The Reef Playacar Beach Resort & Spa

3.5 star property

Photo gallery for The Reef Playacar Beach Resort & Spa

Outdoor pool, pool umbrellas, pool loungers
Private beach, white sand, sun-loungers, beach umbrellas
Sauna, body treatments, hot stone massages, deep-tissue massages
Hallway
Beach bar

Reviews

8.0 out of 10
Very good

Popular amenities

  • 24/7 front desk
  • All-inclusive
  • Bar

Explore the area

Map
Ave. Xaman-Ha, Retorno Sayil S/N Fracc. Playacar, Playa del Carmen, QROO, 77710
  • Playacar Beach
    ‪5 min walk‬
  • Playa del Carmen Maritime Terminal
    ‪19 min walk‬
  • Playacar Golf Club
    ‪1 min drive‬
  • Cozumel, Quintana Roo (CZM-Cozumel Intl.)
    ‪279 min drive‬

Room options

Premium Room, 2 Double Beds

  • 27 sq m
  • Sleeps 4
  • 2 Double Beds

Premium Room, 1 King Bed

  • 27 sq m
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 King Bed

Superior Room, 1 King Bed

  • 27 sq m
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 King Bed

Superior Room, 2 Double Beds

  • 27 sq m
  • Sleeps 4
  • 2 Double Beds

Similar properties

About the area

Playa del Carmen

With a stay at The Reef Playacar Beach Resort & Spa in Playa del Carmen (Playacar), you'll be within a 5-minute drive of Playacar Golf Club and Playa del Carmen Maritime Terminal. .This beach resort is 1.3 mi (2 km) from Playa del Carmen Main Beach and 5.2 mi (8.4 km) from Xplor Theme Park.

What's nearby

  • Playacar Beach - 5 min walk - 0.5 km
  • Quinta Avenida - 19 min walk - 1.6 km
  • Playa del Carmen Maritime Terminal - 19 min walk - 1.7 km
  • Playacar Golf Club - 1 min drive - 0.4 km
  • Playa del Carmen Main Beach - 8 min drive - 2.1 km

Getting around

  • Cancun Intl. Airport (CUN) - 54 min drive

Restaurants

  • ‪Occidental Allegro - ‬5 min walk
  • ‪Pool Bar - ‬13 min walk
  • ‪Don Rafael - ‬1 min walk
  • ‪Sports Bar Allegro Playacar - ‬5 min walk
  • ‪Turquesa - ‬8 min walk

About this property

The Reef Playacar Beach Resort & Spa

On private beach with outdoor pool, near Playacar Golf Club
The Reef Playacar Beach Resort & Spa offers 198 accommodations with safes and hair dryers. Rooms open to balconies. 32-inch LED televisions come with premium cable channels. Bathrooms include shower/tub combinations and complimentary toiletries.

Guests can surf the web using the complimentary wireless Internet access (speed: 100+ Mbps (good for 1–2 people or up to 6 devices)). Business-friendly amenities include desks and phones. Additionally, rooms include irons/ironing boards and ceiling fans. Change of towels and change of bedsheets can be requested. Housekeeping is provided daily.

A private beach, a marina, and complimentary bicycles are featured at the resort. An outdoor pool and a children's pool are on site. Other recreational amenities include a fitness center.

The recreational activities listed below are available either on site or nearby; fees may apply.

Ome has 3 treatment rooms. Massages are available on the beach and in the spa; other services include deep-tissue massages, hot stone massages, and Swedish massages. The spa is equipped with a sauna. A variety of treatment therapies are provided, including reflexology. The spa is open daily.
Make yourself at home in one of the 198 guestrooms featuring refrigerators and LED televisions. Rooms have private balconies. Complimentary wireless internet access keeps you connected, and cable programming is available for your entertainment. Bathrooms feature shower/tub combinations, complimentary toiletries, and hair dryers.
Relax at the full-service spa, where you can enjoy massages, body treatments, and facials. You can soak up the sun at the private beach or enjoy other recreational amenities including an outdoor pool and a fitness center. Additional features at this resort include complimentary wireless internet access, concierge services, and gift shops/newsstands.
All-inclusive rates are available at this resort. Meals and beverages at onsite dining establishments are included in all-inclusive rates. Charges may be applied for dining at some restaurants, special dinners and dishes, some beverages, and other amenities.

