to hang out with. The staff made sure to include them in beach volley ball, soccer, etc. I highly recommend a massage on the beach. What a wonderful experience and the price is very reasonable.
Worth every penny and more! The lay out of the resort is very nice - intimate. Great location, gorgeous beach, nice rooms with wonderful views, excellent food and incredible service!!!!! It was a little difficult to get bottled water. We were provided with 1 large bottle and 2 small bottles all but 1 day. We would have preferred a few more.
I hadn't thought of trying the tip in the mini-fridge idea. Maybe that would have worked. It would have been worth a couple dollars and a mas agua por favor note. We have been to Playa Del Carmen before however, we've never gone to the city at night. We missed out! The city is beautiful at night. A whole different experience. I highly recommend it! I've seen comments questioning the resorts 5 star rating. I think that one needs to keep in mind that the rating pertains to the amenities vs # of rooms. We have stayed at larger resorts with more restaurants, bars, beach chairs etc. However, we had less access to those amenities because of the number of guests. Access to the beach, pool side, restaurants, etc. was plentiful because the number of amenities per room is a very good ratio at Reef Coco Beach. I agree with its 5 star rating. I highly recommend this resort and look forward to visiting again.