Grab a bite to eat at Botticelli, one of the resort's many dining establishments, which include 3 restaurants and a coffee shop/cafe. Wrap up your day with a drink at the bar/lounge, the beach bar, or the poolside bar.

Featured amenities include a business center, dry cleaning/laundry services, and a 24-hour front desk. Planning an event in Playa del Carmen? This resort has 5167 square feet (480 square meters) of space consisting of conference space and a meeting room. Free self parking is available onsite.
Botticelli - Onsite fine-dining restaurant.
Terraza Grill - Onsite fine-dining restaurant. Open daily.
Chula Vista - Onsite buffet restaurant. Open daily.

All-inclusive details

All-inclusive room rates at The Reef Playacar Beach Resort & Spa are available. These rates are higher because they include onsite food and beverages in the room rate (some restrictions may apply).

Gratuities and taxes

Gratuities are included and additional gratuities at guests' discretion are accepted.

Food and beverages

All buffet and à la carte meals, snacks, and select beverages included
Dining and beverage availability limited at one or more venues

Activities and facilities/equipment

All non-motorized water sports, land activities, and use of recreational facilities and equipment are included.

Water activities

Kayaking
Sailing
Snorkeling
Surfing/body boarding

Land activities

Bicycling
Fitness facilities
Volleyball

Lessons/classes/games

Aerobics
Dancing
Language

Entertainment

Onsite entertainment and activities
Onsite live performances

Languages

English, Spanish

Property amenities

Internet

  • Available in all rooms: Free WiFi
  • In-room WiFi speed: 100+ Mbps (good for 1–2 people or up to 6 devices)
  • Available in some public areas: Free WiFi

Parking and transport

  • Free self parking on site

Food and drink

  • 3 restaurants
  • A bar/lounge
  • A beach bar
  • A coffee shop/cafe
  • A poolside bar
  • A swim-up bar
  • Snack bar/deli

Restaurants on site

  • Botticelli
  • Chula Vista
  • Terraza Grill

Things to do

  • 18-hole adjacent golf course
  • Beach volleyball
  • Billiards/pool table
  • Boat tours
  • Children's pool
  • Fishing
  • Foosball table
  • Free bicycle rentals
  • Free children's club
  • Full-service spa
  • Gym
  • Kayaking
  • Outdoor pool
  • Parasailing
  • Sailing
  • Scuba diving
  • Shopping
  • Snorkelling
  • Surfing/bodyboarding
  • Tennis
  • TV in common areas
  • Yoga classes

Family friendly

  • Children's pool
  • Free children's club
  • Free rollaway/extra bed
  • Free supervised activities for children
  • In-room refrigerator
  • Laundry facilities
  • Outdoor pool
  • Snack bar/deli

Conveniences

  • 24-hour front desk
  • ATM
  • Gift shop/newsstand
  • Hair salon
  • Laundry facilities
  • Luggage storage
  • Safe at front desk
  • Water dispenser

Guest services

  • Change of bedsheets (on request)
  • Change of towels on request
  • Concierge services
  • Dry cleaning/laundry service
  • Housekeeping (daily)
  • Multilingual staff
  • Porter/bellhop
  • Tour and ticket assistance
  • Wedding services

Business services

  • 5,167 square feet of conference space
  • Business centre
  • Computer station
  • Meeting room

Outdoors

  • Beach loungers
  • Beach towels
  • Beach umbrellas
  • Garden
  • Marina
  • On a private beach
  • On the waterfront
  • Pool loungers
  • Pool umbrellas
  • Terrace

Full-service spa

  • 3 treatment rooms
  • Body scrubs
  • Body wraps
  • Deep-tissue massages
  • Facials
  • Hot stone massages
  • Prenatal massages
  • Reflexology
  • Sauna
  • Spa open daily
  • Swedish massages

Accessibility

  • No lift
  • Tile flooring in room

Room amenities

Bedroom

  • Bedsheets provided
  • Blackout drapes
  • Free rollaway/extra bed

Bathroom

  • Free toiletries
  • Hair dryer
  • Shower/bathtub combination
  • Towels provided

Entertainment

  • 32-inch LED TV with premium cable channels

Food and drink

  • Refrigerator

More

  • Air conditioning (climate-controlled)
  • Bulk dispensers for toiletries
  • Ceiling fan
  • Cleaning products are eco-friendly
  • Desk
  • Eco-friendly toiletries
  • Iron/ironing board
  • LED lighting
  • Phone
  • Safe
  • Water-efficient showers
  • Water-efficient toilets

Policies

Check-in

Check-in start time: 3:00 PM; Check-in end time: anytime
Minimum check-in age: 18

Check-out

Check-out before noon

Special check-in instructions

Front desk staff will greet guests on arrival at the property

Access methods

Staffed front desk

Pets

No pets or service animals allowed

Children and extra beds

Children are welcome
Free rollaway/extra beds
Cribs (infant beds) are not available

Payment types

Important information

Fees

You'll be asked to pay the following charges at the property. Fees may include applicable taxes:

  • A tax is imposed by the city: USD 2.81 per accommodation, per night
  • Destination fee: USD 2.10 per accommodation, per night

We have included all charges provided to us by the property.

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card, or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
This property accepts credit cards and cash
This property uses eco-friendly cleaning products

We should mention

This property does not have elevators
Reservations are required for golf tee times, massage services, and spa treatments; reservations can be made by contacting the property prior to arrival, using the contact information on the booking confirmation
Some facilities may have restricted access; guests can contact the property for details using the contact information on the booking confirmation
No pets and no service animals are allowed at this property

Property is also known as

Reef Playacar All Inclusive Beach Resort
Reef Playacar Beach
Reef Playacar Beach Resort
Reef Playacar All Inclusive Beach Resort Playa del Carmen
Reef Playacar Beach Playa del Carmen
Reef Playacar All Inclusive Beach
Reef car Inclusive Resort

The Reef Playacar Beach Resort & Spa Reviews

Reviews

8.0

Very good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 474 out of 1107 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 327 out of 1107 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 163 out of 1107 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 73 out of 1107 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 70 out of 1107 reviews

8.8/10

Cleanliness

8.4/10

Staff & service

8.0/10

Amenities

8.4/10

Property conditions & facilities

8.8/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

4/10 Poor

Edward

The only thing hot was the coffee and the soup. Everything else was luke warm at best. Regardless of the meal. Started out with no hot water bu they did fix that. My stay had bugs in the room pretty well the whole time. The maid tried to get rid of them and I did not see a bug for 1 day, but then they came back. They should have sprayed the unit.
Stayed 7 nights in Dec 2024

8/10 Good

Heather, Massillon

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
I’ll start with the positives. The staff was friendly, the beach was beautiful and buffet food was good, late night tacos and the ice cream were great. The reasons I’m not giving 5 stars are these… no pool activities, typically the pools at resorts we stay at are fun and entertaining. There was absolutely nothing going on at the pool and no one swimming all 4 days and the weather was good. Our room was located in building 2 near the theater and the walls were thin as paper, it was impossible to sleep with music going on late and drunk people screaming until 1am or later. The nightly entertainment is not up to par with other resorts, and it’s kind of hard to find out what’s going on throughout the day. The only restaurant we tried that required a reservation was Mexican and we were there over 2 hours and left before the dessert came, we received a small course of food every 45 minutes that took about 2 minutes to eat, we were starving and went to the buffet instead. Our room shower had no water pressure and the door latch was broken. The ceiling fan didn’t work and the blind for the window was missing and laying in the closet. Typically I give 5 stars even with issues because I know no place is perfect but there were just too many, I would have been much happier in a different room further from the late night music but when we tried to get moved they were much more concerned with flipping the conversation to attending the time share presentation. I barely slept the whole trip.
Stayed 4 nights in Dec 2024

10/10 Excellent

Kerry

Stayed 6 nights in Nov 2024

8/10 Good

Apphia

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
The beach was wonderful! The staff was very kind and accommodating! The buildings and rooms could use some renovations and updates, but it was a comfortable stay. The food was my least favorite part of the trip. I have to maintain a gluten free diet and there wasn't alot of variety or food options. Some days the food at the buffet was cold, and it didn't vary based on timing of the meal. Great location in Playa!
Stayed 7 nights in Dec 2024

6/10 Okay

Ruslana

Travelled with family, Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness
We were a whole group, friends and relatives, in general everything is possible, but there were still some shortcomings. There was very little fruit in the buffet, almost none, and the variety of food was very weak. The sauna is paid, although in other resorts nearby we have been in the past years the sauna was free. If it were a little cheaper, people would go there, otherwise it is always empty. Also, the jacuzzi is only for sharing members.
Stayed 10 nights in Dec 2024

6/10 Okay

Shawna

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Great staff not so great facility
The staff was absolutely incredible but the hotel itself had older facilities. The restaurant we wanted to go to was closed, the coffee bar wasn’t happening and didn’t have specialities coffee as it said. You had to pay for the coffee that was at the front even with an all inclusive. Pieces of the pool were falling off, the ceiling in the main restaurant was falling off , almost into my plate near the AC unit. As I said, great staff not their fault but they need to maintain the premise
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2024

10/10 Excellent

DEBORAH

Travelled with partner
Liked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Walking from the lobby through to the pool/beach area is like walking through a tropical jungle paradise, complete with a cenote. It is by far the most beautiful hotel grounds I have ever walked through.
Stayed 7 nights in Dec 2024

6/10 Okay

Skylar

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
We loved the location of this resort. However, that was about it.. the beds were hard as a rock, most staff were unfriendly, food was limited & not good, bars opened at different times (probably due to the resort being understaffed) the pools were freezing & lack of daily activities made our trip boring. We lucked out being so close to 5th ave, we went there often to eat & even stayed the night at a hotel there.
Stayed 9 nights in Dec 2024

10/10 Excellent

Michelle

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Wonderful Stay and Staff
When we first arrived, we had a couple of issues, but the staff and management were on top of it in no time. The staff was very welcoming and respectful. The room was comfortable and clean. We did some excursions through their travel shop. They were upfront for cost, but I will state that the ruins at Tulum are no longer run federally. We got to Tulum, it was very disorganized and a different price. When talking with other people at Tulum, we noticed that they were charged differently as well. Be aware of this. This has no reflection on the resort. The buffet served good food with a variety. We made reservations for both the Italian and Mexican Restaurants. Excellent service and food. The beach was clean and there were many areas where we could sit. There were two clean pools and on hot days, they were well used We were very happy we had the experience we did at The Reef Playacar Beach Resort & Spa. The resort is very family-friendly.
Stayed 6 nights in Dec 2024

8/10 Good

Trever

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The staff at resort is what makes the Reef resorts great!!! This was our 2 nd stay .. once at coco beach and reef plyacar this time. Both have amazing employees!!!!
Stayed 7 nights in Dec 2024

10/10 Excellent

Christina

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
I loved my week long stay in the Reef Playacar. Special thanks to Arturo at the front desk for being so kind and accommodating. All of the staff were super sweet as well. The buffet had many delicious options, the rooms and resort was beautiful, the beach was always clean and if you stay during december you will always be able to find free chairs/daybeds. I definitely recommend staying at The Reef and hope to be returning soon!
Stayed 8 nights in Dec 2024

6/10 Okay

Hardik

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Room was outdated and had a weird smell. Even though I complained about it to the staff multiple times, still there was no resolution. Ultimately, I had to purchase an air freshener from the costly shop located in the hotel. Even the water in the washroom had a weird smell. The other thing that I didn't like was lack of vegetarian food options. However, staff did helped out on a few occasions but overall if you are a vegetarian then there won't be much to eat. Location wise I liked the hotel as it has close proximity to 5th avenue (high street with restaurants and shopping). It's around 20 minutes walk and if you take a taxi then no more than 5 - 10 minutes drive.
Stayed 4 nights in Dec 2024

8/10 Good

Ashley Rose

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
They were very welcoming the whole stay. The staff were excellent. They were able to help with transportation and answer any questions we had.
Stayed 4 nights in Dec 2024

6/10 Okay

Elizabeth

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The property is beautiful and the staff is amazing, however the buffet is mediocre, there is no room service, and you have to get your own drinks at the pool. Also, my TV did not work in my room, I reported it everyday and it never got fixed. Good thing we weren’t in our room much.
Stayed 4 nights in Dec 2024

4/10 Poor

David

Travelled with family
Disliked: Amenities, property conditions & facilities
Food was not good
Stayed 5 nights in Nov 2024

8/10 Good

Manuel, Clarksville

Travelled with family
The property was not a 5 star hotel.. The dining was below our expectation. We travel to Cancun and Playa quiet often and will never stay at the Reef again
Stayed 5 nights in Nov 2024

8/10 Good

Valerie

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
We enjoyed our stay over thanksgiving break. However, I’m surprised to see not one review talk about the beds. The beds are extremely uncomfortable and very firm. I found it very difficult to get a good night’s sleep during our 5 night stay. Better beds would make this a more desirable property. Our party booked massages at the spa. We are told to arrive 10min before our appointment. Which we did. We had one couple massage at 10 and the therapists picked us up at 10:10. Although we booked an 80min massage they still finished at 11:20 even though they were at fault for picking us up late. I brought this to the attention of the front desk and the solution was to give the 10min loss to the next couple massage in our group. Very disappointing as I was the one who paid for and booked the massages. So I got just a 70min and the next group got 90min. The couples room is also very small. It looks like it should only accommodate one table but they have two in there. There is no way the massage therapists can practice proper body mechanics and technique without proper space to comfortably move around the tables. I say this as a massage therapist myself. I’m sure those ladies are in pain after every shift because of it. The Mexican restaurant was just ok. I am glad we tried it but had no desire to book a reservation again. The Samurai hibachi restaurant at the sister location was excellent. Highly recommend if you get the gold bracelet.
Stayed 5 nights in Nov 2024

10/10 Excellent

Angel

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great Property
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2024

10/10 Excellent

Zachary Alexander

Travelled with family and small children
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Excellent staff, having a 2 and 5 year old is not easy. The staff here was very helpful, always smiling.
Stayed 7 nights in Nov 2024

10/10 Excellent

EDUVIGES M

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Our stay was amazing just count by the safety courtesy of staff
Stayed 5 nights in Nov 2024

6/10 Okay

Drew

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Beautiful grounds. Very small. Bad food with very little variety. Fees for fridge restock, no beer in fridge. Constant sales pitch including early morning calls.
Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2024

4/10 Poor

Elie

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Disliked: Staff & service
First,we did a family vacation. We were 6 adults 2 kids (12 and 16 years old). We stayed there from November 14th to November 21st 2024. When we arrived at the hotel to do the check in, the staff were really kind and friendly. We had a normal all inclusive reservation and before finishing the check in the guy at the lobby asked if we'd like a premium upgrade (only for adults) for 110$ US per person. The guy said that this upgrade includes premium alcohol brands at any bars in the hotel, a free Japanese supper to The Reef coco beach resort with free transportation (affiliated hotel), exclusive places on the beach with service, a free entrance to the beach club party that is worth 50$ US each and a free gift. So the offer was appealing and we took it.This is where all the problems started. We got scammed from day 1 to day 7. Went to the Japanese restaurant and the shuttle left without us and we had to wait 2 hours for the next one because nobody told us at what time the shuttle was leaving. We were still eating when the shuttle left. No service on the beach, the beach party never happened and we had to go to a 1h30 time sharing presentation if we wanted our gifts. We did the presentation and never had our gifts. The staff were all lying to us concerning the premium bracelet and they were saying different things about it. So if you go to this hotel, DON'T BUY THE PREMIUM BRACELET BECAUSE IT'S A SCAM. We had high expectations with this offer and got scammed for 110$US each
Stayed 7 nights in Nov 2024

10/10 Excellent

Maria

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Beautiful placw
Stayed 4 nights in Nov 2024

10/10 Excellent

Barbara

Travelled with family and small children
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great family friendly resort! The small resort is perfect for small kids as rooms are close to pool and ocean for easy access. Food at restaurants and snack shack was amazing! Buffet could use more options as it was very limited and always the same. Staff were very friendly and helpful! Will definitely return!
Stayed 7 nights in Nov 2024

10/10 Excellent

Maria De La Paz

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2024